Riso Basic Info Packet

We currently offer riso printing for 

  1. Prints/Posters: The printing area is limited to 28.8x41cm(A3), but if you want a bigger poster, we can connect the prints to make a larger print(up to A1). Please note that there will be a visible seam and the colors may not match up perfectly at the seams.
  2. Zines: We offer many types of binding: spiral-bound, saddle-stitch(staple or thread), accordion, elastic bound, die-cut+fold, or if you have something else in mind, please send us an email.
  3. Notepads (no glue backing): We can make notepad blocks(no glue backing) as well as tearable accordion notes.
  4. Spiral-bound notebooks
  5. Riso pins (32 mm only): Our riso pins are laminated with a safety pin backing at the back.
  6. Sticker flakes: Our sticker flakes are all kiss-cut + diecut to make it easier to peel. (We currently don't offer services for sticker sheets)
Other additional service options:
  1. Diecut - eg, prints with cutout designs, zines with diecut cover, etc.
  2. Laminations - We have both cold lamination(shiny and sometimes comes with a design) and soft touch hot lamination(velvety feel, matte but scratch-resistant)

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Riso Basics

Here are the details regarding Risograph printing. Please take a moment to read through them:

  1. Risograph printing involves layering each color one at a time. Each layer requires a new paper stencil known as a ‘master’. The more colors are used to print, the higher the initial cost will be.
  2. Each color is printed separately, which may result in potential misalignment of 1 to 1.5 mm for each color.
  3. For detailed images requiring more than two colors, we recommend printing in the size A5 or larger. Smaller prints can make the misalignment more noticeable.
  4. The color density may differ from print to print and will differ between each print run. Colors can also vary by 20-30% from the original file.
  5. Large areas of solid color may exhibit uneven coverage.
  6. Some details will be lost in the printing process. To ensure the best results, avoid images with very small details, such as text smaller than 8pt, lines thinner than 0.5pt, and low-contrast images.
  7. Roller marks may occur when a print goes through multiple passes. The marks increase with the number of colors printed. Double-sided prints may also show significant marks.
  8. We typically use ‘grain touch’ for illustrations (which produces a grainy effect) and ‘screen-covered’ for text, vector art, or photography (resulting in a screen tone pattern and giving a more solid appearance). If you have a preference, please let us know.
  9. Our inks are oil-based, which means they take longer to dry. Oils in fingers can also reactivate the inks and may cause stains on the artwork. We recommend lamination for book covers or items that will often be touched.
  10. Our studio offers five colors: Yellow, Fluorescent Pink, Blue, Black, and Red

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Sizing

For size, our maximum print size is 28.8 x 41 cm, which is slightly smaller than A3. When including the printer's mark and bleeding, the final print will be smaller than the standard A sizes. These are the final sizes for your reference:

Size for prints:

  • A3: 27.6 x 39 cm
  • A4:19.4x27.4 cm
  • A5: 13.6 x 19.3 cm
  • A6: 9.5x13.5 cm
  • For sizes larger than A3, please send us an email.

Size for zines:

  • A4:19 x 26.8 cm
  • A5: 13.2 x 18.8 cm
  • A6: 8.9 x 12.6 cm

When printing, we will impose each page onto an A3 artboard, and the number of colors will be calculated from the total number of colors used to print the whole artboard. For example, for an A5 zine, 2 spreads can be imposed per artboard. If 1 spread uses only black, but another uses pink and blue, the total number of colors will be 3. For an accurate quotation, please send us a preview of your artwork.

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File prepping:

  1. Edit the image according to how you want it printed. We do not provide image editing services.
  2. Use an RGB color profile for the best results. We will try to match the provided file as closely as possible, but colors may vary 20-30% from the original.
  3. For hand-drawn images, please send a high-resolution scan (300-600 dpi) in JPEG or PNG format.
  4. For digital artwork with line art, please send the raw file with all layers separated, or, if that is not possible, please send a file with 3 separate layers: line art, color, and text. Both Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) files are accepted.
  5. For digitally rendered artwork, please send the raw files, or with as many elements on separate layers as possible.
  6. For photographs, please send the image (edited according to how you want it printed) with a resolution of 300 dpi, in JPEG or PNG format.
File prepping for zines:
  1. Arrange the file according to how it is sequentially opened. Clients are also required to provide a video of a mock-up (eg. an easy hand-drawn mock-up or printed pages taped together) or a digital PDF mock-up.
  2. Number of pages:
    1. If the zine is bound via saddle stitch or elastic-bound, please make sure that the number of pages, including the cover, is divisible by 4.
    2. If the zine is bound via coil binding, please make sure the number of pages, including the cover, is divisible by 2
  3. For Photoshop files, please name your pages according to the page number/spread number (ex. 1- cover.psd, 2-spread1left.psd, 3-spread1right.psd, 4-5-spread2.psd.... 16-backcover.psd)
  4. For Illustrator files, please impose 1 page per artboard.
  5. Bleeding:
    1. If bound via saddle stitch or elastic, please include a 4mm bleed on all sides except the centerfold.
    2. If bound via coil binding, please include a 4mm bleed on all sides.
    3. If bleeding is not included, we may need to make alterations to the artwork to ensure proper bleeding.
  6. ***Due to the limitations of riso, we may need to add margin and/or scale pages slightly, which may alter the zine size and page ratio***

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Minimum Order

The customer will need to either order according to the MOQ, or have a total order minimum of 30,000 THB.

  1. Zines: the minimum order is 50-100 copies (depending on specifications such as size, no. of pages, no. of colors, binding, etc.)  
  2. Prints:
    1. Minimum order for 1-2 colors is 50 copies per design, regardless of size, no. of colors, or other specifications.
    2. Minimum order for 3-4 colors is 100 copies per design, regardless of size, no of colors, or other specifications. For any designs previously printed with us, MOQ is 80 copies.
  3. Stickers, Pins, Notepad: MOQ is 150 copies per design
  4. For other products or a more accurate quotation, please send us an email.

For reference, this is the price (in THB) for an A3 poster, printed using our standard cardstock, ADM200gsm. Our price includes color separation.

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