The reject pile is where the risograph shows its personality. We photographed the best of the worst.
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.
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.
Keep a log of every run: paper, drum, density, and what went wrong. After a year you will have a manual written specifically for your machine.
Everything in this post works just as well at a library copier or a corner copy shop. You don't need a studio, just a flat table and about an hour.
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.
We keep a guest book by the door. Some people write their name, some write a poem, and one person drew the entire floor plan of the shop from memory. It is the best zine we have never printed.
Ines Duarte
I laughed out loud at the part about the good scissors.
Kit Moreno
Love this. Any chance of a workshop on it at the next print night?
Rosa Lindqvist
We tried this at our library print night and it worked first time.
Kit Moreno
Is there a way to do this with legal-size paper? That’s all our copier takes.
Ollie Brennan
Good question. We will add a note to the post.
Ines Duarte
The photos are great. Is that the laundromat on Elm?
Wren Castellano
Our copier has the same mood swings. Humidity is the enemy.
Ben Achterberg
Yes! Bring it to Thursday print night and we’ll swap.
Ben Achterberg
Do you trade? I have a perzine about bus drivers I think you would like.
Ollie Brennan
I laughed out loud at the part about the good scissors.