INK COLOURS
While the minimal colour palette of Risograph inks may appear limited, their semi-translucent nature offers endless possibilities for colour combinations through opacity adjustments and layering. Moniker Press currently has 13 (lucky!) working ink drums, each its own designated colour.
Available colour list and examples of colour combinations can be found below as well as on the Print log.
Risograph duplicator ink, made from rice bran oil (previously soybean oil), is a liquid-based ink that requires a drying period to absorb into uncoated paper. While this characteristic adds to the uniqueness of riso printing, it can also lead to roller marks, smudging, and other possible flaws.
For prints that require 3 or more colours, there is a drying period after the first 2 layers, followed by any additional passes. This means that a 4-colour print, for instance, would require two passes through the machine. It’s important to note that multiple passes through the machine can increase the likelihood of misregistration and other imperfections. The final stencil count in your order is determined by the number of ink colours used per side. For beginners, we suggest starting with two colours, such as blue and red, and try experimenting with layering and opacities to create the third colour, purple.
⚞ Please note: The appearance of ink colours in digital mockups or photos may vary in person compared to what is seen on the screen.
Current unavailable colours = Cornflower / Mahogany
Running low/may be unavailable: Black / Br Red / Fl Pink
MONIKER PRESS COLOUR SELECTION
| Ink Colour | Gradient | Status | Notes / Quirks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black |  |
✔ | MZ990 black drum prints in HD. |
| Bright Red |  |
✔ | ———————— |
| Medium Blue |  |
✔ | Doesn’t love to print super heavy density, for large areas try to keep opacity to 90% or below. |
| Green |  |
✔ | ———————— |
| Yellow |  |
✔ | Converted from a red drum, some minor orange gradient leftover at the edges. |
| Purple |  |
✔ | ———————— |
| Aqua |  |
✔ | $$ custom colour = slightly higher cost per print |
| Teal |  |
✔ | The perfect in-between green and blue. |
| Fluoro Pink |  |
✔ | Impossible to replicate digitally, fl pink really is fluorescent (like the highlighter kind woohoo!) |
| Orchid |  |
✔ | Now available! (originally converted from a red/burgundy drum) |
| Light Grey |  |
✔ | This ink is more opaque than most riso inks and can print well on darker papers, such as black. |
| Cornflower |  |
✔ | Such a dreamy blue, this ink is more opaque than most riso inks. |
| Fluoro Orange |  |
✔ | Impossible to replicate digitally, this ink is really fluorescent, would describe as a bright coral colour. |
| Mahogany |  |
✔ | ———————— |
✖ = Not currently available, the colour chart will be updated regularly, check back for updates.
COLOUR CHART EXPERIMENTS
These colour charts show a wide variety of options that can be created with the current Moniker Press colours. Tap to view full screen. Physical colour charts are available for order here or can be picked up in person at events for sliding scale / by-donation price.
▲ scanned colour charts that range from an opacity of 5% to 95%. Click the charts to see full size images and the arrow navigate to different slides that show print examples on different coloured papers.▲