RICOH LAUNCHES NEW FLAGSHIP PRINTER
Ricoh Australia has launched its latest flagship production printer, the Ricoh Pro C9500, which it says is designed to strengthen and future proof commercial printing businesses.
The Ricoh Pro C9500 provides a range of improvements, such as enhanced media compatibility, improved automation and increased operational efficiency.
It is the successor to the Ricoh Pro C9200/C9210, and says Ricoh builds on the image quality, high-speed output, quality consistency, and stable operation that saw the series so widely embraced by print businesses including high profiles operations such as IVE and Cheque-Mates.
The Ricoh Pro C9500’s new fusing unit enables printing of 40 gsm thin media, which has been traditionally challenging for digital presses to print. Ricoh says this improved capability further promotes the shift to digital printing, supporting the production of books and booklets, which require thin media.
New peripherals enable continuous paper feeding, and output up to 960mm in length, making it easier, says Ricoh, for commercial printers to capture new business, such as A4 size four-panel brochures.
The Ricoh Pro C9500 comes with the Ricoh GC OS, a new engine controller developed specifically to meet the demands of commercial printing businesses. The new controller simplifies daily tasks such as media setting and adjustment, device usage management, and maintenance, enabling easier staff training and device operation.
The Ricoh Pro C9500 supports the new optional Auto Color Diagnosis Unit Type S15, which enhances the automation and operational efficiency of the inspection process in commercial printing. In addition to colour stabilisation and monitoring functions during printing, the new Auto Color Diagnosis Unit automates the three critical inspection stages, namely quality, registration and colour fluctuation inspections.
Ricoh says that by automating these three types of inspections, customers can save time and effort in the colour adjustment and inspection tasks, which used to be highly specialised and labour-intensive. The company also says it provides customers with the flexibility to choose how the printer operates after inspection according to their requirements.
Henryk Kraszewski, senior product and marketing manager, Ricoh Graphic Communications, Ricoh Australia, said, “The Ricoh Pro C9200/C9210 has been adopted by many of the country’s leading printers, having recognised the unbeatable performance the colour press delivers to their business. All the advances in the new Pro C9500 have been developed to provide even better print quality, on a broader choice of substrates, with improved productivity, and enhanced operational efficiency.
“They help PSPs maximise production uptime and expand capabilities to more efficiently, cost effectively and profitably answer broadening market demands.”
The Ricoh Pro C9500 will be available from late August. The optional Auto Color Diagnosis Unit Type S15 will be available later in the year.
The new printers runs at a maximum speed of 135 ppm (A4) on mixed media jobs, it has twin toner bottles for uninterrupted, continuous printing, and up to three optional Vacuum-Feed LCIT units can be added, to increase the feeding capacity to 18,100 sheets.
In addition to thick media support of up to 470gsm (600 microns), the new fusing unit enables printing on lightweight 40gsm media.
Ricoh says that by improving the printing quality of thin-coated media, synthetic media, and envelopes, it has achieved the highest range of paper quality amongst electrophotographic cut-sheet printers. The expansion of peripherals enables continuous paper feeding and output up to 960 mm in length.
The Ricoh GC OS is newly developed for operational efficiency. The timeline function enables time-series checks of events such as device usage and setting changes, facilitating better information sharing among operators. Users can access the printer and adjust settings remotely via a web browser on a PC or tablet, improving daily print operation efficiency. New functions can be added via continuous software updates after launch to reflect customer feedback.
