Print Gocco
Print Gocco was a small screen printer made by Riso in Japan from 1977 to 2005. It uses a flash bulb to burn your artwork onto a screen, then you press ink through it by hand. Our kits do the burning for you, so you can skip the bulbs entirely. Over 10 million were sold, and at its peak roughly one in three Japanese homes had one, mostly for printing New Year postcards.
We make our own screen print kits for Gocco fans, under the name ‘Gokko’. They're designed in the studio, tested on our own machines and sold from our Margate shop and online.
‘Gokko’ Kits
Mini kit for vintage Print Gocco
Our bestseller, and the easiest way to get a vintage Print Gocco printing again!
Send us your artwork and we'll expose it onto two B6 screens that slot straight into most models (PG-11, PG-10 Super, PG-10, PG-5 and PG-B6). No bulbs, no master screens, no trawling eBay for old stock. Print area is postcard size (14.8 x 10.5cm).
Includes two exposed screens and ink-blocking foam, so you can section off parts of your design and print a few colours from one screen. You'll need your own Print Gocco machine to use it.
Want another design? Extra screens come in packs of two, and we also sell packs of A6 recycled paper and card cut to fit, all from the same listing.
Screen print kit - small and large
Screen printing at the kitchen table, no machine required.
Send us your artwork and we'll expose it onto 120T mesh and mount it in a reusable acrylic frame, ready to print onto paper, card, tote bags and t-shirts. No exposure unit, no chemicals, no darkroom, just ink, a squeegee and something to print on.
Two sizes: small prints an area of 25.5 x 18cm, large 34.5 x 27cm. The frame is yours to keep, so when you want a new design, order fresh mesh in the same listing and swap it in. Clamps for holding the frame steady are available too.
How To Use
Set up your artwork
Download our templates and place your design on one. It works like a stencil: 100% black prints solid, white blocks the ink, and greys print lighter. Line work, text and bold graphics come out best and fine detail under about 1mm tends to fill in. Save as a PDF or high-res PNG and email it to print@duplikat.co.uk. For the mini kit, send one file per screen.
We expose your screens
Your artwork burns onto the mesh using our GoccoPro in the studio, then the mini / screen kit is packed and posted within a few days. Nothing for you to burn, wash out or develop.
Ink up and print
Mini kit - lift the clear cover, add a line of ink to the design area (use the blocking foam to section off different colours if needed) and slide the screen into your Print Gocco and press.
Screen print kit - lay the frame mesh-side down on your paper or fabric, add ink at the top, and pull it across with a squeegee at 45 degrees. Do a couple of test prints on scrap first, as the first pull rarely lands perfectly!
Clean and go again
Scrape off excess ink, then wipe mini screens gently with a damp cloth (they're card, so don't soak them) or wash mesh with soap and water. Riso reckons 200 to 300 prints per mini screen and up to 1,000 per mesh if you look after it.
Inks
We like Essdee water-based block printing ink for the mini screens and Flat Fox water-based ink for the screen kits. Both clean up with water; oil-based inks will clog the mesh. If your Print Gocco came with its original Riso inks, they're very likely past their best by now. Ours had separated and gone lumpy, so use them at your own risk and keep some fresh ink to hand.
New to Print Gocco?
Riso made some brilliantly retro how-to videos back in the 80s and 90s!
Frequently Asked
Can I still get screens and bulbs for an old Print Gocco?
Riso stopped making them years ago and original stock is scarce and often dried out. Our mini kit replaces the screens and bulbs entirely, since the screens arrive already exposed.
Which Print Gocco models do the mini screens fit?
B6 size, which covers PG-11, PG-10 Super, PG-10, PG-5 and PG-B6. Check your model before ordering.
Do I need a Print Gocco machine?
For the mini kit, yes. The small and large screen print kits are standalone.
Can I print on fabric?
Yes with the frame kits, which use 120T mesh suited to fabric and paper. The mini screens should work too but we haven't tested it ourselves.
Can I print more than one colour?
Yes. The mini kit's blocking foam walls off areas of one screen for different inks, and the kit comes with two screens for layering. For the frame kits, order extra mesh for each colour.
Where can I buy a second-hand Print Gocco?
eBay, Japanese auction sites and vintage shops. PG-10 and PG-11 are the most common. The flash unit is the part that usually fails, but with our pre-exposed screens you don't need it anyway!
Do you offer screen printing as a service?
We don’t offer screen printing as a service - try Pins & Knuckles in Margate for local option.