Services

We Risograph print posters. We self-publish zines. We publish art books.
Contact us for a quote.

BearBear's Risograph Ink Library

  • We currently stock 15-ish different Risograph inks.
  • We often recommend using only 1-4 ink colors total for your project.
  • Our colors are listed alongside their approximate RGB hex codes and Pantone Uncoated equivalents below.
  • Black #000000 / BLACK
  • Federal Blue #3D5588 / 288 U
  • Sky Blue #4982CF / 285 U
  • Mint #82D8D5 / 324 U
  • Light Teal #009DA5 / 320 U
  • Hunter Green #407060 / 342 U
  • Kelly Green #67B346 / 368 U
  • Yellow #FFE800 / YELLOW U
  • Sunflower #FFB511 / 116 U
  • Orange #FF6C2F / 021 U
  • Fluorescent Orange #FF7477 / 805 U
  • Scarlet #F65058 / 185 U
  • Fluorescent Red #FF4C65 / 812 U
  • Fluorescent Pink #FF48B0 / 806 U
  • Orchid #BB76CF / 2582 U
  • Copper #BD6439 / 1525 U
  • Flatallic Gold* #AC936E / 872 U

*Flatallic Gold has a subtle and opulent metallic sheen which gives an effective appearance on dark / black paper.

You can print multiple layers of color on top of each other to optically mix something different than what you see “out of the tube”. It’s important to know that Riso inks dry by absorption into uncoated paper. Minor smudging may occur even after the ink has dried (think: printed newspapers). Expect variations in color trueness, registration, and texture on every print. This is inherent to the medium and is part of Riso’s aesthetic charm.

What’s Risography?
Risography is an artist-approved, retro print process with a cult following. Every print is one-of-a-kind. And it’s a fraction of the cost of screen printing or letterpress making it a perfect medium for artist books.

A Risograph printer is a digital stencil duplicator. The printer makes a stencil (called a master) from a black and white digital file. The master—a thin, plastic-coated sheet— wraps around a rotating ink cylinder that flows wet pigment through the stencil’s perforations and onto paper. One master can be used to make thousands of printed impressions of the same text or image.

Our RZ1090U Risograph printer prints one color at a time. To print a second color layer, the paper would be fed through the machine a second time with a different ink cylinder or “drum” in place. Developed as an efficient and affordable alternative to xerox printing in the 1980’s, Risography was introduced in Japan as an office-friendly technology. Artists have since adopted it as a vibrant print medium, most known for its kinship to screenprinting, specialty inks, and soft yet grainy aesthetic.

Riso is *relatively* eco-friendly, too.
According to RISO USA, Risograph printers use approximately 95% less energy than traditional photocopiers. Risos do not need to be turned on for long periods of time due to their high printing speeds. They also don’t use heat (i.e. extra energy) to affix ink to the page.

Riso ink is made of plant-based materials (usually a soy/rice bran emulsion) mixed with petroleum. The inks are free of ozone emissions, toner particles, and silica dust.

We've heard that a single Riso machine can print millions of impressions before being retired.

Print Sizes
The largest print we can make is approximately 10x16" because Riso cannot print full bleed — it requires a ⅜ inch (0.375") margin on all sides. Zines or cards that are 5x7" work great. We print on these standard paper sizes and then trim down to a smaller “finished” size:

  • Tabloid 11"x17"
    Maximum printable area is approximately 10.25"x 16.25"
  • Letter 8.5"x11"
    Maximum printable area is approximately 7.75"x 10.25"

Paper
We can only print on uncoated, recycled or vellum-finish papers. Nothing coated or glossy (it smudges right off). 28 lb. Text — 80 lb. Cover is our range of printable paper stock. The thinnest we like to print on, 28 lb. text, is meant for zine interiors and is basically the same weight as “copy paper”. The heaviest we print on is 80 lb. cover which is ideal for stationery cards, posters, or zine covers.

We enjoy using paper from French Paper Co. and will make orders from them (to print your project) upon request. We also source paper from Neenah, Cougar Domtar, Springhill, and Mohawk. Add 3–5 business days to your deadline to account for custom paper orders. 

Riso File Prep
Send your print-ready files to heybearbear@gmail.com via WeTransfer.com as:

  • Channel separated color PDFs (not separate layers), OR
  • Separate grayscale PDFs. Save each PDF with the ink color name you intend it to be printed in. One PDF for each ink color is required.
  • Format file names as YYYYMMDD_yourfirstname_lastname_projecttitle_inkcolor.pdf
  • Send a digital mock-up of how it should look once printed! This can be a JPG, PNG, TIF, EPS, or PDF.

Important notes:

  • Do not include crop/bleed/trim/registration marks! We will add ‘printer’s’ marks as part of our production service to you.
  • If your image includes bleed, have at least 0.125” bleed on all sides
  • Booklets, zines, and sequential art: Send us all your pages as single pages (not spreads) i.e. Front Cover - Inside Cover - Page 1 - Page 2 - and so on.
  • Include an additional flattened PDF of the final look of the zine (showing all layers)
  • Contact us with questions. We offer 30 minutes of free file set-up, costing $55/hr beyond that.

Booklets & Zines
We can provide basic booklet production (folding, collating, stapling along the spine).

Workshops + Classes
Please email heybearbear@gmail if you're interested in organizing a private class.

We host private Riso Basics for 2–6 people as a casual way for any group to bond. Participants leave with their very own Riso prints and are empowered to make things off-screen and away from a desk. Birthday parties, bachelorettes, team outings: yes!

We also teach 1:1 2-Color Digital Riso classes to designers, photographers, and artists looking to add Risograph printing into their practice.