London - Europe’s 300^th Ricoh Pro C9100 series heavy duty digital colour sheetfed press has been installed by HG Media in Norway.

The Ricoh Pro C9110 model is HG Media’s second. It was ordered soon after the first delivered a 300% increase in productivity. Managing Director Lars Christoffersen, says, “Immediately after the first press was up and running we were producing three times as much work. We thought we might see a lift of up to 50% but did not expect 300%. 

Twice as fast

“It prints more than twice as fast as the previous presses we were running. Because digital is so productive, work can be cost effectively produced digitally and the cross over point between offset and digital is higher. We can also be much more flexible.”

The €5.4m turnover HG Media has always had a strong focus on digital print. It was the Ricoh Pro C9110’s speed, print quality, long sheet capabilities and the build that stood out says Christoffersen: “We have had a number of digital presses but felt the results they produced was not top of the line like Ricoh’s. In fact when trade customers have shown their clients samples of our work they have chosen the Ricoh-produced print.”

As for the expected impact of the second press he states, “In its first month the first Ricoh Pro C9110 produced 800,000 A4 sheets. And we think the average will rise now, with two, to between 1.5m and 2m A4 sheets per month.”

Graham Moore, Business Development Director, Production Printing, Ricoh Europe says, “The Ricoh Pro C9100 series was created to address the demand from commercial print operations for high quality short run print. Launched in 2014, already 300 systems have been purchased, highlighting how expert research and development can be translated into highly effective print production systems.”

Capacity increase

Another progressive Print Service Provider that has selected Pro C9100 technology is Danish €1.5m turnover digital print provider Ecograf. It has recently invested in two Ricoh Pro C9110 presses on the basis of their print quality and productivity. Sales Director Lars Christensen adds, “On a daily basis, the cost of production on the systems is very low. They run smoothly and the need for maintenance calls is minimal. Perhaps most importantly, they have helped us increase production capacity. We expect these presses to positively impact turnover by as much as 20%.”

Media flexibility

In Spain, for commercial print service provider Impremta Pages a key deciding factor was the press’s ability to handle a wide range of substrates. Says owner Josep Pages: “We chose it because of its range of media options and print quality. It will also help us meet increasing demand for short run, fast turnaround jobs. It will make Impremta more responsive, flexible and efficient.”