Tears of Steel is a masterclass in limited palettes. Here is what two-drum risograph printers can steal from it.
Our risograph is older than two of our volunteers. It has a pink drum, a blue drum, and a personality. On humid days it jams if you look at it wrong, so we keep the paper in a sealed box until the last minute.
Settings that work
Toner copiers are more forgiving but less fun. We use them for text-heavy zines and proofs, and save the riso for covers and anything that needs color.
If something here doesn't work for you, write in. Half of our how-tos have been corrected by readers, and the corrections are always better than the original.
A note on paper: we buy recycled 80gsm by the box and it runs through every machine we own. Heavier stock is lovely for covers, but it will jam the old copier if you try to feed it more than ten sheets at a time.
Pip Calloway
Do you trade? I have a perzine about bus drivers I think you would like.