Risograph Basics @ Outlet!

Welcome to our Risograph Basics course: a printing, collage, experimentation, and mark making extravaganza! Get to know Outlet and our RISO sisters (Barbara, Janet, Corita, and Tina) and learn the basics of this fun and unique printmaking method!

This workshop is a great place to start if you’re new to riso, or if you’d like a refresher! We’ll take a deep dive into risograph history, an overview of how these machines work, the stencil-duplicator process, and the quirks and fun (sometimes unpredictable) outcomes of riso printing. The main focus of this class is EXPERIMENTATION. We’ll share print and zine inspiration, favorite mark making tools and how to use them for riso, and we’ll walk through a print demo on two of our riso printers! This class is led by Kate Bingaman-Burt and Leland Vaughan, with the help of the rest of the crew at Outlet and our riso sisters—Barbara, Janet, Corita, and Lil’ Tina (yes we named all of our printers).

This class culminates in making a printed mark making worksheet and a 2-color riso print edition—we also do a share-out and print exchange so you can take home a copy of everyone else’s prints from the class (your own starter print collection)!

Supplies Needed

• You don't need to bring a thing except yourself! We provide a slew of making tools, pens, paper, collage materials, watercolors and more!
• Optional: you're welcome to bring your favorite darker mark making tools (colors closer to black, dark blue, red, and green work best with the riso—try to stay away from yellows and other light colors).
• This workshop is totally analog so no digital tools/laptops/ipads are necessary (working with your hands and getting messy is part of the fun!)

Skill Level

• Any! This a good introductory class if you’re looking to get started with riso, but we also dedicate some time to details and set aside Q&A time at the end of the workshop for more seasoned riso enthusiasts!

Workshop Fee & Ticketing

Our in person workshops are $100-$125+ (sliding scale). This includes the workshop, a printed mark making worksheet, an edition of 2 color prints, some downloads for future use, and access to our open hours printing appointments!

The ticket price is donation so please input your price at check out. Your ticket fee helps keep our small print business afloat. We can't thank you enough for supporting us!!

Covid Safety Protocols

We're still requiring masks while in our space to keep our most vulnerable community members safe. There will be max 10 attendees total, plus Kate and Leland. We'll be taking precautions by opening our space (weather permitting, we've got a big garage door that looks out on a nice courtyard!), sanitizing surfaces, and maintaining as much distance as we can.

Can't wait to print with you!

About the Space & Instructors:

Outlet is a risograph print shop, community maker space, and the studio of Kate Bingaman-Burt and Leland Vaughan. We host workshops, pop-up events, and other projects and offer an array of services from printing, button making, binding, and more! We're also the home of a zine library and tons of art supplies, making tools, and collage materials. We also rent our space and offer in-person open hours where folks can print, make buttons, and hang out. Outlet is based out of Portland, Oregon and was founded in 2017.

Kate is Outlet’s part owner and has her studio upstairs where she illustrates for clients all over the world. She draws, letters, documents, and collects, but she also does a lot of other things that involve energy, conversation, and exchange. Kate loves creating spaces that make people want to MAKE! Along with running Outlet and leading workshops here, she’s the Associate Director of the School of Art & Design and a graphic design professor at Portland State University.

Leland is Outlet’s part owner and studio manager! They’re a graphic designer, illustrator, and a riso print nerd! Leland is the organizational force behind Outlet—from printing to workshops, events, pop-ups, bookkeeping, inventory, and more—and is most likely the person you’re emailing with about everything risograph-related. They’ve got a thing for spreadsheets, fixing riso printers when they break, and they have an eye for detail when it comes to printing.