WEST CALDWELL, N.J., Sept. 17  -- Ricoh Americas Corporation announced today that its production family of 70 plus pages per minute (ppm) monochrome products were rated best overall by print for pay customers in a survey conducted by Industry Analysts, Inc. These products, marketed by Ricoh's Production Printing Business Group (PPBG), were recognized by Office Products Analyst, a leading industry trade magazine published by Industry Analysts, Inc., as part of its annual Print for Pay survey.

The annual Print for Pay survey is a culmination of two months of extensive interviews with nearly 250 commercial printers and publishing houses to gauge the products and solutions they use day in and day out. Ricoh had a strong showing in several areas, including Best Overall Monochrome Production - 70 Plus; Productivity, Stability of Connectivity, Image Quality, Reliability, Ease of Connectivity, Ease of Use, and Total Cost of Ownership. The products tied for first in the Features category. The Ricoh production monochrome line virtually swept the monochrome production category, beating out competitors like Canon, Xerox and Konica Minolta.

"Print for pay customers are extremely dependent on the performance and quality of the products they use and therefore are the best critics when it comes to document management devices," said Andy Slawetsky, president, Industry Analysts, Inc. "Ricoh's commitment to innovation and its customers is demonstrated by the overwhelmingly positive response to its production printing devices."

Ricoh's PPBG specializes in high-volume production devices for in-plant, graphic arts and data center customers. Products include 70+ ppm multifunction products (MFPs) and finishing equipment. While some specific products were not listed in the Print for Pay survey, the production line as a whole demonstrated superior functionality and usability for commercial and publishing customers.

"Ricoh takes pride in creating innovative products that provide the latest technological solutions for commercial printing businesses that depend on productivity, quality and low total cost of ownership," said Carl Joachim, vice president of Marketing, Production Printing Business Group of Ricoh Americas Corporation. "Being recognized by Industry Analysts, Inc. only further validates the quality products customers have come to expect from Ricoh."