My First Print Gocco Project (初めてのプリントゴッコ)

I remember at least 10 different Print Gocco commercials in Japan while growing up. These two (from 0:14 to o:43, the rest of the commercials are not for Print Gocco but done by the same actress..., sorry, I don't know how to edit this video I found from YouTube) are from the 90's and are the ones I remember the most. I didn't own a Print Gocco at that time but I still remember the melody and the happy, funny commercials.

Print Gocco (プリントゴッコ, pronounced 'Pu-rin-to Gok-ko') is a Japanese color screen printing system developed in 1977 by Noboru Hayama. Resembling a toy, the compact and completely self-contained printer is clean, quick and easy to use. Gocco became immensely popular in Japan and at one time nearly one third of households in Japan owned a Print Gocco. The reason it became popular in Japan was because it's our custom to send out New Year's Cards (年賀状) and Summer Cards (暑中見舞い) to friends, family, colleagues and even business clients. It's a National Event (国民行事)! With Print Gocco, you can easily design and make as many cards as you want inexpensively. It's fun to do with your family and friends.

Unfortunately, on May 30, 2008, the Riso Kagaku Corporation (理想科学) announced that it will stop making Gocco printers in June 2008. They blamed the sharp decline in demand for their printers on the increase in use of home computers and printers. This means when I want one in 2009, I can't just ask my family in Japan to get one for me at the regular price but have to go on eBay and pay extra money to get one.

Finally I got my Print Gocco! It's a PG-11. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

Place the original on the sticky pad.

Voila! My First Master.

Mix inks to get the color I want.

Apply the ink to the master.

My First Gocco Printout.

I have to admit that I was a bit too greedy when I made the master. I wanted to use the screen to its max since it is not that cheap, I didn't want a full screen with just my business card on it, so I planned ahead with layouts on my masters: I had a front and a back side of my business card, as well as a return address I could print on my outgoing mail. The mistake I made was that I spread them out too much the corners got cropped, the 4 corners of the image burned on the screens were not crisp enough to make a good print. I should have keep the original no bigger than 4" x 6".

Below I attached a helpful video for beginners, just in case you are interested in how the Print Gocco works.