
At Hunkeler Innovationdays 2017, Ricoh again showcased the Ricoh Pro VC60000 that it had shown two years ago at the same event and also at drupa 2016. It ran the inkjet CMYK duplex inkjet press at high speed in roll-to-roll and roll-to-cut with dynamic perforation supported by Hunkeler and Horizon systems. While at the last Hunkeler show Ricoh demonstrated inline preprint and postprint coating stations on untreated and offset papers, at the just concluded show the company stuck to smoother inkjet primed stocks. Shown alongside the Pro VC 60000 inkjet press at the show was a Ricoh Pro C9100 color cutsheet digital production press.Â
A broad range of pre-printed samples were available, such as perfect bound books as well as posters, postcards, loyalty cards and statements, and direct mail applications. Print samples also showed the excellent results using a fifth clear varnish coating station. Ricoh showed its software such as its digital book printing solution with Ricoh’s TotalFlow Batchbuilder and Ricoh’s ProcessDirector 3.5.
In February, Ricoh announced the Ricoh Pro VC40000, its next generation continuous feed inkjet platform designed to empower transactional and direct mail clients to deliver high-quality output with enhanced productivity features. The Pro VC40000 runs at speeds up to 120 m per minute, enabling it to produce more than 100,000 A4 size images an hour. With paper support from 40 to 250 gsm, application possibilities range from lightweight books to high coverage postcards.
Ricoh has made enhancements to its software and services offerings to support the launch of the Ricoh Pro VC40000. Ricoh ProcessDirector provides transactional and direct mail workflow support designed to help ensure output integrity and qualify for maximum postal discounts. Additionally, the Ricoh TotalFlow Print Server R600A provides native support for PDF, PDF/VT and AFP together with JDF and advanced color management support. This advanced controller provides an easy-to-use operator interface and advanced workflow management capabilities based on Ricoh’s extensive experience in missioncritical variable data processing. Ricoh also made an interesting presentation at the Doxnet conference.