Riso Postcard Cage

Risograph printing uses a digital duplicator developed by the Japanese company Riso Kagaku, which introduced the Risograph in the 1980s. Designed for fast, inexpensive printing in schools and offices, it was discovered by artists, illustrators and independent publishers, who have made it a medium of its own since the 2000s.

The machine burns the artwork into a thin master stencil and presses vegetable-based ink through it onto the paper, similar in principle to screen printing. Each colour is printed separately from its own ink drum.

Riso prints are known for bright, often fluorescent spot colours, a slightly grainy texture and small shifts between the colour layers, which give each print its handmade character.

Light smudges, slight ink transfer and occasional fingerprints near the edges can occur. They are a natural part of the process and of each print’s character, not a defect.