About the Workshop
Join us online for a VIRTUAL Riso Basics workshop—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 print method from anywhere!
We make this virtual workshop as IRL feeling as we possibly can—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. 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).
Depending on the workshop ticket tier you choose, this class culminates in making a 2-color riso print edition that is mailed to you, along with a copy of everyone else’s prints from the class! We work hard to make our virtual classes feel as hands-on as possible with worksheets and mark making, multiple camera angles, overhead camera walkthroughs, live printing and step-by-step instruction, and a packet of snail mail and printed ephemera mailed to your door!
Supplies Needed
A laptop or similar smart device with Zoom downloaded.
Blank paper or a sketchbook (we’ll also provide a downloadable mark making worksheet before class).
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).
We encourage you to try using only analog tools for this workshop (working with your hands and getting messy is part of the fun!) but you can also use your favorite digital tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, etc.
Not required but also fun: collage materials and cut paper to play with!
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!
Next Steps
If you don't already have an account, sign up for and download Zoom and make sure you're able to log on. You can find tutorials here on all of Zoom's features.
About a week before the workshop we’ll send an email including the Zoom link and information about how to access the workshop.
Click on the Zoom link a little before the start time (make sure you're using the correct time zone) to give us time to check you in and then we'll get started! Please use the name you registered with as your Zoom name so we can match you to your ticket when we check you in.
Workshop Fee & Ticketing
To make this workshop as accessible as possible, we offer several tiers of participation based on what you want from the class.
The Attendee Tier includes:
Access to the full online Zoom workshop.
The Participant Tier includes:
Access to the full online Zoom workshop.
All downloadable materials (including presentations, guides, swatches, and templates).
The Printer Tier includes:
Access to the full online Zoom workshop.
All downloadable materials (including presentations, guides, swatches, and templates).
2-color 8.5x11" print edition of your workshop print shipped to you! You'll have a week to finish the print, then submit it to us—we print and ship to you! You'll receive a set of your own prints plus one of all other participant's prints—your own starter print collection! Please note that we are not able to ship internationally at this time.
Interested in supporting Outlet and everything we do? Please consider a supporter add-on with your ticket—there are different options and the extra funds go to our scholarship program so that we can continue to offer free and discounted workshop tickets to anyone who needs it. Our goal is to not turn anyone away for lack of funds and your support makes that possible. Add-ons also mean that we can pay our workshop instructors more! Thank you so much for your support.
Your ticket helps keep Outlet afloat. We can't thank you enough for supporting us!!
Accessibility Info
We want our workshops to be as accessible as possible! We can provide captioning for our virtual workshops upon request and while we don’t currently record our virtual workshops, we will make exceptions for access needs. You can find more information on our accessibility page. If there’s any way we can make you feel more comfortable or safe during our workshop please let us know.
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 the home of a zine library and more art supplies, making tools, and collage materials than we know what to do with. 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.
