Riso MF9450 2018 modelAKA: “the new one”“the big one”

• Tabloid / A3 / Ledger size

• Up to 2 inks in one pass

• Paid use for ECU students/sta� available with tutorial: please see posted info in studio or contact COMD technician

Riso GR1750 1995 model“the old one”“the small one”“Penelope”

• Letter / A4 size

• 1 ink per pass

• Only available during tech hours, for users with Riso experience

Uncoated paper only!

• No coated, no glossy, no plastic

• Text, cover, or card weights from roughly 14lb to 110lb. Very thick or very thin stock can cause problems.

• Minimum size: 4x6" (postcard) Maximum size: 11x17" (tabloid), or A3

• Paper with a bit of “tooth” or texture absorbs the ink better than really smooth paper

• Bringing your own paper is fine as long as it meets the above criteria

• Stocks available to buy/use from COMD include newsprint, manila, kraft, sticker paper, and vellum

MASTER MAKINGThe machine burns the original artwork for each colour onto a roll of special master paper, and attaches the master sheet to an ink cylinder.

PRINTINGThe cylinder rotates as paper is passed through the machine, making a print impression on each sheet.

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✓ Lots of copies of the same print, or multiples of the same print on di�erent types of paper

✓ Simple limited-colour graphics

✓ Relatively light ink coverage

✓ Designs that don’t rely on being perfect, and are forgiving about consistency and registration

EXAMPLE OF A BAD PROJECT FOR RISO ✖ You only need one copy, and it’s a dark multi-colour full-bleed photograph that needs to look absolutely perfect, clean, and crisp

T FOR TROUBLE Especially try to avoid really heavy

ink in the T-shaped area – it can cause paper jams + roller marks.• Top edge (first edge of paper to go into the machine)• About an inch down the center

SHADES OF GRAYWhen you scan a grayscale original:• 100% black = 100% ink density for that colour• Grays are printed at a lighter density, and there are settings to adjust the look on the touchscreen BASIC > PAGE: Optimize for the type of original (line, photo, etc) FUNCTION > DOT PROCESS: Settings for halftone dotsThe value can also be shifted by:• Adjusting “Contrast” on the touch screen before scanning a master• Adjusting “Ink Density” on the machine between prints

LOWERING THE RANGE• Sometimes 100% black is too much ink, and you can still get solid looking ink at around 60% gray.

• This might mean designing with black and lowering everything’s opacity to 60% – or, just paying attention to the gray values and not using anything darker than 60%

THE MUDDY MIDDLE• Riso prints tend to not have a lot of contrast in the middle of the value range, and midtones can get lost.

• Typically the lighter grays need to be lower than about 30%

Avoid heavy ink coverage!GOOD FOR RISO Relatively light ink coverage.

MARGINS The Riso can’t print all the way to the edge of the paper. Leave at least 1/8" / 3mm

NOT GOOD FOR RISO• Large solid areas of colour will come out too wet + uneven• Heavy ink can smear or cause paper jams

The most straightforward way to prepare Riso artwork is to make a black & white or grayscale original for each ink colour.

BLACK + WHITEORIGINAL 2

BLACK + WHITEORIGINAL 1

black

DUAL COLOURPRINT

black

• Drying time varies, and is hard to predict. All prints come out wet, so try not to touch the ink right away.• Very light coverage might be dry within an hour, while heavy, dark prints can take 24 or even 48 hours• Cut down on drying time by not having 100% black in your original, and setting the machine to the lightest ink density.

Do NOT run prints through the machine again until dry.(for double-sided, or 3rd /4th color)

SMUDGE + ERASE• Riso prints are like newspapers: even after they’re dry, it’s still possible to smudge them.• You can spray them with fixative (use the ventilated spray booth!) or, just be careful with them. • Good news: smudges + marks can usually be cleaned with an eraser.

ALL MF9450 MASTERS ARE TABLOID For smaller prints, if the paper you’re using is available in 11x17”, consider grouping them together on one master, then trimming them.

CUT

red

BLACK + WHITE

ORIGINAL

Risograph Overview 1 Risograph Overview 2

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POSTERPOSTER

It’s Environmentally Friendly: Riso inks are soy or rice based, and the machine uses much less energy than most printers.

...are part of the Riso experience! Smudge

s, smears, + marks

happen, and not every print that comes o

ut will be identical.

That’s part of why it’s so popular: a lot o

f people think the roughness

+ variation is more interesting + fun than

regular printing

imperfectionsimperfections

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STUDIO MACHINES PAPER IDEAL PROJECTSFOR RISOGRAPH

HOW DOES IT WORK?It’s kind of like a combination of screen printing, stencil printing, and photocopying.

PREPARING ARTWORK: VALUESEPARATIONS

INK COVERAGE PRINTABLE AREA DRYING

Text +Artwork

Text +Artwork