Risoprinting My Artwork
I explore risography in Kuwait's first risography studio. I learned about this Japanese technique of printing and try it out with my artwork!
The RISO printer was essentially an office photocopier invented in Tokyo, Japan by Noboru Hayama, who founded the Riso Kagaku Corporation
What is Risography?
The printer was designed for printing high-volume copies of paper. It was fast and affordable. Most importantly, it was also of great quality.
What is Risography?
How does it work?
The printer fits two interchangeable ink drums at a time and prints one color at a time. Each ink/color is printed individually, meaning the paper is passed through the printer several times.
How does it work?
That's why it is crucial that the colors in the artwork be separated digitally (artwork scanned to the computer) and given a name on Adobe Illustrator. The fact that colors are printed individually, means they can be mixed in a variety of ways!
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Color Chart
A reference for how selected colors will print and how they may combine with other colors when overprinting
Choosing paper
One of my favorite parts of printing was choosing from beautiful papers of different textures, colors and weights.
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The RISO printer doesn't rely on CMYK colors, it has its own distinctly vibrant color system. For this reason, it's revival has been brought back by artists and graphic designers.
Unique & Eco-friendly
The RISO printer uses actual ink made of soya, unlike laser or inkject printers that use heat and powder.
Why I Loved Risography
I love the vibrant and bold pop colors that risoprints give off. They breathe that lovely retro feel and give artwork a RISO charm. After all, it is a vintage printer! Let's just say it's the hipster of all printers!