HMKW Printstudio

Since the beginning of 2014, graphic design students at HMKW Cologne have had the opportunity to print in two colors with our Risograph. In the courses "Prepress / Press" and "Layout" by and with Prof. Dr. Markus Schröppel, the students have the opportunity to train in analogue graphic design and alternative printing techniques. Instead of working in the digital workflow, the designers have to print their layout with different colored printing drums and screens - one original per color - on the university's own Riso MZ 770 printing machine. The results are obvious: the spectrum ranges from student magazines to annual reports for external companies, posters, bachelor-/master theses, welcome gifts for freshmen, illustrations and editorial objects such as graphic novels which were finally sold in the university’s own design Späti kiosk (late point of sale kiosk), e.g. at The Cologne Art Book Fair (TCABF). Other products such as the GIFilter media study, which received the Hamburg LeadAward, were also created here. In addition to the low cost factor, the positive ecological balance of the printing process should be emphasized. This results from the use of recyclable printing forms/print templates and biologically harmless inks based on rice oil. Not only the Cologne HMKW students, but also students and teachers from the other two HMKW locations Berlin and Frankfurt a. M. have already been able to use the printing machine and the finishing, folding and binding options. Prof. Dr. Markus Schröppel explains why: Even in times of digital transformation, it is important to familiarize yourself with analog printing technology; "Dealing with this very classic printing process gives the students a basic understanding of how to implement it. This begins with the design of the templates, where they learn to combine a greatly reduced selection of colors with illustration, typography and other design tools, whereby despite or because of these limited design means a very special aesthetic result is created. "