Ricoh moves into latex for wide format

Ricoh continues its expansion into commercial print and signage with the introduction of latex wide-format printers for outdoor and indoor signage.

Mark Burgess, national production print manager for Ricoh New Zealand, says, “Commercial printing businesses can now easily expand into a growing market of signage and display printing with Ricoh’s new wide-format colour graphics printers: the Ricoh Pro L4160 and Pro L4130.”

Worldwide, Ricoh has cornered an impressive share of the digital production print market. Locally, the company sees a ready market for its latest offering, knowing the global giant can help provide serious service and support for its first serious foray into the world of wide format graphics. Burgess says, “Ricoh is known for exceptionally high service and support standards both here and overseas. We bring industry leading service standards to bear for our customers and ensure exceptional product and part support.”

The company sees the new printers creating outdoor and indoor signage, including banners, POS/POP posters, vehicle wraps and wall coverings. Both systems print on a range of substrates, including PVC, tarpaulin, synthetic paper, coated paper, non-coated paper and textiles. Burgess says, “Ricoh has recognised the growing need for highly versatile and cost efficient commercial printers. We work hard to develop products and solutions that continue to exceed our customers’ expectations. These printers will help print and signage companies to expand their service offerings and increase value to their customers.”

The printers use aqueous latex ink. He says, “The latex ink is more environmentally friendly than traditional petroleum-based inks, not least because of its lower levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

He adds that the new roll to roll wide format devices deliver high print productivity and quality. They can support up to seven colours in various configurations, including orange, green and white inks in addition to CMYK. The can print three layers of ink in one pass with white and colour inks which enables printing of applications such as transparent stickers, PET, and window films. They handle sizes up to 1.6m (Pro L4160) or 1.38m (Pro L4130) wide.

Burgess adds that the use of latex inks eliminates the need for special ventilation. He says, “Latex inks are fast drying, and aided further by three integrated heaters (pre, print, post heaters) as well as drying fans. The prints are ready for finishing after exiting the system. With a low curing temperature, a wide range of heat-sensitive materials can now be printed, making these printers a smart choice for customers who are looking for improved productivity and profitability.”

Equipped with Ricoh’s latest generation of high quality, multi jetting piezo inkjet heads, up to three different drop sizes are produced at once, with drops as small as four picolitres (pL). Ricoh says that varying drop sizes result in smoother gradations and sharper details, especially with fine lines and small fonts.

Burgess says, “Not only do these new printers help reduce environmental impact through the use of aqueous latex ink and their ability to operate with low power consumption but, with reusable eco-cases housing the ink packs, they deliver greater economy in the long run, as there is no need to change ink cartridges.”

Ricoh latex inks offer outdoor durability of one to two years, or two to three years with lamination. Burgess says, “With white ink, customers benefit from brilliant colours on all substrates – including transparent and dark materials – for signage, branded materials and window displays. The addition of orange and green extends the colour gamut to encompass a wider range of vibrant colours, ideal for both indoor and outdoor materials, and to reproduce corporate colours or spot colours accurately.”

GO TO MORE NEW ZEALAND NEWS