Riso Print Studio

Bolton Contemporary CIC is delighted to announce the launch of our new Riso Printing Studio, based at Falcon Mill Studios in Bolton.

We moved into the studio in February, thanks to the generous grant funding support of Culture Bolton and Bolton CVS. This support has enabled us to create a new creative resource for artists, community groups, educators, young people and local residents to explore printmaking in an accessible, affordable and exciting way.

Risograph printing, often called Riso printing, is a stencil-based printing process that sits somewhere between screen printing, photocopying and digital duplication. Originally developed for fast, low-cost printing, it has become popular with artists, designers and illustrators because of its bold colours, distinctive textures, slight misregistrations and beautiful handmade feel. Each colour is printed separately, allowing images to be built up in layers, creating rich, vibrant and unexpected results.

Our studio currently has seven Riso colours:

Red, Hunter Green, Black, Blue, Orange, Fluoro Pink and Fluoro Yellow.

We are excited to share this new offer with the community through a range of opportunities, including introductory workshops, artist-led sessions, community print projects, professional development and CPD sessions for artists, teachers, facilitators and creative organisations.

The Riso studio will support Bolton Contemporary CIC’s wider mission to make high-quality art experiences more accessible, collaborative and rooted in the local community. We want the studio to become a place where people can experiment, learn new skills, make posters, zines, prints and publications, and explore how print can be used for creativity, communication and social connection.

We look forward to welcoming people into the studio and developing a programme that supports both individual creativity and collective making in Bolton.