Ricoh Puts Focus on Real-World "Wow" Factor at SGIA Expo

Ricoh USA, Inc. today announced its plans to transform its SGIA Expo Booth #3601 into a fully functional, fully Ricoh-produced pair of pop-up retail shops, “Eyes and Tees” and “Peak Outfitters.” Instead of focusing on lists of features, Booth #3601 will showcase real-world applications that both demonstrate what Ricoh is capable of and inspire users to push the boundaries of print. Ricoh has created an immersive and interactive experience that is focused on practical applications of print in many forms. To accomplish this, the pop-up shops’ floors, walls, apparel and more have been printed by Ricoh devices, highlighting the diverse applications print service providers (PSPs) can create to broaden revenue streams. For an interactive experience, each store will also feature the use of augmented reality using Ricoh’s Clickable Paper™ – meaning attendees with the CP Clicker App on their phone can point, shoot and click at different “hot spots” to be connected to a myriad of digital content. “All too often, we’re focused on ‘speeds and feeds,’ which are important, but what’s more important is how they translate into the many ways in which print can be applied to a larger experience. The world of print today is too competitive and too fast-paced for anyone to come in and say, ‘I can help; just take my word for it.’ You have to show you’ve got the capabilities and expertise,” said John Fulena, Vice President, Commercial & Industrial Printing Business Group, Ricoh USA, Inc. “Our booth at SGIA EXPO does just that, showing that we have the capabilities and that we have the expertise. We can help transform your business. Our booth is designed to inspire printers to push print forward and really explore the limits of what’s possible with today’s technologies.” Ricoh continues to make strategic investments that help its customers grow their businesses. This is evident through the expansion of its wide format portfolio, with new Ricoh-developed devices and partner solutions. Attendees who take a look at Ricoh in Booth #3601 will see eye-catching, game-changing applications directly next to the presses that produced them – and the experts who can help customers achieve similarly spectacular results. Some of the technology on display includes:

• The RICOH Pro TF6250 puts unmatched productivity within reach for sign shops and commercial printers alike due to its impressive print speeds, one-touch automated daily maintenance and diverse substrate flexibility. At a time when customers expect high quality and fast turnaround, this wide-format flatbed delivers both in an intuitive way that allows operators to hit the ground running and produce high impact products for their customers. Print providers who make their names on fast turns can benefit from its industry-leading production speeds, up to 1,391 ft2/hr. Furthermore, the TF6250 delivers incredible substrate flexibility to accommodate substrates up to 4.3 inches thick and ink sets available specifically for improved high adhesion to difficult and uncoated media.
• The RICOH Pro L5160, a wide-format roll-to-roll latex printer, provides reliability and segment-leading print speeds, up to 473.6 ft2/hr, also great for fast turns. Onboard curing technology leaves output ready for finishing as soon as it comes off the printer. Meanwhile, automated maintenance features and a durable design allow business to begin realizing ROI quickly after implementation and continue to do so with limited downtime. With CMYK and CMYK plus white options available, high ink opacity and adhesion enable the production of crisp, clear prints up to 1200 x 1200 dpi for a variety of applications on substrates that range from wall coverings to window graphics to backlit day/night signage.
• The RICOH Pro T7210 flatbed was designed to bring low-maintenance reliability and ease-of-use to decorative printing. The T7210 supports substrates up to 4.3 inches thick with a print size of 6.9 feet by 10.5 feet, empowering users to print on one four-foot-by-eight-foot board or a variety of pre-cut pieces. A media gap adjustment sensor automatically measures substrate thickness and adjusts printheads accordingly, making switching between different substrate thicknesses easy and helping to produce reliably accurate prints on the first try.
• RICOH Pro C7210X delivers game-changing five-color capabilities (neon yellow, neon pink, white, clear and Invisible Red) at a remarkably affordable price point. The press empowers printers to introduce five-color sheet-fed printing on dark, textured and synthetic substrates up to 360 gsm into their portfolio with a single reliable, versatile press. At a time when signage shops aim to become one-stop shops by offering new and expanded services, the C7200X series is an incredibly efficient investment. Users have the option to print on paper lengths up to 49.6 inches simplex or 27.5 inches duplex, empowering signage shops to offload, back up or enhance the production of larger format color applications.
• The EFI Pro 16h LED Wide Format Printer is a versatile hybrid printer that serves flatbed and roll-fed workflows. Users can print vivid color applications on a broad range of flexible and rigid substrates up to 65 inches wide and 2 inches thick with saturated colors and smooth gradations. With 1200 x 1200 dpi, near-photographic images and true four-level and variable-drop grayscale print capability, this device gives print providers a solution to help increase profit opportunities and lower costs.
• The EFI Pro 24f LED flatbed makes printing high-value applications, such as lenticulars, photographic backlit displays and irregularly shaped or heavy objects, achievable at a lower cost. It leverages variable drop grayscale printhead technology and four colors plus dual channels of white to produce precise, high-quality applications on a wide variety of substrates, thin or thick, large or small. A multi-zoned vacuum table holds media of different sizes to the 32-square-foot bed, helping to ensure tight registration and reliably high image quality. Its moving gantry can accommodate substrates up to 2 inches thick, while low-temperature LED curing supports thin substrates that may otherwise melt or distort.
• The RICOH Ri 6000, a Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printer, boasts an incredibly short route from design to print, thanks to intuitive software and print speeds as fast as 27 seconds a shirt. These devices print at 600 dpi quality even on traditionally difficult media, such as dark poly 50/50 blend. Meanwhile, Ricoh's own industrial-grade printheads empower businesses to reliably produce high-volume orders as well as a custom one-off prints. These features combine to provide an excellent springboard for those looking to launch garment printing as a standalone business or who want to expand their print portfolio.