First Ricoh colour press for Snap

Concern for the environment has prompted the installation of the first Ricoh colour print production machine to be purchased by the Snap Group.

Installed into the Snap Norwest franchise in Sydney late last year, the Ricoh Pro C901, is the first of its kind to find a home in a Snap business.

The company’s CEO, Peter Spencer says that, while the press and finisher has allowed the business to improve its turnaround times and broaden its offline binding capabilities, it was the machine’s environmental credentials that prompted the unit’s first purchase among the group.

“I was concerned about the amount of waste we have,” says Spencer (pictured middle front), “ and 99 per cent of what is produced by that machine, in terms of waste, is recycled.”

Spencer notes that, while the other brands’ presses he looked at before upgrading his machinery did have some level of environmental rating, the Ricoh unit had a focus on recyclability that the others did not – a point of difference Spencer gladly embraced.

“In every area of my life I look at how much waste is produced, and we’re now doing something about it,” says Spencer. “There wasn’t much emphasis on that with the other machines, but Ricoh made a point of it.”

Additionally to its environmental specs, the digital press’s toner-based system has allowed Snap to produce close to offset quality printing, and its offline finishing options has let the business bind material from its other presses.

“It has a saddle stitching unit which can be used offline,” says Spencer. “It doesn’t have to go through the colour device. We can take printed material from other machinery and use it on this for saddle stitching.”

For Spencer, however, this is merely a bonus on top of the core decision-making factor that was steeped in environmental awareness. “We are genuinely helping with waste,” he says.