RISO Artist of the Month Lauren Harms

What is your name and the name of your organization/location?

Lauren Harms, Next Chapter Studio – Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

How long have you been in the art industry?

Next Chapter Studio was started in 2018.

How long have you been using RISO duplicators and the method of RISOGRAPHY?

We’ve been using RISO since the very beginning! 2018

What are some of your favorite colors to use with a duplicator?

Flo Pink is our go to and gets used all the time. We also love Aqua, Blue and Light Lime – all colors that are unique to RISO and hard to achieve in traditional 4 color printing. The past couple years I’ve really enjoyed fine tuning our drum palette. For instance we converted Bright Red to Red, which I like because it has a hint more orange. The colors are what drew me to RISO initially, and I love experimenting with them!

Why RISOGRAPHY?

I have a background in book publishing, so I knew offset printing well and printing with spot colors. I had also taken a class in screen printing in college. So the process made sense to me right off the bat. I loved how the inks looked overprinting, and the surprise of how different files and color mixes would print. I also loved that you could have an idea and have it printed in just a few hours. RISO such a bright and unique type of printing that we wanted to share it with as many people as possible with our greeting cards.

What would you tell people who are just finding out about RISO Duplicators and the art form of RISOGRAPHY?

Embrace the imperfection of it, it’s what makes a risograph unique and wonderful! If you’re having someone print for you know that no matter what simulation program you use, it will come out differently. There’s a color value, texture and character that you only get when the ink hits paper. If you’re thinking about getting your own machine, know that they need to be run nearly daily. Most issues arise when the drums aren’t used frequently enough. So be ready to print a lot! If you’re not quite ready for that, look for a local studio, school or makerspace that might have one you can use.

Upcoming Events:

We’ll be doing workshops this fall! In person, in Albuquerque: Next Chapter Studio RISO Workshops

Website Links:

We have a retail store at the front of our studio featuring our products as well as other stationery and gifts: nextchapterstudio.com