RISO-printer

Make sure your originals are black (or gradations of black). Does your original consist of large areas of color? Make sure those color areas aren’t 100% black, but a maximum of 96%. You won't see the 4% less, but you will prevent your printed sheets from sticking to the color drums in the machine this way.

At the Makers Lab twelve colors of RISO ink are available: fluorescent yellow, fluorescent pink, fluorescent orange, gold, red, blue, green, teal, gray, brown, black and white.

Please think carefully in advance about the amount of colors you want to use. RISO ink is made of soy or rice oil and must dry between the different print runs. The RISO printer in the Makers Lab can print two colors simultaneously in one print run. For each additional color, the paper has to go through the machine again, which increases the risk of imperfections. If you want 100% accurate prints, it's better to choose a different technique.

Because RISO ink is semi-transparent, you can create new colors by printing surfaces (partly) on top of each other. Moreover, you can vary in color tones by making surfaces not 100% black, but for example 50% black, so that the riso color also becomes 50% lighter.

You can bring your originals on paper and scan them from the glass plate of the RISO printer, or on a USB stick as a PDF and send them to the machine with the PC standing next to the RISO printer.

Bring your own paper. This must be uncoated paper between (minimum) 70 and (maximum) 240 grams. Uncoated paper is sold at Vlieger Papier and Papier Hier (also see our Materials page).

Would you like to RISO print? Then make a reservation using the online reservation system. Create an account with your HvA email address. (not your login name)
One of the employees will instruct you how to operate the RISO-printer. This will take about 20 minutes.

Paper not included! Please bring your own paper!