Platform described as “truly innovative and expected to have a major impact on the graphic communications industry”

Exton, Pa. – Ricoh USA, Inc. today announced the RICOH Pro VC70000 has received the Printing Industries of America’s (PIA) InterTech™ Technology Award. The PIA has presented the InterTech Awards, a prestigious honor presented to developers of innovative graphic communications technologies, for more than 40 years. Judges noted that the Pro VC70000 “was seen as a definite innovation for inkjet production presses,” specifically calling out its ability to print on commodity papers, including coated, with no pre-treatment necessary. Ricoh will receive the award at the 2019 Premier Print Awards Reception on October 2 in Chicago.

“The judges were particularly impressed by the RICOH Pro VC70000’s image quality and no-pre-treatment-necessary substrate versatility,” said Jim Workman, vice president of PIA’s Center for Technology and Research. “This marks an important advancement in the performance and capability of high-speed inkjet presses for commercial print work.”

The Pro VC70000 helps users accelerate the transfer of offset print volumes to digital – or work seamlessly with existing offset technology. The press is capable of delivering quality applications traditionally expected from offset, such as high-end catalogs and magazines, with inkjet's signature affordability, speed and flexibility. Where it truly shines, though, is in its substrate versatility. Leveraging the industry's most popular and advanced piezo drop-on-demand printheads, the Pro VC70000 prints at up to 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution (2400 x 2400 dpi perceived) on uncoated, offset-coated, inkjet treated or inkjet-coated papers without sacrificing speed, as well as the ability to handle media as thick as 260 gsm and as thin as 40 gsm.

“Ricoh has been a great partner to us, and their technology advancements are helping us reach new customers, with better print solutions,” said Tom Boyle, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Heeter. “We can confidently use offset coated stocks on this inkjet press – something that had been a huge challenge for the industry previously – and are very pleased with our Pro VC70000, and our full lineup of Ricoh technologies.”

The Pro VC70000 prints at speeds up to 492 ft/min, producing nearly 130,000 A4/letter impressions per hour. The platform brings with it a new set of Ricoh-developed inks and Ricoh-patented dryer technology to further drive savings, quality and fast turns. The innovative technology creates drying capacity within the press itself, helping to minimize overall footprint without impacting print quality.

“From early on in the design and development process, we knew the RICOH Pro VC70000 would be a game changer,” said Mike Herold, Director, Global Marketing, Inkjet Solutions, Commercial Printing Business Group, Ricoh. “This press delivers on the promise of inkjet, and it empowers our users to take that progress and leverage it on offset stocks, including coated media, so they can produce in-demand specialty applications, such as retail circulars and glossy catalogs, with inkjet turn times and personalization. It provides all of this with no need for special pretreatment, driving efficiency as well as major cost savings. It’s a new era of versatility, and we are excited to be alongside our customers at the vanguard.”

For details on Ricoh’s full line of production print products, services and solutions, please visit https://takealookatricoh.com/amazingtechnology and join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter using #ImagineWithInkjet.