The studio and riso machines are available to anyone who’s taken a workshop + orientation, or a solo session! The goal is to make Ithaca Print Commons a thriving community studio, a generative resource for the community to make work and connections and learn and share skills.
In the studio
Ithaca Print Commons is home to two Risograph SF5450 printers and 14 ink drums: Black, Brown, Bright Red, Gray, Green, Fluorescent Orange, Fluorescent Pink, Marine Red, Medium Blue, Mint, Purple, Teal, Violet, and Yellow.
In the studio, there are plenty of work surfaces, a paper trimmer, cutting mats, a growing collage library, a Macbook running CS5 and an iMac running CS22, a light table, a book press, a saddle stitcher, other general and random studio supplies, and storage for regular studio users. There is also a growing retail section up front to sell artwork, zines, prints, hand-bound books, etc.
Cost to Consider
$7.50 per hour $1.50 per Master 10¢ per Impression 25¢ per sheet of paper (BYOP welcome)
What are masters and impressions? Masters are the stencils made for each unique color layer, and an impression is made each time your paper passes through the machine. So if you are printing a three-color design on 75 pieces of paper, your cost would be $4.50 for masters ($1.50 for each color) + $22.50 for impressions (10¢ for each of the 225 impressions) + $15 for 2hrs of studio + $18.75 for paper bought at the studio = $71.25 total for 75, three-color prints. Whoa, what a deal!
Riso Workshop!
Ithaca Print Commons is excited to host various Riso workshops, exploring the knowledge and approaches of our growing Riso community. Open to all skill levels and will get you prepared to become a daily user or monthly member.
Solo Lesson - $75
Want to learn your way around the riso machines but can’t make it to a workshop? Schedule a solo lesson to see what it’s all about and leave with a print and the ability to become a monthly member or daily user! Solo sessions include all materials.
Daily Studio - $7.50/hr
Stop into the studio for a day and print a project, bind a book, lay on the floor, or whatever you’d like! On top of the daily rate, you pay for each master and impression made during your session at the end of your session. (see rates above). BYOP
Evening Zining - $50 - $70/couple
Date night, buds night, pals night, friends out and about, just hanging, bored to death? Join us for a collaborative zine night. Bring a poem or some artwork, or make a poem, artwork, or a collage at the studio, and we will print it up and stitch it all together at the end into a collaborative zine!
Private Party/Event
Want to have a special invitation-only print event party? Reach out and see if we can figure out a time to make it work!
All thriller, no filler.
Bring Your Own Paper - BYOP
IPC stocks a few paper options for purchase(25¢ per sheet) while printing — currently in stock are11” x 17” 67lb Vellum Bristol and 80lb and 100lb cover stocks. You are always welcome to and encouraged to Bring Your Own Paper.
The printers can handle paper sizes from 4” × 5.75” to 12” × 17” and paper weights from 12lb bond to 116lb index (46 gsm to 210 gsm). The print area of 11.4” x 16.7” (but can’t print a full bleed). We currently love printing on this textweight paper and this coverweight paper.
All rates are suggested and calculated to keep Ithaca Print Commons running while providing Riso printing access to the community at the lowest costs. If you cannot afford the cost at the time but feel the need to make the work, we are happy to work with you to make it happen!
Conversely, if you feel flush and would like to pay more or donate some extra scratch, hell yeah! All donations will go towards improving the studio - like new ink drums, a guillotine paper cutter, perfect and spiral binding machines, etc.!