STUDIO·ITY
Risograph (riso) printing is a Japanese stencil duplication technique that uses soy-based inks pushed through a master stencil, one color at a time. Each ink layer has slight misregistration, organic grain and texture from the ink spreading into paper fibers. The result is a distinctive handmade quality that sits between screen printing and photocopying. This tool simulates the risograph look digitally — with support for 2, 3 or 4 ink colors — without needing access to a riso printer.
While duotone (2-color) riso is common, real risograph printers often use 3 or more ink drums. A typical 3-color riso print might use Blue for shadows, Red for midtones, and Yellow for highlights — creating a rich, layered look where inks overprint and mix on paper. This simulator lets you experiment with multi-color riso separation instantly.
2-color: Fluorescent Pink + Blue is the most iconic riso pairing. Red + Black creates a bold poster look. 3-color: Blue + Red + Yellow gives a full-spectrum CMYK-style riso print. Teal + Orange + Black offers a sophisticated editorial feel. 4-color: Black + Blue + Red + Yellow produces the richest, most detailed riso separations with deep shadows and vivid highlights.
Real risograph printing has physical limitations — ink bleeds, paper absorbs unevenly, and each print is slightly different. This simulator recreates those characteristics digitally: grain simulates paper texture and ink absorption, ink spread mimics layer misregistration, and halftone overlay adds the dot pattern visible in actual riso prints.
STUDIO·ITY
Risograph (riso) printing is a Japanese stencil duplication technique that uses soy-based inks pushed through a master stencil, one color at a time. Each ink layer has slight misregistration, organic grain and texture from the ink spreading into paper fibers. This tool simulates the risograph look digitally with support for 2, 3 or 4 ink colors.
You can choose between 2 colors (classic duotone), 3 colors (shadows, midtones, highlights) or 4 colors for the most detailed separation. Each additional ink layer adds depth and complexity — just like running paper through a real riso printer multiple times.
Yes. Create multi-color risograph effects and download at 800px for free — no signup, no software to install. Your images are processed locally in your browser and never uploaded to a server. Pro users get full resolution exports without watermark for a one-time payment of €9.
2-color: Fluorescent Pink + Blue is the most iconic riso pairing — vibrant and high contrast. 3-color: Blue + Red + Yellow creates a rich, CMYK-style riso look. Teal + Orange + Black gives a sophisticated editorial feel. 4-color: Black + Blue + Red + Yellow produces the most detailed separations.
Duotone simply maps an image to two colors based on brightness — it's a clean, digital effect. Risograph adds the physical imperfections of real riso printing: grain from ink absorption, misregistration between color layers, and halftone dot patterns. Plus, real riso often uses 3 or more colors, not just two.
The tool splits your image into tonal bands based on luminance. For 3 colors: the darkest areas get ink 1, midtones get ink 2, and highlights get ink 3. Where bands overlap, the inks mix via overprinting (multiply blend) — just like real ink layers on paper. Each layer gets its own misregistration offset for an authentic look.
Absolutely. The risograph aesthetic is hugely popular on Instagram, Behance and Pinterest. Upload a photo, pick your ink colors, add some grain and offset — and you have an eye-catching image ready to post. The 3 and 4 color modes create especially rich, layered results.
No. Everything runs in your browser using JavaScript and the Canvas API. Your images never leave your device — no uploads, no data collection, no account needed.
One-time payment, lifetime access to all tools.