+ The technique behind Riso Printing is called Risography: a stencil duplication process that is the successor of a technological evolution from spirit duplicators and mimeographs.

+ The word is a classic example for a brand name that turned into a generic word (just like to xerox means to make a copy using a copying machine).

+ The machines in question are called risographs
    — or short: Risos

+ The company behind these machines is the Japanese Riso Kagaku Corporation. It still produces its so-called stencil duplicators but it’s a very niche product line.

+ The word Riso (理想) is Japanese and means “ideal” which is a bit ironic considering the flaws the come with Riso printing.

+ It’s pronounced “Riso”.

+ the printing technique that we mainly work with at Risofort

+ a fast way to print posters, postcards, brochures,... in an edition of ~20–1000

+ a tool for aesthetic experimenting and for DIY political empowerment

+ (more or less) good for the environment and your wallet

+ a sometimes painful, sometimes playful way to pass time.

- 100% accurate, uniform, regular or high-gloss

- a printing technique for editions of 20 or less

- the best way to produce a color-accurate print of a photo of your cat

- made for coated paper

- vegan, bio-degradable or other greenwashing that some people like to tell

- You want to print an edition of at least 20 of *something* on uncoated paper 80–300g, A3 max. in 1–4 colors?

- You’re up for experimenting and you like prints that all differ slightly?

- You don’t mind small irregularities?

- You are aware that we @Risofort are a small collective and not a big print shop?

Then pretty sure Yes! is the answer.

Unsere Preise sind projektabhängig. Deshalb gibt es auch keine fixe Preisliste. Schicke uns einfach ein paar (möglichst genaue) Infos zu deinem geplanten Druck und wir melden uns ASAP mit einem Kostenvoranschlag bei dir! (Die Druckpreise verstehen sich exkl. USt.) Our prices differ depending on the project you’re doing. That’s why there is no fixed price list. Just tell us the details of your planned print project and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

The cost of printing with us consists of consumables (master foil/ink/paper) and our labor cost. We calculate these two things separately to show that risographs can’t print without their human operators.

If you need your prints especially quick, we also charge a rush fee.

We also offer a student discount, just ask us.

(All prices are excl. 19% sales tax)

- We need greyscale PDFs (300dpi min.,   600dpi even better)

- Each print color must be a separate file in greyscale.

- More info on bleed, print borders and some basic InDesign Setup you can find in our Print Guide [PDF].

- For any questions, you can always e-mail us or come by at our Open Studio!

 

Nope 🙂