What is a Risograph Print?
If you’ve come across my risograph prints and wondered what makes them a little different, you’re not alone!
Risograph printing is one of those processes that sits somewhere between digital and handmade. A risograph printer works a bit like a cross between a photocopier and screen printing: each color is printed separately, layered one on top of the other to build up the final image. Because of this, the process has a slightly unpredictable, beautifully imperfect quality that you just don’t get with standard digital printing.
Perfectly Imperfect
This printing process means that no two prints are ever exactly the same. With each color layer, there can be tiny shifts in alignment, subtle variations in ink coverage, and little quirks that show up from print to print. Instead of being flaws, these details are part of what makes each piece feel alive.
You might notice:
- slight misregistration (where colors don’t line up perfectly)
- variations in texture or ink density
- small imperfections that give the print character
It’s all part of the charm.
A Limited Palette
Risograph inks are vibrant and unique, giving the prints their distinctive look. Most of my prints are made using just two to four colors, with new colors created by overlapping inks in different areas.
Because each color is printed separately, I design specifically with this process in mind, choosing layers that interact in interesting ways when they overlap.
The Process
As with everything I create, it all starts with a painting, usually watercolor, ink, and colored pencil (sometimes even collage). From there, I scan the artwork and begin the mentally challenging process of figuring out how to recreate the colors in separate layers.
I decide where colors will overlap, and by how much. For example, to create green I might combine 100% yellow with 25% blue, and there’s always a bit of guesswork involved, which can lead to some lovely surprises.
The artwork is then separated into individual color layers made up of black, white, and greyscale values. Black means full ink coverage, white means no ink, and greys create the different shades in between.
Why I Love Working with Risograph
In a time when so much art is polished, perfect, and increasingly generated by algorithms, risograph printing feels refreshingly human.
It’s a process that allows for variation, embraces imperfection, and leaves room for the unexpected. Every print carries small differences, a reminder that it was made through a physical process, not just output from a machine.
For me, that’s part of what makes these prints so special. They feel closer to the original artwork, and closer to the hands that made them.
You can shop all my risograph prints here.
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