RISOGRAPHY
The Risograph is a stencil duplicator machine that works in a similar way to screen printing. It creates a stencil from banana paper, this is then wrapped around an ink drum and soy ink is pushed through the voids of the stencil. As the paper glides over the rotating drum it imprints your artwork onto its surface. The colours are then layered up to create your masterpiece!
Riso is the only environmentally friendly form of printing and when you work with Dopple you should know that's taken seriously. Dopple only stocks 100% recycled, unbleached paper and compostable packaging. Everything in the studio is reused and recycled at every opportunity! Hence all the Ink canister lamps!
TL:DR It's a cool eco-friendly screen printing machine
SOY INKS
The risograph has its own special colour pallet. Dopple has 12 colours ranging from rich deep tones to vibrant fluorescents. Not only are there these pure spot colours to use to but the soy-based ink allows for colours to be overlayed in order to create new ones. This means you can create a three colour print with only two
colours for example- you can even print CMYK photos!
Click on the little drum Dopples to see the different swatches for each colour:
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Drag and drop the colour squares to give an idea of the colour overlays and new colours you can create!
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PAPER
You can print any size up to A3 but good to bear in mind that the riso needs a 5mm border around each sheet so leave it clear (this can be cut down for full-bleed images).
You can print onto any stock so long as it's uncoated and below 300gsm.
Dopple offers some beautiful, tried and tested, in-house stocks (check them out below!) They are all perfectly suited to give you the best riso results, unbleached & 100% recycled.
If you are wanting to supply your own stock or request Dopple order you in a specific flavour that's A-OK too! Just email for more information.
CURRENTLY INSTOCK:
ARTWORK
You have two options:
1. For a small fee send Dopple your image sit back and relax.
2. Work your magic. When creating artwork be mindful of the print process, for best results. As you create, start a new layer when using a new colour and remember the soy ink allows you to overlay colours and create new ones. When it comes to saving you should just be able to toggle your layers on and off for a nice easy save.
What Dopple Needs:
To make your Riso's come to life, Dopple needs two things, a colour mock-up of your artwork & your colour separations saved as 300dpi, labelled, greyscale JPEGS or PDFs. It's also super helpful to include your working Adobe files with your labelled separations (that way if there are any tweaks that can be done without bothering you).
If you are unsure about the setup of your piece don't let setting up your file put you off Risograph printing. With years of experience in Risography Dopple will support you in achieving the best print possible. You could even try a workshop if you want a strong riso kickstart!
TOP TIPS
Increase line up accuracy:
If you'd like to minimise gentle movement in the lineup it's important to include some 'trapping' or an extra stroke around your layers, this will minimise any white areas where misalignment occurs
Improve the finish of your print:
For the most optimal outcome avoid dense swathes of Ink coverage, especially avoiding too much ink at the top of your artwork. Doing this will minimise the chances roller marks, needle drag, and ink transfer on your final prints.
Sizing:
Be conscious of your printable areas and artwork size. Allowing a boarder of 3-5mm is important as the riso needs this to scooch the paper through the machine. If you are wanting an image without a border remember to add bleed (extra image outside of the crops) to your artwork.
Halftone:
You can choose to print
your artwork in either a smooth flat colour or a halftone dot pattern. You can create the
size or the dot digitally using photoshop or you can request Dopple to create a large or
small dot using the machine.
Got a question? Click the paper clip to request some assistance!
