Ricoh UK is celebrating a strong showing at its first Sign & Digital UK exhibition, reporting significant interest in, and leads for, its Pro® L4100 wide format latex printer series. A number of leads were also taken across the company’s suite of digital print and marketing services solutions demonstrated on the stand, including the Pro® C751 digital production press and its SaaS-based Marketing Asset Management (MAM) solution, MarcomCentral.
Says Stephen Palmer, Head of Production Print, Ricoh UK & Ireland: “The show was the first public outing in the UK for our Ricoh Pro® L4100 latex wide format printer series and we were very pleased with the level of interest in the L4160 we had on the stand. However, what we were also genuinely surprised about was the extent of the interest in the Pro® C751 digital production press we also showcased on the stand. As a dedicated wide format show, the cut-sheet Pro® C751 digital press could have been seen as a bit of an anomaly by visitors. In fact, many sign makers were extremely keen to explore how they could speed up their business development by breaking into new markets and augmenting their wide format portfolio by investing in cut-sheet technology.
“What was clear from our conversations with sign makers is that there is a definite desire out there across the industry to diversify businesses to maximise profitability. With the launch of the Pro® L4100 series and our rich heritage of cut-sheet print innovation – aptly demonstrated in machines like the Pro® C751 and software solutions like MarcomCentral – we are in a prime position to give these customers the freedom to diversify their production portfolio and transform their business in the process.”
The new Ricoh Pro™ L4100 Series latex large format printer is roll-to-roll machine, and comes in two models, the 130cm (53 inch) Pro™ L4130 and the 160cm (63 inch) Pro™ L4160. It supports up to seven colours in various configurations including CMYK, orange, green and white ink. The Ricoh Pro L4160 and L4130 deliver high print productivity and quality as a result of a range of advanced technological innovations including Ricoh’s own piezo electric print heads. The series also meets the market need for products that reduce environmental impacts printing through low power consumption and the use of aqueous latex ink.
With a superior image quality and exceptional functionality, the Ricoh Pro™ C751 series has the highest specification and reliability in its class and raises the standard for productivity, efficiency, quality and profitability. It has extremely high image quality VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) technology for razor sharp 4800 dpi, chemical PxP™ toner and oil-less technology for accurate, smooth offset-like image quality. The Pro™ C751 offers huge media versatility, an improved fusing unit and high productivity, with volumes of up to 180,000 per month, 75 ppm colour/mono on stock up to 300 gsm. The machine also provides for maximum uptime thanks to a new liquid cooling system enabling extended and continuous printing, as well as enhanced ORUs (Operator Replaceable Units) and toner bottles, and waste toner and media changes achieved on the fly.
Concludes Mr Palmer: “This was a new show, new sector and new audience for Ricoh and we have been very encouraged by the interest in our technologies and in the Ricoh brand and overall proposition. Our stated intention for 2014 was to attend shows and events that were more focused and got us closer to customers to enable us to engage with them in a more consultative, personal and tailored way so we can fully under their business and strategy for the future.
“The way brands procure and use print is changing rapidly and at Ricoh, we are helping many customers respond to these changing dynamics by providing them with the technology, knowledge and consultative advice to help them make the transition from ‘printer’ to ‘marketing services provider’. Sign & Digital UK gave us an excellent opportunity to introduce this concept to businesses in the sign and graphics sector we look forward to continuing these discussions with customers and prospects over the coming months.”
