15th January 2008 – (SEE COMMENTS FROM CARY SHERBURNE BELOW) - Global printing manufacturer Ricoh, predicts that the production printing market will grow to €12.8 billion by 2013 . It is Ricoh’s vision to expand its presence in this market and become a leading force by 2010. Drupa 2008 is the platform for Ricoh to introduce the Ricoh Pro C900 and C900s a new colour digital printer and multi-function device offering heavy production capacity. Also launching is the Ricoh ‘Pro’ brand, for easy identification of its production printer portfolio. Ricoh demonstrates a history of innovation within the printing market. During the last four years it has further extended its expertise within production printing by incorporating Hitachi Printing Solutions, the European operation of Danka/Infotec and the joint venture with IBM InfoPrint Solutions Company. It is now offering a comprehensive product portfolio that integrates within the digital print workflow, has a flexible range of software solutions and a service and support network around the globe. Ricoh has also set-up a dedicated worldwide production printing business unit that will focus on serving the market needs and delivering heavy duty engines that offer the highest standards of reliability, durability and quality as well as a wide range of finishing options. Ricoh’s expansion into production printing is in addition to its commitment to its established core business within the office market where it provides a range of printers, copiers, scanners and multifunction devices. The new Ricoh Pro C900 and C900s will offer high-productivity with fast-speeds up to 90ppm in full colour, even when printing in heavy stock. High-volume print customers can enjoy all the features and benefits of a heavy-production product with this user-friendly solution. It also includes the latest Ricoh image processing technology combined with the Fiery RIP for high-image quality and accurate printing. It will offer flexible media options supporting large format up to SRA3 size and heavy stock up to 300gsm. An extended range of inline finishing devices includes: ring binder, perfect binder, Plockmatic booklet maker and GBC punch unit. The Ricoh Pro C900 and C900s will be showcased for the first time at Drupa 2008 alongside the Ricoh Group’s full production printing portfolio. To see the demonstrations visit Ricoh in Hall 9, A60 and InfoPrint Solutions in Hall 9, B44. WhatTheyThink.com Senior Editor Cary Sherburne Comments: Nearly 150 members of the media are gathered in Dusseldorf this week to hear from a variety of vendors about their plans for drupa 2008. Ricoh discussed the latest addition to its production printing family, the Ricoh Pro C900 and C900s, which will be launched at drupa. The C900 was unveiled to the media at the conclusion of Graph Expo last fall, and more detail was provided here today. The Ricoh Pro C900 is a full-color printer that prints at 90 pages per minute with a 2-bit resolution of 1,200 dpi. The engine was developed by Ricoh, based on technology from its Hitachi acquisition. Although the company declined to provide a great deal of detail, we did learn that the system uses a modified fusing system with a wider range of effective temperatures that allows the device to print on coated stocks. Its full color and black & white speed of 90 A4 pages per minute is consistent, regardless of paper weight, and it has the latest EFI Fiery technology bolted on. It also features a new polymerized toner designed to have a wider color gamut. In addition, a number of customer replaceable units allow operators to perform some level of maintenance to reduce downtime. Ricoh executives declined to provide pricing information at this stage, but indicate that it will be "unique in its combination of performance and cost." It is positioned as a product that can serve both the production and light production markets, internally to companies as well as in the digital and commercial print industries. Ricoh will be bringing this product to market with a range of workflow, finishing and professional services offerings. Midyear, (about drupa time) a small number of production units will be available, with full production in the quarter beginning October 2008. The C900, or the printer version, will be available first, closely followed by the C900s, or the scanning version. Without pricing and print samples, it is hard to judge exactly how this product will play at drupa, but given the heavy investments Ricoh is making in this market space, it should be worth a look. You can read more from Cary Sherburne at WhatTheyThink.com.