Risograph Zine-Making Workshop

What is RISO?

Riso is an electronic screenprinting machine which uses ecologically friendly bran oil based inks to print on uncoated paper. Our machine is called Lyra, and she prints on A3 paper – the wee folding zine we teach in our workshop is made from a single A3 sheet. We can send black and white images in pdf format to the machine and it will cut stencils* and attach them to the ink drums, but for the workshop we’re usually making these images by drawing, using our typewriters to create text which we glue to an original which will then be scanned straight into the machine to make the stencils. We’ve got a light-box so you can draw two black and white layers and line them up (ish!) to add an extra colour. In the workshop you’ll be guided through how the machine works, and we’ll give you tips and tricks for designing for riso ( for instance some things, like big colour blocks, are not necessarily a great idea because of the stickiness of the ink!) 

What are Zines?

Zine is short for “magazine” or “fanzine” and the word has its origins in the music culture of the 1960s, where dedicated fans would create unofficial magazines about their favourite bands. Through the 80s and 90s counterculture music became increasingly politicised and so too did zines. Today zines can be political, but it’s a broad church and this is only a small element of zine culture – they can be funny or wistful, modern chapbooks are often called poetry zines, they can incorporate elements of cartoon and comic book culture, some are more like artist books, and indeed some are still closely linked to the grass roots music scene. If you have an idea for a zine that’s great, but if not we’ll have a quick brainstorm on the night!