Risomania: The New Spirit of Printing

Risograph, Mimeograph and Other Stencil Duplicators

By John Z. Komurki

The Risograph printer is at the forefront of a new creative explosion. More and more artists and designers all over the world are rediscovering this stencil duplicator for themselves, sparking a unique and unexpected renaissance in analogue printing. And Risography is just the most prominent technique in a new wave of cutting-edge contemporary design, one that is also rediscovering forgotten technologies such as the Gestetner and the mimeograph.

Risomania is the first book to document and discuss this groundbreaking global scene, looking at the history, present and future of the Riso, as well as featuring a range of artists, design studios and print shops who use it. At the heart of the volume are fabulous, hugely diverse examples of Riso-printing, including postcards, magazines, posters, flyers, and experimental printed products, all of which inspire through vivacity of colour, unique textures and, above all, the perfectly imperfect authenticity of Risography.

Includes an atlas of modern Risography, and presents profiles of some of the frontline studios working with Risography today, including Tan & Loose (Chicago), Risotrip (São Paulo), Colorama (Berlin), Issue Press (Grand Rapids, Michigan); Risomat (Bratislava); Bananafish (Shanghai) and so many more from around the world. Step by step guides to Riso and Memeo printing fill out the volume, accompanied by colour charts.

Designed by Luca Bogoni

Published by Niggli, 2017

Hardcover, 232 pages, full color, 8.2 × 10.1 inches

ISBN: 978-3-7212-0966-2