Easy-to-use RICOH Pro T7210 enables shorter runs on popular décor substrates, including tile, countertops and flooring 

MALVERN, PA – Ricoh USA, Inc. has unveiled a new wide-format flatbed printer designed to bring low-maintenance reliability and ease-of-use to the decorative-printing market. The new RICOH Pro T7210 offers customers the ability to handle diverse materials of varied thicknesses, helping them to further broaden their revenue streams. This newest portfolio addition is the culmination of decades of Ricoh’s commitment to innovation and to building solutions and offerings that meet the needs of customers around the world. The T7210 will be on display at SGIA EXPO, October 10-12 in New Orleans, in Ricoh booth 1351.

“The business model for décor printing is evolving with increased demand for shorter runs and faster delivery times for custom and ‘small-batch’ wall coverings, flooring, furniture and tile,” said John Fulena, Vice President, Commercial & Industrial Printing Business Group, Ricoh USA, Inc. “The T7210 gives printers the ability to do all of that, and it makes doing it easy, and effective. Whether a manufacturer is new to the décor market or an industry veteran looking for a low-maintenance, high-quality flatbed to grow revenues, the T7210 is a great fit.”  

Ricoh defines industrial printing as wide format printing and printing done as a part of the manufacturing process to produce finished goods e.g. garments, textiles, metals, architectural components.  To effectively address print as a part of the manufacturing process, manufacturers need devices that offer wide media flexibility. The T7210 supports substrates up to 4.3 inches thick with a print size of 6.9 feet by 10.5 feet. That large print area allows users to print on one four-foot-by-eight-foot board or a variety of pre-cut pieces. For instance, three three-foot-by-six-foot boards can be printed on together at the same time. These features combine to allow users to print directly on a variety of materials that may traditionally be considered too unwieldy to print on directly, saving time, labor and resources. 

The T7210’s reliability and ease-of-use are key value adds for printers. It prints at speeds of 50 m²/hour, or 538.2 ft²/hour, during standard operation, further bolstering productivity. Additionally, a media gap adjustment sensor automatically measures substrate thickness and adjusts printheads accordingly. This technology makes switching between different substrate thicknesses easy and helps to produce reliably accurate prints on the first try. Meanwhile, Ricoh’s high-viscosity UV ink and its patented piezoelectric printheads help produce eye-catching, unique applications for long stretches between printhead replacement.

Ricoh’s T7210’s intelligent resource management and streamlined interface make short runs and one-offs simple and cost-effective to produce. This helps to boost return-on-investment for custom jobs, which is a key factor to the interior decoration market, where getting a singular aesthetic “just right” is vital.