Ricoh has announced a new series of monochrome production printers, the Pro 8400 series, which offer minor improvements over the current Pro 8300 series, including a faster scanner.
The series includes three models, and two variants. The only difference between the three models is the print speed, with the 8400S producing 96 A4 ppm while the 8410 and 8420 run at 111 and 136 A4 ppm, respectively. In addition, there are two variants with the two faster models offered as either printer-only machines, or as full MFPs as the 8410S and 8420S complete with a scanner unit. There’s no printer-only model for the base 8400 device. Despite Ricoh’s marketing spiel around high productivity, these are the same print speeds as the outgoing Pro 8300-series machines.
The scanner unit for the MFP devices has been improved, with its speed up from 220 ppm to 280 ppm, assuming A4 duplexing at up to 300dpi resolution. Ricoh says that it has also updated the automatic document feeder, or ADF, presumably to match the faster scanning speeds.
Otherwise, this series appears to use the same vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) imaging technology as previous models. This produces 2400 x 4800 dpi resolution, which translates into 1200 x 1200 dpi printing. The new series appear to be using the same toner as the older models.
There’s a new mechanical registration system, with a contact image sensor, which corrects skew and ensures precise handling even with pre-printed and dark-colored papers. The system can monitor whether or not the paper might have shrunk from the heat applied in fixing the front image, so that the VCSEL system can adjust the size of the image for the reverse side to compensate and maintain the front to back registration.
The Pro 8400 series handle sheets up to 330.2 x 487.7 mm, as well as banners up to 700 mm long, including for duplexing. Ricoh says it can handle a range of different substrates, including lightweight carbon-free sheets up to light cardboard, with different sources citing media from either 40 or 52 gsm. It will take media up to 350 gsm, but that does seem to depend on the tray in use and it will only print in duplex on media up to 300 gsm. It will take up to 10 different media trays, which equates to up to 18,850 sheets.
There’s an optional Fiery EB-36 controller based on Fiery’s FS-600 DFE, which includes both device and job management functions as well as imposition and an Adobe RIP.
One other interesting option is a connection kit that allows two of the Pro 8400 series engines to be run together as a twin-engine solution for double-sided printing. This can produce up to 272 A4 ppm, which might appeal to some book publishers.
Ricoh has increased the ratio of recycled plastic and steel that is used in the manufacture of these devices, which should give these devices a lower carbon footprint.
Gavin Jordan-Smith, senior vice-president and general manager for Ricoh North America, commented, “By incorporating the latest technology for precise registration and superior image quality in a space-saving, sheet-fed device that’s built in the tradition of Ricoh’s enduring commitment to sustainability, this Series not only advances production workflows, but also empowers our customers to expand their offerings and grow their business in a more environmentally responsible way.”
You can find further details on the new series from ricoh.co.jp though this is in Japanese, albeit with translation available. It should be available in the US and Europe later this year.
