SO-RI is a small RISO print studio, operating from our garage in Borgerhout, Antwerp.
We are both a print studio and a publishing house.
Which means we offer print services for all your designs, zines, posters, and more. And we also publish a select amount of artist editions and occasionally sell a limited edition RISO art print.
Preparing your files
Before we start off: remember I am here to help you. Especially in your first couple of times printing with the RISO I will explain everything in detail. Don’t worry about asking too much questions, I am more than happy to help. I will assist you in preparing your files, explain everything in detail and I will even give advise on your choice of inks.
Some basics
Let’s start off with some basics. Remember that the machine:File types
I accept a variety of file types. You can deliver me:- clearly labeled black and white layers in 1 PSD file
- clearly named JPG, PNG or TIFF files
- clearly labeled PDF files (if each page is a different colour layer, please mention it clearly in the file name and in your e-mail).
- please note the name of the colour you would like to use into the filename. Please use the same name for the colour as we do on the website.
- InDesign packages, if you’re working on a zine.
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convert your layers into black and white. I prefer working with files in RGB. While it seems counter-intuitive, the workflow I am following usually gives the best results when you work in RGB, so please make sure your images are not in Greyscale, nor in CMYK.
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the RISO I am working with allegedly goes up to a resolution of 600dpi. For the best quality please make sure your files are set up for at least 300ppi in your preferred printing size.
- I do not work with unlabeled files, nor with Illustrator files.
Size
Make sure your files are sized properly. The machine always prints on A3 sized paper using an A3 sized master.So if you want to print an A5 size card, don’t waste paper and fit several on 1 sheet of A3 paper.
If you want to print a 25x35cm print, place it on an A3 sized canvas.
For zines, just make sure your page size is as you want it to be.
Example
Down here you can find a wonderfully beautiful example of Juliane Noll’s Sunset print.The black and white images are what we sent to the RISO, the colour layers are the separate ink layers the RISO gave us.
The fourth image is all the inks combined into one image. Take note of how the colours mix when they overlap.
Graphic design & digital illustrations
For graphic design and digital illustrations it’s best to start off your design using seperate colour layers and converting them to black and white.You could also work with black and white layers and in Photoshop use a solid colour adjustment layer on the screen blend mode and each black and white layer on a multiply blend mode. This gives you a pretty clear preview of what to expect from the print (remember screens can’t properly show fluorescent colours).
Analog illustrations, paintings and photographs
RISO works perfectly for monochromatic images. Whether those are black and white photos, or illustrations, they will work fine. Just send me your black and white images and tell me which colour of ink to use. Sometimes you just can’t start off designing your illustrative work in seperate black and white layers. The same counts for colour photographs.
This is not a problem. Just use the Spectrolite app, it’s free, and designed for Mac OSx. And you can find it here: link
It makes seperating colours easy and intuitive.
[Thanks Anemone, Adam and Amelia, for developing this app!]
2140 Antwerp, Belgium