color

Risograph inks are soy-based and do not conform exactly to any color standards. The listings below are approximates for reference only. Additionally, Riso inks are also slightly transparent and allow for variations in overprint and based on the color of paper they are printed on. 

INK color codes for MZ machine.

Very useful to rename custom color drums !

The below is a 300DPI Scan of the Official Riso Standard and Special Edition Color Guide, Published in 2005.

This particular copy of this promotional/sales publication was packaged with our Riso MZ790 which was purchased during a public auction from a school district in Colorado. The book features annotations throughout from their print technician / district manager noting colors they wanted to purchase. The publication itself was printed Riso and is one-sided in nature. Being that it's from 2005, it's a bit outdated in its S-Numbers and lacking in its current color range.

Riso Drum Color Stickers

If you're like me, you've got some drums that have been changed to different colors and the labels have gotten ripped-off, hand-drawn and sloppy. What's an OCD Risographer to do when the original stickers are nigh impossible to find? 

You print this template for $1.50 USD at FedEx Office (or on your own printer) and cut them yourself!  Download the template here (.zip)

Ink color code chart from the Technical Manual

Here's a list of color codes for the RP series (should work on all models, have been tested on a RP3100UI and RP3700).

Unlike with newer machines which use chips to show the appropriate color on the Riso, the ink must be manually dialed in on the RPs through a Test Mode setting. It is however not necessary to change the color code on the drum after swapping ink colors but if you want the Riso to show the corresponding drum color on the display, you can use the codes to update the drum settings after changing inks. 

Procedure for converting the color of a Z-type drum. Steps 1 - 9 also work when machine does not recogonize a correctly installed ink tube.