Printing

Ink Colors

Unlike copy machines, Risograph duplicators use liquid ink similar to offset press. They are applied to the paper via an ink cylinder, or "drum," with a thin stencil wrapped around them. For more information on the technical process, please consult the Introduction to Risograph Printing page.

Risograph ink is vegetable-based, either Soybean oil or Rice Bran oil. Alongside the great ecological benefit of using these natural waste materials, it does present some technical challenges. Soy and Rice-based inks cannot be cured by heat or evaporation like oil-based offset inks, and only dry through absorption into uncoated paper. This limits the type of paper that can be used in Risograph printing. It also means that that the ink can take a long time to dry, and may not be fully set for days or even weeks after being printed. On some papers they can still be smudged (with some effort) months or even years later! One of the many charms of the process.

Each color requires a dedicated drum, and are only able to be printed one or two colors at a time depending on the machine. At Issue Press, I print primarily with a Risograph MZ 790U, which is a two-color duplicator.

Issue Press currently stocks 27 drums: