Risograph Instructions

*Please read the entire handout before beginning the design process, preparing paper, and printing. 

INTRODUCTION 

Printing on the Risograph can be fun and rewarding, but we suggest managing expectations. Registration can be a challenge and will take practice and proofing to achieve a tight register. Likewise, the paper feed can be a bit variable and inconsistencies may occur across the run. Be sure to review the paper size and grain direction requirements as well as the stock limitations before planning each project. We recommend always printing with ink saving mode on and the density set to low. The ink takes a long time to dry on most papers, while on others it might not ever dry. It is also recommended to avoid broad solids. For larger color fields, consider using a halftone or texture to break up the solid. 

Outside of class assignments, Risograph users must complete a training session and be approved for independent studio use. Riso use is $10 per hour for community users and $5 per hour for students currently enrolled in a Book Arts class and working on a class project not covered by course fees. Masters are charged at 25¢ apiece. 

TO USE THE RISOGRAPH 

The Risograph duplicator is connected to its nearest PC.

Schedule use of the Risograph duplicator 

TO PAY FOR PRINTS 

• Fill out a Printing Sales form: mark the time used on the form under "Risograph Printing" "Time Used" rounding up to the nearest half hour. Please fill in total number of masters used. Total costs and bring Printing Sales Form to the monitor. Payment must be made before you leave the studio with your prints.
• If a student’s print project is a class assignment covered by class fees, there is no cost for printing.
• If a student is working on a class project for which Risograph printing is chosen (but is not required), it isn't covered by class fees. The rate is 50% off—$5 per hour plus 25¢ per master.
• Printing that is not for a Book Arts class project is charged at $10 per hour plus 25¢ per master. 

PAPER REQUIREMENTS 

*Ask for faculty approval before experimenting with paper stocks outside of these recommendations.

• To avoid smearing, use paper with some tooth or texture. Avoid heavily calendared, slick, or coated stock.
  • Lightest: 46 gsm/12 lb. bond
  • Heaviest: 210 gsm/116 lb. card stock
  • Minimum size: 315/16" x 53/16"
  • Maximum size: 127/32" x 17"
• Recommended Papers
  • French Paper Company—text paper from their Pop Tone, Dur-O-Tone, and Construction lines.
  • Mohawk—from their Via Vellum line (there's a little tooth to the finish, which works well with Riso)
  • Domtar—from their EarthChoice line.
  • Crane's Lettra—text weight 
  • Colorplan—text weight
  • Leesebo—text weight
• The machine recognizes the following sizes as standard: A3, A4 (portrait or landscape), B4, B5, Foolscap, Ledger, Legal, Statement. Papers outside of these standards will result in paper feeding errors.
  • Printing/live area maximum: 11.5" x 16.75"
  • Master making area/original size: Paper size minus .1875" on all four sides
• DO NOT USE
  • Extremely thin paper (less than 46 gsm/12lb bond)
  • Extremely thick paper (heavier than 210 gsm/116 lb card)
  • Wrinkled, curled, creased, folded, or torn paper
  • Chemically treated, glossy, or coated paper, such as thermal or carbon paper
  • Sticky paper or paper with holes (such as envelopes or label paper)
  • Deckle-edged paper 

BASIC PROCEDURE

• Turn on switch at bottom, right-hand side of machine and ask Book Arts staff to log in.
• Be sure that the AUTO PROCESS button is not lit (press button on key pad to turn off).
• Open the front door. Verify that the desired ink color is in machine. Change ink drum if desired. If PRINT CYLINDER RELEASE button is lit, remove the print drum (cylinder). If not lit, press the button to light it before removing the print drum. Do not stand the print drum (cylinder) vertically as ink may leak. When not in use, store drums in ink drum cases.
• Paper Feed Tray
  • Place paper on paper feed tray, print side up. Ensure that paper grain is parallel to the feed tray paper guides (see paper requirements).
  • On feed tray, adjust paper guides by fitting guides to the stack of paper. (Be sure to release levers, move guides, and then lock).
  • On feed tray, adjust paper feed setting lever for paper thickness. Cover stock is considered thick and text weight is generally thin. Engage/raise feed tray by pushing blue button once.
• Paper Receiving Tray
  • On receiving tray, slide paper guides and back stopper to appropriate paper size. When using thicker paper, the guides should be positioned a little wider than the actual paper width. Be sure that settings on feed and receiving trays match or a paper jam will occur.
  • Not vital: For thick paper, open two inner paper arrangers (closest to the machine) only. For normal paper, open all four paper arrangers. If ink is heavier on one side of page, open the paper arrangers on that side only. The paper arranger is open when the blue bar is slid downwards.
• Lift the lid, and place the original face down on the glass so that it aligns with page guides based on paper size or center paper with arrow. Close the lid.
• On basic screen, click the first square (machine defaults to LINE). Choose LINE for line work or text, PHOTO (for photos), DUO (experiment!), or PENCIL for lower-contrast/light line work or text. Press OK.
• When using PHOTO or DUO, choosing a dot process will be an option. On the basic screen, click DOT PROCESS and choose dot size. Leaving the dot process OFF is also an option.
• Before making a master, scan the page to preview it and check orientation. Press the PRINT button on the keyboard, then press EDITOR on the touch screen, then press SCAN NEW PAGE. (The EDITOR button can also be accessed on the SELECTION menu). Choose paper size if prompted. Adjust contrast if desired and print at 100%. After previewing, hit the small icon with a back arrow located in the middle left of the screen. Press PRINT on EXIT EDITING screen.
• In the OPERATION MODE screen, press MASTER MAKE.
• On READY TO MAKE MASTER screen, verify paper size & adjust if needed. 
• Master Making
  • Push the MASTER MAKING button on the keyboard. Adjust contrast* as desired and then press the START button on the keyboard. Change or verify paper size if the PAPER SIZE DOES NOT MATCH error message appears. It is typically fine to ignore and press OK. *Note: When INK SAVING mode is on, contrast cannot be adjusted.
  • After the master is made, turn on INK SAVING (in the FUNCTIONS menu on the touch screen). INK SAVING is recommended and can decrease dry down time and minimize smearing.
  • If your print is not registering correctly, do not make a new master.
• Proofing
  • While in the FUNCTIONS menu, adjust INTERVAL as desired. To avoid offset on the backside of prints, an interval of 10 is recommended for print jobs with broad solids and/or heavy ink (see troubleshooting). Select INTERVAL and ON and then specify how many times the drum should skip until offsetting on the backside is no longer occurring.
  • Adjust print density and speed as desired (on keypad). Denser ink tends to offset more. Less density will result in a more transparent ink, allowing previous runs to show through/produce a third color when overlapping colors. Low-density printing is recommended. Remember that denser ink application will never dry and will smear.
  • Print a test print to verify settings and print quality. Alternatively, press PROOF (on the keypad).
• Registration
  • If the registration is off left to right, when the user is facing the keypad, use the PRINT POSITION function on the keypad to better align. Keep in mind the print is moving, not the paper.
  • If registration is off top to bottom, when the user is facing the keypad, use the blue knob on the paper feed tray (turning the knob clockwise moves the paper towards the user). Keep in mind the paper is moving, not the print. If making a big adjustment, it may be necessary to lower the feed tray before adjusting.
• Printing
  • Enter the number of copies to run and press START.
  • Paper orientation in feed tray corresponds directly to orientation in delivery tray. To register additional runs on a print, use the proof produced during master-making to ensure that prints in the feed tray are aligned correctly with the master.
• Clean-Up
  • Leaving proofs on the studio table is not consistent with proper studio practice. Re-distribute proofing paper into the labeled box lids underneath the machine and underneath the paper receiving tray. If the print job is a non-standard size, please recycle proofs.
  • Wipe off inky fingerprints and smudges from the machine. Use a rag and rubbing alcohol stored under the machine.
  • Pay it forward: Contribute a print to the Risograph archive! 

BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING 

*If any issues are encountered that aren’t covered in this guide, stop printing and notify a faculty member or the Program Manager.

• Avoiding Paper Jams
  • Grain direction is critical: Paper grain must be aligned with the feeding direction (paper grain should be parallel to the feed tray paper guides). If the paper grain is set perpendicularly to the paper feeding direction, the paper will jam. (The grain of the paper runs parallel to the fold in the direction that the paper most readily folds).
  • Be sure that settings on feed and receiving trays match or a paper jam will occur.
  • Settings for paper feed setting lever (at feed side) and paper arrangers (at delivery end):
  • Standard or lightweight: Set paper feed pressure to THIN and open all four paper arrangers (push blue bars down)
  • Heavy or slippery papers: Set paper feed pressure to THICK and open inner two paper arrangers.
  • Fan through stack of paper before use.
  • Use flat paper. If curled paper is used, place it curl side down in the feed tray.
  • If the margin at the top of the printed paper (leading edge) is too small or if a highly dense image is located at the top of the printed paper, the paper may stick to the print drum. In this case, lower the print position to allow a larger margin at the top or rotate the top and bottom direction of the original, and then make a new master.
  • In case of a paper jam, check receiving tray to ensure that paper has settled into tray. If that is not the problem, open the front door, remove the ink drum (see CHANGING PRINT DRUM), and remove any paper. If no jam is apparent, replace ink drum, close front door, and press OK on the touch screen and resume printing.
• Master Jams
  • If masters begin to jam during the disposal process, stop printing and notify a faculty member or the Program Manager. If that person isn't on site to fix the problem, notify the monitor that the machine should be marked "Out of Order" until the issue can be resolved. Users should not attempt to clear jams on their own. 
• Avoiding Tire Marks
  • If the design allows, avoid printing in the center of the sheet where the pick up roller wheels are located. When feasible, print the run covering this area last. If possible, allow one side of the sheet to dry before printing on the other side. 
  • If tire marks appear on the print, try cleaning the exposed pick up roller tire with a rag and WD-40, located under the machine.
• Faint Ink
  • If machine has not been used for an extended period of time, the ink dries on the print drum (cylinder) and the print output may be faint or faded. Run proofs until the print is clear.
• Ink Offsetting
  • If ink offsetting occurs on back of prints, LOWER DENSITY (on key pad), SLOW PRINTING (on key pad) and INCREASE INTERVALS (basic tab in PRINT MODE). If offsetting still occurs, remove each print as completed and place on a drying rack. This is often necessary if a completely clean backside of print is the goal.
• Print Density
  • When changing PRINT DENSITY, allow several copies for the ink to clear the screen and the change of density to adjust on the print. Low-density printing is recommended to allow for ink absorption in paper. High-density prints may never dry especially when printed on smooth paper.
• Printing Broad Solids
  • Avoid broad solids. Consider using a dot screen for large areas of coverage. 
  • If broad solids are necessary, allow prints to dry completely before running a second run. If first run is not completely dry, gear tracks will appear on the front of the prints. Ask support staff for assistance if these smudges appear.
  • If an open area or white dot appears within a broad solid, press STOP (keypad). Remove the ink drum (see CHANGING PRINT DRUM), locate the affected image area, and carefully remove dried ink or dust. Replace ink drum and continue printing.
• Printer Error
  • If there is a printer error, hit the RESET button. If that doesn’t work, turn machine off for a minute and then turn back on. 

last modified: 08/24