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An important variable for achieving good printing results on the risograph is the paper feed. In contrast to digital printers, on the risograph’s paper feeder is not adjusted via the printer driver, but the machine itself.
When printing an edition, for example, it can be adjusted a lot better and more precisely for it to match the properties of various papers. To operate the paper feed, it should be moved downwards using the small, green button, in order to handle it at will. The two green levers to the left and right of the stack of paper can be tilted upwards by 90 ° to adjust the stack feed. If the paper feed has moved all the way down, the settings can be reviewed.
The paper feeder consists of three main components, the feed pressure adjustment lever, the stripper plate and the paper feed pressure adjustment lever. The angle of the stripper plate as well as the paper feed pressure can be changed with the adjustment levers visible in the picture.
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Detailed view of the rubber wheel of the paper infeed
The angle of the stripper plate
The adjustment lever of the stripper plate can be used to influence how the paper feeder pulls in the sheets. The scale of the arrow pointing at a line that is getting thicker illustrates the pressure with which the stripper plate feeds the sheets. Sheets being skipped over is an indication of the pressure being set too high and the sheets obviously being too heavy. To correct this, the angle adjustment lever should be lowered to release the pressure. If two or more sheets are pulled in at the same time, the pressure has to be increased further. For pre-folded sheets, a setting with less pressure works best. For very light sheets, it should be increased, possibly even to the strongest setting. The scale of the adjustment lever can be somewhat misleading as it can be set further than the highest setting that is visible in the clockwise direction.
The pressure on the sheets
The adjustment lever for handling the pressure of the paper feeder can be set to four different states and is particularly responsible for how paper is handled and passed through the machine. Many machines that feed the sheets incorrectly or insufficiently are simply incorrectly set. Becoming familiar with this adjustment lever and experimenting with different papers before printing an edition is recommended. The risograph’s manuals provide the following information for adjusting the pressure: for light-weight paper, the arrow should point to the right, for normal paper down, for heavy paper to the left and for card stock to the top. A summary of some settings for these functions is provided on the right.
Light-weight paper
Angle 03:00 (90°)
Pressure 06:00 (180°)
Normal paper
Angle 12:00 (0°)
Pressure 09:00 (270°)
Thick paper
Angle 02:00 (70°)
Pressure 12:00 (0°)
Heavy paper
Angle 01:00 (30°)
Pressure 03:00 (90°)
