The Print Gocco, a brainchild of the Japanese company Riso Kagaku, emerged in the late 1970s and quickly became a beloved household name. This ingenious device offered a unique blend of stamping and screenprinting techniques, empowering users to effortlessly create vibrant, small-scale color prints perfect for personalized greeting cards and textile embellishments. Marketed towards adults, the Print Gocco’s user-friendly design and robust build also gave it an undeniable toy-like appeal. At its zenith, it’s estimated that an impressive one in three homes across Japan boasted a Print Gocco, a testament to its widespread popularity and cultural impact.
My introduction to the world of Print Gocco happened in the mid-2000s, ironically, just as the manufacturer decided to discontinue its production. It was during this time that Jill Bliss initiated the grassroots “Save Gocco” movement, igniting an online marketplace for the dwindling supplies of the device’s specialized consumables.
Witnessing my burgeoning fascination with this unique printing tool, my partner thoughtfully surprised me with a complete Print Gocco set procured from eBay. Excited as I was, I promptly relegated it to storage for years. The rationale? The increasingly scarce consumables were becoming collector’s items! It wasn’t until a chance encounter with another Print Gocco at a local resale shop just a few months ago that the spark reignited. Inspired, I finally retrieved my own Print Gocco from its undeserved retirement and resolved to put it to use.
What I rediscovered is a device remarkably simple to operate, surprisingly clean, and capable of producing charming, if not perfectly polished, color prints. The Print Gocco is also notably compact and easily portable, requiring only two AA batteries for operation. Unlike traditional silkscreen printing, which demands a time-consuming process of creating stencils with photosensitive emulsions and UV exposure, Print Gocco master production is refreshingly swift and mess-free. All it takes is a simple black and white photocopy on regular paper to create a master.
Below are a couple of prints from my inaugural Print Gocco session, showcasing a delightful illustration created for me by Gabrielle Genevieve. Remarkably, all colors were applied in a single pass, a feat made possible by the inks’ firm consistency, which prevents unwanted blending when pressed.
A pair of Print Gocco prints showcasing a charming illustration with multiple colors applied in a single pass, despite some ink smudging and veining visible in areas with denser color.
Looking back at this first attempt, my decision to color the telephone yellow might not have been the best choice. This particular image presented a challenge for the Print Gocco system. Close inspection reveals noticeable smudging, particularly at the top of the print, and veining, visible in the top right and bottom left corners. These imperfections are likely due to over-inking and the image’s density, which led to some ink pooling.
From my experience, the Print Gocco system strikes a compelling balance between playful accessibility and professional-looking results. However, it’s important to acknowledge its limitations:
- Consumable Scarcity: It relies on proprietary consumables—Print Gocco masters, inks, and flashbulbs—that have been out of production for decades, making them increasingly difficult to source.
- Single-Use Components: Print Gocco masters and flashbulbs are designed for single use. The flashbulbs are literally expended in a small explosion when activated.
- Unpleasant Odors: The flashbulb burst and the inks emit a rather unpleasant smell. The ink ingredients are not listed, but my suspicion is that they consist of pigment suspended in a soybean oil carrier. After several decades, this oil may have turned rancid, contributing to the odor.
- Variable Print Quality: While delicate designs with text or medium-fine lines tend to print reasonably well, the quality can be inconsistent, especially with images that have denser color areas. These areas can lead to ink pooling, resulting in visible veins when the master is pressed and smudges when released.
Considering these points, the question naturally arises: Could we develop a modern equivalent that improves upon the Print Gocco, retaining its charm and ease of use while addressing its drawbacks?
