Ricoh has introduced a new light production color press, the Pro C5400-series, which will replace the C5300-series. These presses are aimed at both commercial printers and corporate users.
There are three models in the series – the base C5400, which can produce 65 A4 pages per minute in weights from 52 to 256 gsm, which falls to 50 ppm for 256 to 360 gsm papers; and a faster C5410 that can produce 80 A4 ppm for weights from 52 to 256 gsm, dropping to 56 ppm for the heavier media up to 360 gsm. There’s also a Pro C5400 SL, which doesn’t seem to be available in all markets. This is essentially an entry-level version of the C5400, which won’t accept many of the optional extras, such as the high-capacity stacker, and is really aimed at corporate users.
In each case, there is also an ’S’ version that includes a document scanner for inline copying. Ricoh has improved the scanning unit, which is now capable of duplex scanning up to 300 pages per minute. Workflow efficiency is elevated by new AI-powered orientation detection and support for continuous scans of small-format documents such as business cards.
The headline feature is that Ricoh has improved the front-to-back and page-to-page alignment thanks to changes in its mechanical registration system. Ricoh has also improved the paper transport and the image registration accuracy for duplex and long sheet printing with a redesigned Vacuum Feed Large Capacity Input Tray.
Elsewhere, the warm-up time has been reduced from 120 seconds to 26 seconds for the C5410S and 30 seconds for the Pro C5400S. However, this is only for the standard print mode, meaning that the image quality mode still needs just under 120 seconds to fully warm up. In any case, this only affects the start-up time. The more important metric – time taken to produce the first print – remains more or less the same for both models at 9.6 seconds for the C5410 and 10.6 seconds for the C5400.
Ricoh has also made greater use of recycled materials, with 25 percent post-consumer recycled plastics and 21 percent electric furnace steel. Ricoh says that this is up to five times more than the C5300 series and is definitely a step in the right direction.
Otherwise, the basic specifications remain the same as for the outgoing C5300-series. Both machines use a four-drum dry electrostatic transfer system with an internal transfer belt, combined with oil-less belt fusing. They use the same image writing system as before, with 2400 x 4800 dpi resolution. These printers can handle various types of media, including coated paper, waterproof paper, envelopes, clear files, and long sheet printing up to 1,300 mm.
Among the finishing options, there is a new staple-less binder, which Ricoh claims is an industry first. This uses water to moisten the paper edges and then pressure to press the papers together. It will work for up to 16 sheets for corner binding, or up to 12 sheets for two-position binding. This should help reduce both the waste associated with staples and the need to stock staples in the first place.
There is also a new envelope-fusing option that promises faster envelope printing speed. Separately, the folding unit has been reduced to a width of 209 mm, less than half of the previous model to allow for a more compact footprint.
Ricoh can supply its own GW controller, which is suitable for most corporate users. For commercial printers, there’s a choice of Fiery controllers, between the E28B that is embedded and the E48B that comes with a separate server. Both are based on Fiery’s FS600 Pro system.
Eef de Ridder, vice president of Ricoh Europe’s Graphic Communications Group, commented, “Print production environments need to consistently and flexibly meet greater demand for a wider range of short-run applications. The comprehensive upgrades are all focused on powering consistent, high-quality print on a range of substrates to ensure operations can confidently and repeatedly achieve that.”
These new C5400-series presses will be available in the EMEA region from July 2025, though they are already available in other regions, notably the US and Japan. Further details on Ricoh’s production printers, including the new C5400-series, from ricoh-europe.