Last night I overcame my fear of Photoshop. I downloaded an evaluation copy, asked my husband a million questions, and after a few hours, I was a pro. Okay, not a pro, but I am no longer limited by my lack of PS skills. I've already put my new knowledge to good use, and I can't wait to do more.
Now I am wondering if I should make the big leap to using a gocco for printing. I never really considered it before because I had no idea how easy Photoshop made the whole design process. Now the only thing holding me back is cost.
Instead of giving advice or recommending products today, I thought I would submit this question to all of you. Do you have a gocco? Was it worth it? Will it make my crafting easier, or just add another complicated step for me to stress over? I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.
A Gocco is a small printing system made in Japan. I'm not exactly sure how it works except to say that there are screens and flash bulbs invovled.
I don't Gocco, but I do photoshop. As tempting as Gocco is for me since I've seen plenty of blogs of beautiful DIY gocco invites... the reality is that I am not THAT detail oriented. Lining things up JUST SO and making it a perfect edge... not me. If it's on the computer, sure. But in real-hands-on life, straight lines and detail orientation do not agree with me. Make sure they do for you before making that investment. I actually blogged about this when I made this realization about DIY and ME.
http://barefootstargazer.blogspot.com/2008/06/not-so-detail-oriented-bride.html
Posted by: Starry-Eyed Barefoot Bride | July 23, 2008 at 05:28 PM
Oh I'm interested too! I want one!
Posted by: Polka Dot Bride | July 24, 2008 at 05:28 AM
I just bought a gocco last month. I got it on ebay for $100 but then "had" to spend another $100 on supplies. It costs a lot but i totally love it. I do a lot of crafting - mostly card making and scrapbooking so i think i will use it a lot. I am going to do my invitations for my wedding and i did my moving announcments which are shown here
http://chic-crafty-chick.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-first-gocco-print.html
I want to also try to do coasters and napkins. I love it but i wouldnt have bought it to only do invitations to my wedding. I dont know if it will make crafting easier because as my fiance says its just like a color photocopier but it is fun.
Posted by: ettiene | July 24, 2008 at 10:59 AM
I have a Gocco that I received a few weeks ago. I've made napkins and will be doing thank you cards as soon as my supplies arrive.
It's so much fun! The only thing that I would warn you about is that RISO has stopped production of the machines and has stated that they will only be providing supplies for the next three years (if that). So if you want a Gocco, get one now and stock up on supplies!!!!
Posted by: Bonnie | July 24, 2008 at 05:40 PM
What is a gocco?
Posted by: fromthisdayforward | July 24, 2008 at 09:31 PM
I adore my Gocco! It is so much fun and so gratifying... a very simple version of screenprinting. (A friend-of-a-friend who grew up in Japan said they used them in elementary school!)
It is a tad expensive, but I have more than made up for it with the many holiday, birthday, thank you cards I have made with it... not to mention helping several friends with their Save-the-Dates printed via gocco! :)
Posted by: Nicole | July 29, 2008 at 03:03 PM
Using the Gocco is so much fun! You can certainly make it complicated or you can spend 10 minutes from initial design doodle to final printed product. As other readers have noted, it's not cheap, but it is cool. If you decide to go for it, have fun!
Posted by: Maggie | July 30, 2008 at 02:25 PM
I love my gocco too!
It's easy to use, and you can produce some really great results. I say, go for it!
Posted by: kat | August 04, 2008 at 06:20 PM