Ricoh Wows at SGIA Expo With New Wide-Format Launches

Though its booth may have been off in a far corner of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Ricoh USA made itself quite visible at the recent SGIA Expo.

"We're here to 'wow' you today," exclaimed Heather Poulin, Manager, Strategic Planning & Business Development, as she kicked off the company's press conference.

Brian Dollard at Ricoh's SGIA press conference.

Part of that "wow" comes from a pair of pop-up shops that dominate Ricoh's exhibit, each showing off applications printed on Ricoh devices. They include interactive back-lit displays, wall and floor graphics, printing on textiles and aluminum, and more.

The idea, explained Brian Dollard, Director, Strategic Planning & Business Development, is to inspire customers to push the boundaries of print. In his segment of the press conference, Dollard recounted Ricoh's progress over the past year, and proclaimed the company's commitment to next year's PRINTING United event.

"You are going to see a commanding presence," he predicted. "We look forward to participating."

Over the past year, Dollard said, Ricoh has doubled down on R&D, which has resulted in numerous product introductions.

"We've done nothing this year but launch products," he said.

“We’ve done nothing this year but launch products!” said Brian Dollard of ⁦⁦@RICOHProPrint⁩ at this afternoon’s ⁦@SGIAExpo⁩ press conference. Several more were launched today at the expo pic.twitter.com/m0FgGea1pr

— In-plant Impressions (@IP_Impressions) October 18, 2018

And that didn't stop at SGIA, where the company unveiled several new devices. On Thursday Ricoh debuted a pair of roll-to-roll latex printers and a wide-format flatbed printer targeted at the sign, graphics and décor markets. At the same time its AnaJet subsidiary launched the Ricoh Ri 1000 direct-to-garment printer.

At the press conference, Dan Johansen, Marketing Manager, Wide Format Solutions, touted the new Ricoh Pro L5130 and L5160 latex printers, which print up to 473.6 sq. ft./hr. in outdoor standard mode and 270 sq. ft./hr. in indoor standard mode.

"This is a new platform, designed from the ground up," he said.

Dan Johansen introduces the new RICOH ProL5160 wide-format printer at ⁦@SGIAExpo⁩ pic.twitter.com/gyvUciQ8sO

— In-plant Impressions (@IP_Impressions) October 18, 2018

The printers use curing technology that leaves output ready for finishing as soon as it comes off the printer. One-touch automated daily maintenance cleans and purges printheads to help keep the Ricoh Pro L5130 and L5160 printers in top working order.

The new Ricoh Pro TF6250 flatbed printer, Johansen said, can print on substrates up to 4.3˝ thick at up to 1,391 sq. ft./hr, using ink sets available specifically for improved high adhesion to difficult and uncoated media. It leverages Ricoh printheads with drop-on-demand technology and a configuration that includes CMYK, clear and primer to deliver an expanded color gamut and 6,35x1,800-dpi image quality.

Anajet CEO Karl Tipre also took the stage to tout the new Ricoh Ri 1000 and its quick-change magnetic platens, which quickly snap on and off the machine, making it easy to switch between different garment styles and sizes. Automated maintenance sequences clean print heads and agitate white ink regularly, saving operators time.

"It's walk-up ready for the user," he said.