Studio

The Matter Editions studio is anonymously nestled in the quiet suburban landscape of Northern California. It serves as a respite from the noise and rush of Silicon Valley.

Things move slowly by design as a response to the Valley’s “Move Fast” and scale endlessly ethos. Here, small is beautiful — and deep consideration, kindness, and delight are paramount in all things. At Matter Editions, our tools are just that — tools. They represent extensions of the human body, mind, and spirit — and their contributions to the studio’s output are intwined in undeniably human stories.

Inside the Matter Editions studio
A close-up of the Risograph with two ink cylinders partly pulled out

Capabilities

The production studio’s range of equipment is intended to offer opportunities for experimentation from the earliest design concepts through to final production and packaging. The studio is built around a 2-color Risograph ME 9450 duplicator, a 30 x 36 Rabbit Portable Screenprinting Table, an xTool D1 laser cutter and xTool Screen Printer, an electric guillotine stack cutter, along with various bookbinding and finishing tools.

What is a Risograph?

Risography is a stencil-based process like screen printing where ink is pushed through a stencil, and where layering one color on top of another adds detail and playful color interaction within an image.

The unpredictability of overprinting is the source of the Risograph’s imperfect and experimental hand-made aesthetic. Each print is an exercise in the balance of control and chance — where the end result is not so much created as discovered.

Risograph Inks

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  • Black
  • PMS: Black U
  • HEX: #000000
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  • Bright Red
  • PMS: Warm Red U
  • HEX: #F15060
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  • Sunflower
  • PMS: 116U
  • HEX: #FFB511
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  • Aqua
  • PMS: 637U
  • HEX: #5EC8E5
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  • Kelly Green
  • PMS: 368U
  • HEX: #67B346
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  • Federal Blue
  • PMS: 288U
  • HEX: #3D5588

How the Riso Works

Moments after sending a file to print, the machine makes a screen (master) and automatically wraps it around one of the rotating cylindrical ink drums in the machine. Because the ink drum rotates at high speed while printing, the paper is fed along a flat path beneath the drum. Ink is pushed through the voids in the stencil onto the paper as it passes through the machine, one or two colors at a time. Additional colors are printed by repeating this process after allowing sheets to dry for a period of time.

An upside-down photo of a cloud formation with the words here lies data below
Riso color separations

Originally dubbed Risolute Press, the studio was relaunched in 2026 to better reflect its ambition, and the open-endedness of the how and why of work being created.

You Might Be Wondering…

Does Matter Editions offer design, printing, and production services?

Matter Editions primarily operates as the private creative studio of designer, printmaker, and technologist Scott Boms. The studio is currently not set up or otherwise oriented towards accepting outside design or production projects, but we appreciate the potential interest in such collaborations.

Who do I contact about stocking books and prints from Matter Editions?

Reach out to us at to discuss stocking our books or other printed matter. Because we tend to focus on small editions of 50–100 pieces which often sell out quickly, this may not always be feasible. If there’s an opportunity for larger editions, we’re open to such possibilities.

Can I visit the Matter Editions studio?

Although the studio is not open to the public, we’re happy to make arrangements by appointment. Get in touch using the link in the site footer.