This website focuses on illustrative risoprint workshops, but what exactly does risoprinting actually entail?
Risoprint is a unique Japanese printing technique that allows you to create beautiful, colorful and graphic prints. The process uses a special printer, which resembles a large office printer in appearance, but functions based on stencils. It is somewhat similar to screen printing, because, just like screen printing, you print your design in different layers of color.
How Does Risoprint Work?
We use a scanner a lot during the workshops, but you can also supply your digital files. The magic begins when the printer translates your design into a stencil, also called the 'master'. This is a thin sheet of rice into which your design is burned. For each color in your design you will need to create a separate stencil and run the paper through the printer again. This ensures that each print is unique, as the paper can shift during this process, creating subtle variations.
The printer has a 'drum', which acts as a conductor for the ink, ensuring that the ink is evenly distributed over the master. Think of a squeegee for screen printing, but without the mess. Riso printing is screen printing for people who don't like cleaning up, like me!
Unique Ink
With riso printing we use special soy ink, which differs from standard printer ink. This ink is semi-transparent, which means you can achieve beautiful color effects by mixing colors. For example, yellow and blue become green, and yellow and fluorescent pink become orange. The vibrant and intense colors are unique to risoprint, and cannot be achieved with regular inkjet printers. This always makes riso designs beautifully colorful and full of character.
The ink dries slowly due to its oil base, meaning your prints will take some time to dry completely. So don't be surprised if you see some fingerprints or gear prints on your artwork. These small imperfections add to the charm of every print you make.
Origin and Popularity
The Studio Misprint riso printer is located in beautiful Utrecht, but the technology has its origins in Japan. Riso printing was developed by the Riso Kagaku Corporation as a cost-effective alternative to offset printing and screen printing. It was perfect for short-run booklets, posters and posters, and quickly became popular among artists who wanted to create their own publications. Today, the technique is especially loved for its vibrant colors and the unique texture it adds to prints.
After a period of absence, risoprint is back with a vengeance. It has unique features that other printers cannot match, such as its neon colors, speed, and grainy texture.
Creative Illustration Risoprint Workshops in Utrecht
Have you become enthusiastic after reading all this and would you like to try it yourself? Then you've come to the right place! I offer creative illustration risoprint workshops in Utrecht in which you can learn everything about this special printing technique and create your own unique works of art. I think it would be nice to be able to teach everyone more about this special technique.
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