How do you use a risograph?
A Riso is pretty easy to use if it's in good working order --
very much like a conventional copier. In operation it works more or
less the same: put your original on the glass, close the lid and
hit the green button to start. If your paper supply is loaded and
consumables aren't empty you'll have a copy in about 20
seconds.
Here's where it's different. You'll wait 20 seconds to get your
first copy out because it's making a master (reverse stencil) to
wrap around a drum and squeeze ink through to print on your paper.
If you've ever seen an old mimeograph the process is the same, just
automated. If you need a single copy a Riso is the wrong device to
make it on because the stencil costs and wait time make that
impractical. In my shop, if I need 200+ copies I will use a Riso,
otherwise I use a conventional copier.
Risos can be wonderful for what they're designed to do: make a
single image many times, very quickly, very inexpensively. I have
three Risos and when I need a whole pile of fliers I can crank them
all up at once and be printing 380 pages per minute...when they're
running right. None of mine have been anything to brag about for
reliability.
Here's what a Riso will not do for you. They won't give you a
high-resolution image. (A couple of mine claim to be 600dpi, but
print quality's just not that good.) They won't print collated
material like any desktop printer will, since they can only do a
single image repeatedly. They won't do impressive full-color work,
since you have to put paper through multiple times using different
ink colors like an old offset press.
So to recap, if you're considering using a Riso you're looking
at wonderfully low cost and efficiency for single images on almost
any paper. (They will practically run cardboard.) If you can fix
them yourself and you like repair challenges (as it seems a few
people genuinely do) then they'd be a fine investment. Just know
that parts and experienced advice are going to be extremely hard to
find. I called a copier repair company and told him I had a problem
with a Risograph and he said, "A problem with a what?"