WhatTheyThink

Premium Commentary & Analysis

Ricoh Expands its Direct-to-Garment Offerings with New Ri 2000 Printer

Back in early 2016, Ricoh acquired AnaJet, a leader at the time in direct-to-garment (DTG) printing. Since that time, the company has continued to develop its DTG portfolio, recently adding a new, more productive printer to its line. We spoke with Deputy General Manager for Ricoh’s Industry Print Business, Christian Compera, to learn more.

Monday, October 19, 2020

I first saw the Ricoh Ri 1000 direct to garment (DTG) printer at FESPA 2019 in Berlin. Two things struck me. First, the water-based pigment ink that was being used had an exceptional hand feel, natural and not at all plastic-y like some of the other inks being used. Secondly, it has a very small footprint, and likely could be installed in just about any size shop. The announcement of an addition to that portfolio, The Ri 2000, with higher productivity in the same footprint, therefore, was quite interesting. I reached out to the Deputy General Manager of Ricoh’s Industry Print Business, Christian Compera, to learn more.

WhatTheyThink: Christian, thanks for your time today. Before we talk about the latest addition to Ricoh’s DTG portfolio, I wanted to let our readers know you are not exactly new to the world of digital printing!

Christian Compera: That’s true. In fact, I led the development program for the Kodak NexPress around the turn of the century, and those printers are still out in the market and performing well. Many of the issues being faced by the textile industry in terms of its digital transformation are much the same as we saw in the early days of digital in the commercial printing business.


Continue reading your article
with a WhatTheyThink membership.

WhatTheyThink Annual Membership

Less than $4/week.

Get unlimited access to in-depth commentary and analysis covering the latest trends, emerging technologies, operational strategies, and key events across every segment of today's printing industry.

Stay informed. Stay competitive. Stay ahead.
WhatTheyThink Day Pass

$5 for 24 hours

Unlimited access to all of WhatTheyThink. Get your Day Pass

Already a member?
Sign In

About Cary Sherburne

Cary Sherburne is a well-known author, journalist and marketing consultant whose practice is focused on marketing communications strategies for the printing and publishing industries.

Cary Sherburne is available for speaking engagements and consulting projects. To get more information contact us.

Please offer your feedback to Cary. She can be reached at [email protected].

Recent Articles from Cary Sherburne

Toby Weiss Leaving Fiery After 17 years

Toby Weiss Leaving Fiery After 17 years

After 17 years with Fiery, culminating in his role as CEO, Toby Weiss is leaving the company to take on the role of CEO at Securonix, with the task of scaling the next era of AI-Powered security operations. In this interview. Toby shares some of his favorite experiences at Fiery as well as some of the challenges. While this move might seem unusual, Toby explains that he joined Fiery from the cybersecurity industry and is looking forward to get back into it, although he will miss Fiery and its people and customers, and our industry will certainly miss him! Read More

Haley Haar’s Strategic Vision Results in Business Growth

Haley Haar’s Strategic Vision Results in Business Growth

In a recent interview, Haley Haar, Owner/President of AlphaGraphics Kansas City, explained how she brought the Kansas City center from about $450,000 in annual revenues to nearly $2 million through strategic planning and a deep understanding of customer needs and requirements. Read More

U.S. Hemp Goes International

U.S. Hemp Goes International

While the U.S. domestic textile industry is struggling to grow, the U.S. farming industry could play an important role in making textiles more sustainable with arrangements such as the recently announced deal for Panda Biotech to provide U.S. grown hemp fibers to the Indian textile market. Read More

Strategic Planning Spurs Growth at AlphaGraphics Kansas City

Strategic Planning Spurs Growth at AlphaGraphics Kansas City

When Haley Haar took over AlphaGraphics in Kansas City, the business generated about $600,000 annually. Today, she has led the company in a growth path approaching $2 million in annual revenues through careful strategic planning and a deep understanding of customer needs and requirements. Read More

Tariffs and Textiles: Will They Help Bring Back U.S. textile Manufacturing?

Tariffs and Textiles: Will They Help Bring Back U.S. textile Manufacturing?

So supposedly, a goal of U.S. tariffs on products imported from other countries, including textiles, apparel, and footwear, was to incentivize bringing manufacturing back to the States. Of course, setting up a new factory takes time and money; it doesn’t happen overnight. But it seems that producers had other ideas…the results may surprise you. Read More