RISO 101 – The Basics: DIY Handbills in the 90s Style

Imagine flipping through a stack of show flyers outside your favorite indie music venue—photocopied, hand-cut, maybe ripped from a telephone pole, and gone the next day? That’s the energy we’re chasing. Whether you’re a poster maker, a collage artist, or just want to get your hands dirty with vintage ink-based media, it’s time to discover the beautiful, unpredictable world of risograph printing! In this fast-paced, highly tactile evening workshop, we’ll demystify the cult-classic RISO machine through the art of the single-color print. Leave your laptops at home—this is a 100% computer-free zone. 

We will be designing completely by hand, utilizing the machine’s glass scanner bed to capture the bold, high-contrast, slightly-blown-out look of a 90s Xerox flyer. We’ll cover everything you need to know to confidently run the machine, including: 

Care & Feeding of the Duplicator: How the machine actually works, handling the delicate masters, and basic troubleshooting. 

The Art of Scanning: Mastering contrast, tone, and line work directly on the scanner glass to get that gritty, high-contrast handbill look. 

Analog Layout & Collage: Tricks for building dynamic compositions using cut-up type, found imagery, texture, and marker. 

Paper Choices: Understanding weights, textures, and how different stocks absorb the RISO’s unique ink. 

The Project  – Focusing on the power of a single bold ink color, you will experiment, cut, paste, and run the press to print an edition of your original, one-sided 90s-style handbills. 

It’s the perfect, streamlined introduction to the medium. Warning: Risograph printing is highly addictive. You’ll leave with a fresh stack of your own custom-printed handbills, a collection of prints from your classmates, and the confidence to begin your risograph era.

This is an IN-PERSON, one-evening intensive workshop. Space is strictly limited to ensure everyone gets plenty of hands-on time operating the press. Level: This class is appropriate for adult students at all levels. No prior printing or art experience required!

Dates & Times: Wed. 6 – 9 pm, September 15th 

Please choose the appropriate ticket type below. Member Benefit: Members receive a 10% discount off the cost of the workshop, among other benefits. Click here to join as a Member, then choose the Member Rate below. Studio Certification: Completion of this class qualifies you to use the RISO studio for your own independent projects during Open Studio hours. Details on Open Studio may be found here.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR This workshop is led by Steven N. Landry, who has a great love and mucho experience in both digital and analog printing, as well as print project instruction moves. Passionate about tactile art-making, your instructor specializes in guiding students through the beautiful, unpredictable nuances of the RISO duplicator, helping you transform simple paper cutouts into striking, handbill editions. They will be there to guide you through the quirks of the RISO duplicator with a lot of patience, tons of practical knowledge, and plenty of enthusiasm.