Handmade Collage

1. Import scanned kraft, newsprint, or photocopy textures as PNGs.
2. Use them as image fills on the background and on individual scraps.
3. Set an overall grain or halftone layer to Multiply at low opacity.
4. Keep the texture visible under color so nothing reads as a clean digital fill.

Texture is the glue: one grain layer over the whole canvas makes mismatched scraps feel like one piece.

1. Draw or import torn-paper-edge shapes (or scan a real torn edge).
2. Use the torn shape as a mask over each photo or scrap.
3. Add a subtle drop shadow so the scrap lifts off the layer beneath.
4. Vary the tear on each element so no two edges match.

A straight rectangular crop is the giveaway that it is not really paper; mask everything.

1. Duplicate an image and tint each copy a single spot color.
2. Offset one copy by a few pixels to mimic misregistration.
3. Set the top layer to Multiply or Darken so the inks blend where they overlap.
4. Add a halftone or noise overlay for the screened, printed texture.

Keep the palette to two or three inks; real riso is limited, and the limit is what sells it.

1. Set words in mixed faces: handwriting, typewriter, and a bold display.
2. Rotate letters or words a few degrees and vary their baselines.
3. Place each on a small torn paper scrap with its own background.
4. Overlap and layer the scraps rather than aligning them on a line.

Keep one face readable for any real body text; let the cut-out face do the shouting.