Ricoh Focuses on ‘Print and Beyond’

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—May 3, 2012—At drupa 2012, Ricoh (Hall 8a) is looking at ‘Print and Beyond’ by analyzing the trends that are changing the way businesses will purchase and use ‘print’ in the future. Drawing on research recently published by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Ricoh, print service providers are encouraged to look not only at the impacts of future technology on their own businesses, but also at how technology will change the way their corporate clients will work in the future. In the study, six out of ten respondents said they believe the markets they operate in will be significantly altered between now and 2020, bearing little similarity to today, so it’s crucial print service providers are prepared for the profound, yet energising, effects of technology change.

Under this ‘Print and Beyond’ theme, drupa 2012 is Ricoh’s global platform to launch a range of offerings to deliver client value in print and beyond. These include: a prototype of the Ricoh Pro L4000, a seven color, latex ink, large format inkjet printer including white ink and InfoPrint ADF Express, a new addition to the Ricoh TotalFlow workflow suite. Furthermore, through its partnership with PTI Marketing Technologies, Ricoh will demonstrate a new visual search technology called Ricoh Clickable Paper. And Ricoh will be emphasising its commitment to the environment, as all its printing activity at the show will be carbon neutral.

In addition, Ricoh’s latest generation of its 3D inkjet head technology is being demonstrated on the Ricoh stand by Objet, a global provider of inkjet-based 3D printing systems and materials. Its latest 3D printers are available for organisations in sectors such as consumer goods and electronics, aerospace and defence, automotive, education, architecture, dental and medical, as well as for service bureaux.

Peter Williams, executive vice president, Head of Production Printing Business Group Ricoh Europe says, “Recent technologies including digital printing and inkjet technology have driven significant changes in just a few years for the production printing industry. And what is certain is that there will continue to be radical changes to our industry as current technologies will be applied in different ways by businesses, their customers and their employees. For print service providers to benefit from the impact of current and future technologies, it’s essential they focus on how technology is used to add benefits to their businesses, looking beyond specifications alone.”

Summary of New Products and Services at drupa 2012—‘Print and Beyond’

Print—The Ricoh Pro L4000 large format inkjet printer
The Ricoh Pro L4000 series features the next-generation of Ricoh’s piezo-electric print heads with durable latex ink in seven colors; CYMK, light cyan, light magenta and white. It offers extensive media support on a range of substrates and is ideal for the environmentally conscious buyer of printed signage, point of purchase and indoor and outdoor display.

The Ricoh Pro L4000 series also features multiple jetting print head technology to produce three different drop sizes at once, down to a minimum of four picolitres in size. The result is smooth, lifelike images every time. Furthermore, its extensive media support enables clients to order print on a wide range of substrates such as PVC, tarpaulin, synthetic paper, coated-paper, non-coated paper, textiles and more.

It will be available in North America and Europe in the first quarter of 2013.

And—InfoPrint Process Director Express
A new addition to the Ricoh TotalFlow workflow suite, InfoPrint Process Director Express offers customers an easy-to-use, end-to-end workflow software to manage transactional datastreams in Adobe PDF format. It brings the power and modularity of InfoPrint ProcessDirector software to mid-level customers who can now benefit from Ricoh’s experience with larger commercial and transactional printers. Users can automate end-to-end print management with scalable workflow control functions for Adobe PDF, reduce operational costs by reducing file preparation time using integration with color management tools like Enfocus Pitstop and Impostrip On Demand Digital Automation software. In addition users can add the PDF Mailroom Integrity feature, for the indexing, editing, splitting, sorting and grouping of disparate PDF jobs, while meeting regulatory requirements. It also allows for multi-vendor inserter integration that can automate reprints and advanced print management tools for all production environments.

Beyond—Ricoh Clickable Paper
A cross-media service enabling consumers to point an iPhone or Android smartphone at any printed surface and receive related online content, Clickable Paper technology is applicable to any kind of printed media, including newspapers, magazines, direct mail, books, brochures and posters. Consumers will be able to instantly recognize a clickable page thanks to its easily identifiable logo. All types of digital information or services can be linked including multimedia content, web sites, e-commerce services and social networks.

It is a fast and robust way to recognize content including text (in any language), images, photographs, or a combination. It enables multiple hotspots per document without editing or reformatting of original source material and different online content can be associated with each hotspot. It offers support for a large database of authored documents and has a user-friendly mobile app for smartphones.

A carbon neutral drupa and INGEDE certification
At drupa, Ricoh is taking advantage of its Carbon Balanced Printing Programme. As a result, all Ricoh’s printing activity during the show will be carbon neutral. Ricoh will also offset the carbon generated from unavoidable energy emissions including lighting and catering for its booth during drupa. As well as using recycled paper wherever and whenever possible, all Ricoh’s waste will be recycled by Arjowiggins Graphic, turned into pulp and used to create recycled paper. In alignment with its focus on the environment, Ricoh also announces that its cut sheet digital color press systems have now been certified by the International Association of the Deinking Industry (INGEDE) regarding the removal of toner from recovered paper during the paper recycling process.

imagine.change.
drupa 2012 is the first time Ricoh will exhibit with its new tagline imagine. change. The new brand reflects Ricoh’s global shift toward services, which can be seen in its expanding services portfolio for production printing, the office and elsewhere in the organisation. It also highlights Ricoh’s approach to build genuine partnerships with its customers based on trust, and its focus to help clients develop their business through innovative products, solutions and services.

About Ricoh
Ricoh is a global technology company specializing in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group, operates in more than 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2012, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,903 billion yen (approx. 23 billion USD).

The majority of the company's revenue comes from products, solutions and services that improve the interaction between people and information. Ricoh also produces award-winning digital cameras and specialized industrial products. It is known for the quality of its technology, the exceptional standard of its customer service and sustainability initiatives.

Under its corporate tagline, imagine. change. Ricoh helps companies transform the way they work and harness the collective imagination of their employees.

For further information, please visit www.ricoh-europe.com.

Source: Ricoh.