Hot on the heels of its three rivals Ricoh is out of the barrier with the launch of a new 90ppm engine with a 5th station for white or clear toner.
The launch means all the major suppliers have brought new technology to the market this year, although deliveries of the new Ricoh machine won’t happen until early next year. Fuji Xerox, Canon and Konica Minolta have already launched their ‘digital lite’ engines ranging from 70 – 100 ppm in what is a very tight and competitive supply market.
According to Raj Chandiok, national sales manager – production print, the Pro C7100x is being positioned as a radical break from the past. “The ability to apply spot or flood clear gloss and white, and to quickly switch between the two, is unprecedented at this price point. We believe this will be a game changer for Ricoh customers,” he said.
“As graphic arts businesses seek to remain competitive, profitable and add value to their customers, it is essential that they have the right tools in place to deliver innovative applications and introduce new service lines. By adding RICOH Pro C7100x series digital presses to their workflows, they can boost returns on investment, expand digital print services, and promise exceptional image quality to customers with fast turnaround times."
In a press release Ricoh summarised the Pro C7100x features:
- Highly productive with print speeds up to 80ppm for the RICOH Pro C7100x and 90ppm for the RICOH Pro C7110x
- Precise sheet-to-sheet and front-to-back registration achieved with mechanical registration
- Equipped with a self-contained liquid cooling system that keeps the developer at a constant temperature and minimizes disruptions in extended production runs
- Utilises Ricoh’s new vacuum feed LCT with Banner Printing option
- Compatible with EFI print server
- Optimal image quality up to 1200 x 4800 dpi with Ricoh’s enhanced Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) technology
- Versatile with a fifth colour station providing clear and white toner
- An AC-transfer system and elastic fusing belt technology. Enhanced output on a variety of heavily textured media such as vellum and linen
- High media support up to 360gsm
- Backed by Ricoh’s TCRU program (Trained Customer Replaceable Units), which enables customers to replace more than a dozen parts for increased uptime