Tags: Ricoh Pro

Abbey Print has invested in a Ricoh Pro C751ex from Ricoh UK, keeping itself abreast of market demand and transforming its colour capabilities with the very latest digital production printing technology.

The new press replaces an older model Ricoh Pro C900 and offers the Spalding-based commercial printer even higher colour quality thanks to Ricoh’s latest PxP™ (Polyester x Polymerisation) toner. Abbey Print is also enjoying greater up-time and longer servicing intervals thanks to the machine’s increased amount of operator replaceable units (ORUs).

Said Paul Houghton, Director, Abbey Print: “The quality is exceptional. During a recent busy period we ran an A4 4-pp brochure through the press as overflow from the litho machines and the result were equally as good. A trained eye can always tell litho from digital but the Pro C751’s output is as close as I’ve ever seen. I doubt an untrained could tell them apart.

“Reliability and quality are our chief concerns over volume and speed and, in that respect, the addition of Operator Replaceable Units and the new Ricoh toner makes the Pro C751 production printer perfect for us. It is hugely reliable and always ready when we need it. It can print on both litho and digital stocks so it’s even cost effective for proofing.”

Abbey Print produces a lot of colour critical work for the country’s biggest supermarkets and relies on Ricoh’s Ready4Print colour server for consistency across its two B2 Komoris and the Ricoh Pro C751. Once Ready4Print is set up, drag-and-drop functionality makes complex colour management quick and efficient. PDF files prepared by the pre-press department are then dropped into pre-profiled ‘hot boxes’, each representing a particular paper type. Ready4Print then automatically puts them through the workflow and RIP. The solution can be set up to print to any international or internal colour standards as required.

PxP™ toner’s smaller particle size and more uniform distribution makes for more vivid colours, while a lower fixing temperature means less power is used and its environmental impact is reduced.

Stephen Palmer, Production Print Director, Ricoh UK said: “The Pro C751 has been phenomenally well received since its UK launch in September 2011 and I’m pleased to see Abbey Print enjoying such success with it. Abbey Print first saw the improved colour quality of PxP™ toner at NorthPrint, which demonstrates the important role trade shows play in moving this industry forward. Drupa 2012, the biggest trade show of them all, is just around the corner and visitors to the Ricoh stand will be able to see for themselves the Pro C751 producing a wide range of added value applications in combination with powerful Ricoh software solutions.”

The Ricoh Pro C751 is a 75ppm light production cut-sheet digital colour press. It can process substrates up to 300gsm and its modular design allows for the addition and combination of a range of options, including: stapling, ring-binding, hole punching, a new multi-folding unit, large capacity input trays, 100-sheets staple finisher, booklet-maker, stacker, GBC StreamPunch ProEX and Plockmatic booklet maker.

Abbey Print was established in 1956. It employs 24 people and current turnover is just under £2m. As well as the Ricoh Pro C751ex it has two 5-colour Komori B2 presses, and two Heidelberg GTO 52s (a 1-colour and a 2-colour). It also has cutting, creasing, folding and stitching equipment. The Ricoh Pro C751ex went live in January.

About Ricoh UK Ltd

Ricoh UK specialises in technology and services that transform high volume, document intensive business processes into more efficient ones.  This is achieved through Ricoh’s expertise in Managed Document Services, Production Printing, Office Solutions and IT Services.  By working with Ricoh, organisations can streamline the way they work, become more efficient and profitable, and share knowledge more effectively within their organisations.  With a global workforce of 109,014, Ricoh operates in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, China and Japan.

Ricoh established an Environmental Protection Office in 1976, and has been striving to minimise the effect of its activities on the environment ever since. Ricoh UK’s environmental credentials are second to none; it operates a zero-waste policy at all of its manufacturing plants and is investing in carbon reduction technologies to reduce the environmental impact of its operations rather than merely offsetting its carbon footprint. The company operates a dedicated ‘Green Centre’, where old machines are re-commissioned and recycled in line with WEEE Directive guidelines and accredited with ISO14001:2004 for environmental management. Ricoh has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard that requires an organisation to measure, manage and reduce its carbon footprint and, for the eighth consecutive year, has also been named as one of the “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World” by the World Economic Forum in Davos. www.ricoh.co.u