No Magic in Riso

We can’t tell you what risograph printing is. We don’t really understand it, but we know that kids love it. We could show them the finest photogravure or six-color offset printing or a silkscreen or a woodcut or a three-color etching and the first question is always the same: Is this riso? Anyway, this book takes some of the mystery out of the process and at the same time acts as a specimen of that process. Printed in fifteen colors with a variety of file-making techniques meant to create micro-imperfections in printing comparable to improvisation in jazz that leads to an unexpected but pleasant result. The result of two years of research by O.OO, a graphic design studio based in Taipei, the main focus of this publication is color separation and experimentation with images. The studio does not claim the color separation methods described here to be absolute or the “right” way, but they offer resources in hopes that they can provide helpful advice in practice while on the path to professionalism in the field of risograph printing. A useful tool. Also, did you know the U.S. headquarters for Japan-based Riso, Inc. is in nearby Woburn, Massachusetts?