RISO Studio Community Access
The studio and riso machines are available to anyone who’s taken a workshop + orientation, or a solo session! The goal is to make Ithaca Print Commons a thriving community studio, a generative resource for the community to make work and connections and learn and share skills.
How to become a daily user!
We are excited to offer people access to the Riso studio so they can work on their projects independently. Here are the steps to becoming a daily user to ensure everyone is comfortable and confident working on the machines.
• First - Take a workshop! Sign up for one of our many workshops to learn the machines and see if Riso printing is right for you and your artwork/projects. • Second - Schedule a studio orientation (1hr - $55) - this is a one-on-one session where we will show you how to work independently in the studio and get you started on your project. This hour is catered to your specific printing needs and ensures you are comfortable, confident, and competent with the printers and our studio policies. • Finally, book time on the machines and rip some prints!
The other option to become a studio user is to set up a solo session. The solo session is a one-on-one workshop on the Riso machines, covering how they work and the printing process tailored to your vision and project. It also includes a studio orientation to prepare you for using the machines independently. All materials are provided to create 25 -11" x 17" three-color prints.
Cost to Consider
$12.50 per hour $2.50 per Master 10¢ per Impression 25¢ per sheet of paper (BYOP welcome)
What are masters and impressions? Masters are the stencils made for each unique color layer, and an impression is made each time your paper passes through the machine. So if you are printing a three-color design on 75 pieces of paper, your cost would be $7.50 for masters ($1.50 for each color) + $22.50 for impressions (10¢ for each of the 225 impressions) + $25 for 2hrs of studio + $18.75 for paper bought at the studio = $73.50 total for 75, three-color prints.
Whoa, what a deal!
In the Studio
Ithaca Print Commons is home to two Risograph SF5450 printers and 14 ink drums: Black, Bright Red, CornFlower, Green, Fluorescent Orange, Fluorescent Pink, Light Gray, Marine Red, Medium Blue, Mint, SunFlower, Teal, Violet, and Yellow.
There are plenty of work surfaces, a paper trimmer, cutting mats, a growing collage library, a 15yr old Macbook running CS3, a light table, a book press, a saddle stitcher, an dother general and random studio supplies.
Bring Your Own Paper - BYOP
IPC stocks a few paper options for purchase (25¢ per sheet) while printing — currently in stock are11” x 17” 67lb Vellum Bristol, plus a bunch of random other papers. You are always welcome to and encouraged to Bring Your Own Paper.
The printers can handle paper sizes from 4” × 5.75” to 12” × 17” and paper weights from 12lb bond to 116lb index (46 gsm to 210 gsm). The print area of 11.4” x 16.7” (but can’t print a full bleed). We currently love printing on this textweight paper and this coverweight paper.