> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ressources.technoculture.club/riso/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ressources.technoculture.club/riso/introduction-1/how-does-it-work.md). # How does it work ? {% embed url="" %} how it works {% endembed %} A risograph pushes ink through a mesh, like in screenprinting, but instead the screen is pulled over a cylinder drum, like a mimeograph. The technology is a combination of both techiques except automized, allowing for prints to be made for the fraction of the time and cost. How it differs from mimeograph and screenprinting is it's ability to print digital files (computer-generated imagery) directly from a computer. In screenprinting, emulsion is used to block out the image. With a Risograph, it burns your image into a sheet of rice paper using a **thermal plate**. The burned image on rice paper is called a **master copy**. Think of the master copy as the stencil that you can keep reusing to make copies. That rice paper is then laid over the drum, and each time you make a copy, the drum rolls as paper passes underneath. As the drum rolls, it pushes ink through the mesh, pressing the image onto the paper to make a copy, very similarily to the technology of mimeography. **There are two main processes in a Risograph: Master Making ยป Printing** ![](/files/-LZefUzQlpabknkBZuwE) #### *References:* {% embed url="" %} {% embed url="" %} --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://ressources.technoculture.club/riso/introduction-1/how-does-it-work.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.