Page 29 - Print 21 Magazine Sep-Oct 2021

Technology Focus
Ricoh to launch digital
B2 sheetfed inkjet
Ricoh will be launching a B2 sheetfed inkjet press next year, with the aqueous inkjet technology delivering instant drying, and printing onto coated and uncoated offset stocks, as well as inkjet stocks.
Details are yet to be released, but Print21 understands the new Ricoh Pro Z75 will be promoted as printing at offset quality, which will be achieved through Ricoh’s own printhead, aqueous ink, and dynamic drop size technology.
The new Ricoh Pro Z75 will be Ricoh’s first sheetfed inkjet press, although it has been manufacturing market-leading high speed inkjet web presses for the past decade, with the latest version the Pro VC70000. Ricoh’s inkjet head technology is also used in oem deals by multiple technology developers.
For the new Pro Z75, Ricoh will use its proven paper transport, auto-duplexing, and drying technology, together with
a new digital front end, with the press designed to be simple to operate.
The new Pro Z75 will be aimed squarely at the commercial market, with applications including commercial print, direct mail, books, manuals, specialty publishing, and packaging. It will print six-up on the B2 sheet.
The company say today’s commercial print environment is “radically different than it was just a year ago, as companies in this space evolve to be hyper-relevant in today’s constantly changing landscape”. It says while the transition to digital
has been progressing for years, printers are now looking to further accelerate
that transition while uncovering new opportunities.
The Ricoh Pro Z75 was developed from the ground up by Ricoh to “empower printers to confidently pursue those opportunities”, building on the company’s 40 plus years of inkjet leadership and culture of transformational innovation, known as Henkaku.
Ricoh says in the new business climate, commercial printers are more than ever seeking to expand their application range and profitably meet the increasing demand for short runs, with media flexibility and competitive operational costs key.
It says, “Those seeking exceptional productivity, ease-of-use, and media versatility, across offset coated, uncoated and inkjet treated stocks, with one of the lowest operational costs in its class will benefit from the strategic design of the Ricoh Pro Z75.”
Ricoh will release more details over the coming months, launch date is yet to be determined.
Imaging giant Ricoh has launched the Pro C5300s, a new entry-level digital colour printer, which draws much of its technology from its well-established big brothers; the
Pro C7200 and Pro C9200.
Ricoh’s new entry-level
Rdigital colour printer
icoh is targeting commercial Above
printers, copy shops, and Entry level: Ricoh Pro C5300s for
franchises with its new
Pro C5300s digital colour
print system. The company is New to the format is the vacuum
pitching it as an entry-level printer, feed table found on the Pro C7200 and
but with the functionality of its high-end siblings.
The new Pro C5300s supersedes the Pro C5200s but is a different animal altogether. The Pro C5200s was aimed mainly at the in-plant market. The new model caters for that, and also has commercial graphic arts capabilities, thanks to its feeder, consistent image quality, and inline finishing options.
Henryk Kraszewski, product marketing manager at Ricoh, said, “The Pro C5300s is the same compact size, but has commercial functionality. Ease of use means it will appeal to print business owners who want to have real flexibility of product, who want to be able to produce a wide range of printed jobs inline, with minimal operator skillsets.
“The new Pro C5300s will produce everything from regular brochures – saddle stitched and folded – to 1.26-metre banners, to envelopes and NCR sets. It is a real workhorse for any print business, but at an entry-level price.”
The price of the engine itself remains unchanged from the previous model, with final investment figure depending on the options taken.
Kraszewski says, “Its compact design, its print quality and its versatility of substrate mean it is a significant step up, and well suited to commercial applications. It still has all the connectivity of the previous model.”
Pro C9200 models, which come with mechanical registration beloved of printers everywhere. It will print on stock up to 360gsm, with no loss of rated speed for anything up to 250gsm. Stocks include synthetic and textile papers. It prints duplex at the same speed.
Key benefits of the enhanced system include high image quality, with Ricoh 2400 x 4800dpi VCSL technology, and new gloss control to address different image output demands. It has high productivity with a speed of up to 80ppm and a monthly duty cycle of 450,000. The vacuum feed large-capacity tray supports a wide range of substrates.
There is improved front-to-back registration, due to a new paper pass control system, and there are mechanical registration controls. The new Pro C5300s comes with wider variety of post- press capabilities, enabling responsive service delivery, supported by peripherals, including an enhanced booklet finisher capable of 30-sheet booklet production at 80gsm. Versatile end-to-end production is further aided by its high capacity stacker and efficient fore-edge trimmer.
Kraszewski says, “Having an entry- level press that is capable of producing such a rich variety of work, but with ease of operation, is testimony to
the great work of the Ricoh research and development teams. They think through everything so carefully.” 21
commercial printers and inplants
Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 29