DESN 2021 - Information Design for UnderstandingFile Setup Guide - Risograph
Risograph Printing - for Dummies
For our first project in the information design course, we were asked to select a process, understand it and visualize it.
Think of it as a beginners guide, this 11×17" poster is the final output of that learning process to help both others and myself understanding the processes of Risograph printing as well as preparing our work to be printed on this unique printer.
Selected Process:
Risograph Printing
As a studio support assistant (colloquially known as print monitors), it was my job to learn and operate the various equipment in the fabrication studio (affectionately called the Fab Lab) to help others produce their work.
The riso printer next to the workstation in the Fab Lab
While learning my way through the various printers in the lab, the risograph (riso) printer next to the work station caught my eye as it was seldomly used and the set up process was drastically different to other printing methods.
Thus, to help myself and others, understand the printer better and set up our work for it, I decided to study this process for the information design course’s first project and create something that is useful to everyone using the studio.
Me Operating and Troubleshooting the Riso Printer:
Design Process
Initial Sketches:
Test Prints:
Color Testing
Draft Design
Printing Process:
Printed Masters
First Run
Refinements
Final Output and Thoughts:
I (re)discovered my passion for information design through this project.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve vividly recalled drooling over (figuratively speaking) all sorts of diagrams — from National Geographic magazines to books filled with cutaway visuals on the family bookshelf and in the local library. It’s safe to say I’ve always had an affinity for understanding processes, structures, and the relationships between things in a visual way.
This project was a well-timed reintroduction to this side of the design world, and the process reinvigorated my passion for it. As for the poster, it has remained a constant on the Fab Lab’s walls since its inception, and many have found it helpful in understanding the printers’ mechanics — and, by extension, how to prepare their work accordingly. While “Operations Guide” might have been a more fitting title in hindsight, I’m still proud of what I created and the impact it had in the studio space.
