is a Japanese corporation which is the inventor, manufacturer, and distributor of the RISO Printer-Duplicator, a.k.a.
Risograph. This device automatically creates a stencil-type master (from a paper original or digital file), thereby enabling it reproduce single-colour documents at high speed and low cost, in a machine that has a small footprint and a relatively low purchase price.
The firm was established in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
,
Japan, where it continues to maintain its headquarters today. With sales in over 150 countries, Riso is a billion-dollar company. The company maintains a foundation that donates equipment around the world primarily to educational institutions.
In Japanese, 'Riso' means 'ideal' and the word 'Kagaku' means 'science.'
Noboru Hayama, the company's founder, started his business by mixing inks at his kitchen sink just after World War II, and in 1946 established a
mimeograph
A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a copy made by the proc ...
printing company, whose first product was its signature duplicator.
Over the next few years, Mr. Hayama expanded his company to the area of manufactured
emulsion
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Altho ...
inks
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicke ...
,
stencil masters, and other duplicating products.
Sponsorships
The company sponsors the
J.League football club
Kashima Antlers with the RISO logo appearing on the back of the club's shirt.
See also
*
Gocco
References
External links
Riso Kagaku Japanese homepageRiso Kagaku English homepageUS Riso Kagaku homepageUnited Kingdom Direct division homepage*(in German
RISO (Deutschland) GmbH homepage
Computer printer companies
Technology companies of Japan
Electronics companies of Japan
Manufacturing companies based in Tokyo
Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Electronics companies established in 1946
Japanese companies established in 1946
Japanese brands
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