The more you use the Riso the easier it will become to design with Riso in mind. Here are some design tips to diminish Riso printing variations:
- Lower ink opacities to <80%-95%.
- Set overlapping colors and color blocks and background colors to <80% opacity.
- Limit the number of colors you use. (Four colors at 100% = 400% saturation.)
- Leave the top 2” of your image blank, or lightly inked.
- Use font size 6pt or higher.
Surplus Prints
You may have extra copies of some pages in your order. For Riso prints, the IC starts a print run with a 10-20% excess. This is because a certain number of prints jam, or misregister beyond a ¼”, and we throw these out.
However, we will include any extra copies that go through undamaged. This is why you may have a different number of copies than you ordered. For example, if you order 10 copies of a 3-page book, you may have 12 copies of pages 1-2 and 10 copies of page 3.
You will not always have extra prints, so make sure you order the correct amount without accounting for extra copies.
There is No “Perfect” in Riso
There are some common imperfections in a Risograph print. These imperfections are part of the Riso printing process
Registration Marks
You may see crosshair or crop marks in the four corners of your prints. The IC adds these to help the printer align the color separations in your print. If you have a “full bleed” print, there will probably not be registration marks. You can add in the notes to leave them out. However, the registration is more likely to be askew without them.
Ink smudges
Riso ink dries through absorption. Similar to a newspaper, Riso prints never fully cure. Rubbing the ink with your finger, even once” dry”, can result in smudging. Ink can also transfer from one sheet to the next during the printing process.
Roller Marks
Roller marks typically show up as a rhythmic line down the center of the paper towards the top. They are more common in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th color passes on the Riso, but they can happen on a 1st pass.
Misregistration
Each color is printed separately, so colors rarely match up perfectly. We aim to keep our registration within 3/16” between colors, and 1/4“ for double siding.
Cleaning up a Finished Print
Riso ink marks can sometimes be removed with light erasing. Prints that will be heavily handled (e.g. book covers, or flipbooks) can be sprayed with fixatives to help prevent smudging.
For more information on Riso printing, check out our complete Riso Guide.
