FAQs
Riso is short for Risograph. It’s a Japanese printer/printing process that is similar to screen-printing, using rich spot colours and stencils to create tactile and vibrant prints, affordably and with little impact to our environment. Risograph printing is a print process which combines the best of digital and traditional print: a hand-made look and feel with the speed, low-cost and efficiency of a modern printer.
Though it looks on the outside like a copy machine, the Risograph is not a copier. It is a duplicator with a process like screen printing.
The Riso duplicator internally creates a stencil that is laid onto a drum filled with ink. The drum then spins at high speed, forcing the ink through the stencil onto the paper, where it is absorbed creating a unique look and texture.
The price will depend on the specific project. Costs can be broken down into three main sections: how many colours, amount of stencils used, number of prints, and paper.
Like screen-printing, the initial set-up is where most of the production time is spent, and main cost is weighted. Therefore the most economical jobs are ones that use few colours/stencils but output high quantities, and the more expensive jobs involve many colour stencils, at a low print quantity.
You can find various Riso print simulators online, or we can mock up your artwork digitally for you, but results can never be fully simulated – so take the leap and see what happens once it’s inked up on paper.
Not everything is suited to the Riso process, but if you’ve read our print guidelines, and your artwork has been prepared well – it rarely disappoints! The best projects are the ones designed with Riso printing from the very beginning.
Absolutely! Please click here to order your sample pack, or check our gallery wall to see examples of riso printed projects.
Yes, you can! The results will not be the same as digitally printing your photographs, they will have their own unique special look!
There are several tutorials online where you can learn about setting up artwork for riso (We can print photographs with faux CMYK separations). You can also browse our gallery wall to see what photographs look like when they’re printed in four spot colours (Fluro Pink, Blue, Yellow and Black).
Finally – if you’ve not seen risograph prints in the flesh, we recommend you order one of our sample packs – these can include printed photographic examples and will give you an idea of what you can expect. The results are great, but the process isn’t like digital printing, and therefore won’t be a reproduction of your digital or original image.
The largest size is A3 – 420mm x 297mm, but the max printable area is 410mm x 287mm.
We print on uncoated paper between 80gsm and 300gsm. Riso can’t print gloss or coated paper. If you wish for a different paper thickness or colour, please reach out to use so that we can order it. We order eco-friendly, sustainable paper from a local supplier. If you’re looking for a paper that our supplier doesn’t have in stock, we will do our best to order it from abroad, which will take a few weeks to arrive.
Sadly, no. Riso is only for paper.
You can take a look at our print guidelines here. It covers everyting from colour separation, crop marks, file flattening and so on.
Yes, we host workshops not only for Risograph printing but also Lino printing, zine making, tetrapak print making and other various creative techqniues too! You can take a look at our available workshops here. All workshops are held at our premises unless stated otherwise. We can also arrange workshops for private groups. If interested in organizing a private workshop either for your friends, professional team building and so on, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
This answer depends heavily on whether we have the paper stock required for the project. If the paper is in stock, our average turnaround time is 2-3 weeks but can vary depending on our current production schedule and the complexity of your project. Please be sure to let us know of any firm deadlines you have right away and we will get back to you to let you know if we will be able to accommodate your request.
Yes. We charge an hourly fee of €20 for file handling and will accept native Adobe files as well as scanned in photos, PDFs, and more. Please refer to our file set-up and if you have any questions and please don’t hesitate to email us.
Once your quote has been finalized and you want to proceed, we will send you an invoice through email which will include payment details.
Riso printing holds up very well inside of books where it is unexposed to direct sunlight. For art prints and posters, most inks have a similar light fastness to dye based inkjet printing. If left in direct sunlight the ink will fade or discolor over time. It is best to keep Riso prints out of direct sunlight and frame them with a UV protective glass or plexi. Fun fact – Riso fluorescent inks glow under UV light!
We offer design services for custom Riso print projects on a case by case basis. Please reach out via email at info@purcinellapress.com for any inquiries.
Due to the nature of the RISO process, print proofs aren’t common. Most of the overall job cost is in the initial ‘master making’ and artwork set-up; and where most of the time/labour is weighted.
A proofing service therefore involves a fee of €15 per colour screen tested. You’ll receive 1 proof copy on a house stock paper. We can’t save stencils from proofs as they’re discarded in the printer, so if you’d like to go ahead with the job these are chargeable again.
Ordering Riso test prints isn’t required for most jobs as it adds on cost and time – instead we recommend carefully checking the digital proof and colour swatches side by side and having a little faith in the Riso magic! Prints will never look exactly as they do on screen, but that’s all part of the fun.
Please bear in mind this process will incur additional turnaround time, as the proofs will either be photographed, posted, or collected by appointment.
Depends on the size of the order/project! Please reach out to us via email to discuss.
Yes, we have a minimum order quantity of 30 prints. In theory you can print just 1 copy, but Riso is more cost-effective at quantities from about 30+ so it makes sense to order a few extra. Stencils can’t be saved in the machine, so reprints will cost the same as the initial print run. We do offer test prints at €15 per colour, if your project requires a wet proof.
We currently stock 8 Risograph spot colour inks- black, red, blue, medium blue, yellow, teal, orange and fluorescent pink.
Paper stencils are discarded in the printer as soon as a new artwork is made, so we can’t save them (unlike screen print stencils). Reprints will incur the same full cost as the initial print run, so it’s a good idea to order extra if you think you’ll need more copies later on.
We only print on papers stocked at the studio, as they’ve been tested in our machines and we know they work well with Risograph inks. However, if you’ve got a very specific paper in mind that we don’t stock, we may be able to test it for you in special cases – please contact us to discuss.
Yes! You can order our swatch pack.