WEST CALDWELL, N.J.--Nov. 11, 2003-- Ricoh Corporation, the leading provider of digital office equipment, today announced that it has formed a relationship with General Binding Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of systems to organize, bind, enhance, protect and present information, to create StreamPunch, one of the world's first interchangeable die punch for high-volume multifunction systems. This relationship was formed to streamline the production of ready-to-bind documents as part of an on-line punching and printing process. StreamPunch is integrated with select Ricoh systems that operate at ideal speeds for corporate and production environments. Operation is simple, allowing the end-user to activate StreamPunch through the touch of a button, producing perfectly punched documents--now ready for binding. The punch process is automatic, enabling the Ricoh system to maintain speeds of up to 105 pages per minute. Until now, end-users in many corporate and commercial environments had to punch documents manually, hand-loading each individual lift of paper into an off-line punch. "The StreamPunch delivers what consumers want: technology that makes binding easier. It eliminates the manual part of the punching process, which is time-consuming and leaves room for error," said Rick McCallion, vice-president of Product Technology and Partnering for GBC's Industrial and Print Finishing Group. "Ricoh is excited to introduce one of the world's first cost-effective on-line interchangeable die punch for our high volume systems," said Hede Nonaka, vice president of Marketing for Ricoh Corporation. "Ricoh clearly addresses our customers requirements for streamlining their finishing process in the corporate and production environments. This new offering is clearly a differentiator in the high-volume production market." StreamPunch is compact and therefore, completely adaptable to fit into any office or production environment. Despite its sophisticated technology, it is competitively priced for corporate and production markets. Additionally, StreamPunch accommodates five binding styles and six removable die sets including: ColorCoil, WireBind, CombBind, VeloBind, or traditional Three-Ring. "GBC is a world leader in many of our binding categories and we are pleased to work with an industry leader such as Ricoh in the digital imaging marketplace," McCallion added. GBC is a world leader in many of our binding categories, and the Ricoh and GBC brands have always been associated with innovation and quality worldwide."