Ellis Tolsma Designs Bespoke Risograph Print Cards

Ellis Tolsma is bringing renewed attention to a quiet, highly personal corner of illustration through bespoke risograph print cards made for weddings and birth announcements. Working through her practice, Studio Misprint, Tolsma illustrates, prints, and cuts each card by hand, treating every commission as a carefully considered object shaped around the intentions of the people it is made for.

In an illustration landscape increasingly dominated by speed and scale, this kind of work can feel almost forgotten. Rather than relying on templates or mass production, each card begins with a custom illustration and is produced entirely in Tolsma’s studio using risograph printing. The process remains deliberately hands-on from start to finish, allowing colour, texture, and material choices to respond directly to the occasion being marked.

The project began organically with cards created for friends and family, including wedding cards and birth announcement cards. From there, requests grew steadily, particularly for birth announcements, which have a strong cultural presence in the Netherlands. These commissions have since become a core part of Tolsma’s practice, combining celebration, care, and storytelling within a small printed format.

A recent addition to the studio has further expanded the possibilities of the work. With the introduction of a plotter, Tolsma can now cut cards into custom shapes, moving beyond standard formats and allowing illustration, print, and form to work more closely together. This added flexibility gives each card a distinct physical presence while still embracing the unique qualities of risograph printing.

Studio Misprint’s wider body of work is known for its bold colours, geometric forms, and playful approach to print. Those same qualities carry through into these bespoke cards, where slight imperfections and layered inks are embraced as part of the final outcome rather than corrected. Each piece reflects a balance between control and spontaneity that defines Tolsma’s practice.

As Tolsma explains, “It’s a job that sometimes seems almost forgotten in the illustration world, but I really enjoy putting a lot of love and effort into them.” Through these risograph cards, she highlights the value of illustration as a personal, collaborative service, offering an alternative to disposable announcements and reinforcing the idea that certain moments deserve to be marked with time, care, and craft.

Website: https://ellistolsma.nl/
Shop: https://www.studiomisprint.nl/shop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellis_tolsma