Risograph effect

Make a photo look printed on a riso duplicator: two spot inks, a grainy screen, the drums slightly out of register.

A portrait printed in fluorescent pink and blue risograph inks

Drop a photo here, paste it with Ctrl+V or choose a file

Settings

Inks

Misregistration6

Grain55

Open in Paletoo for more

opens this effect as a ready document in the editor, every step editable

Nothing is uploaded: the picture is made in this browser tab.

How to use the risograph effect

Add your photo
Drop it on the picture, paste it with Ctrl+V (⌘V on a Mac) or choose a file. Photos with a clear subject and some colour work best.
Choose the inks
The first ink takes the warm and middle tones, the second the cool tones and the shadows. Fluorescent pink with blue is the classic riso pair.
Misregister, add grain, download
Misregistration shifts the second drum: a few units look printed, more look like a zine. Grain is the stencil’s texture. Then download the PNG.

Made in Paletoo with the same effect

Real designs from our Learn guides. Open a guide to see how each one was made.

Questions

What is a risograph print?

A Riso is a stencil duplicator: it prints one bright, slightly translucent ink at a time, each from its own drum. The inks overlap into new colours, the paper takes them with a grainy texture, and each pass lands a little off the last. That honest imperfection is the look.

Why two inks?

Most riso prints use two or three drums. Two inks already give four colours (paper, ink one, ink two and their overprint), which is what makes the style readable and bold.

Can I print this on a real Riso?

This page gives you a finished picture, not separations. In Paletoo you can keep each ink on its own layer, which is a good start for real separations.

Is it free? Is there a watermark?

Yes, it is free, and the PNG has no watermark. You do not need an account either.

Is my photo uploaded anywhere?

No. The photo is read and drawn by your browser on your own device; it never leaves this tab. Close the tab and it is gone.

What size is the download?

The PNG is your photo’s own size, up to 4096 px on the long side (a bigger photo is scaled down to that). The preview is smaller so it stays instant; the download is drawn again at full size.