Ricoh MediaMax expands Pro C9500 into thicker stocks

Ricoh Australia has launched Ricoh MediaMax, a customisation option for the Ricoh Pro C9500 digital colour sheetfed press that expands the range of Ricoh-approved media it can print on.

The option increases supported media thickness to 800 microns and weight to 600gsm. Ricoh says it will help print service providers take on work that typically requires other production methods.

Wider media

MediaMax targets paperboard and other heavier stocks used in card and packaging-style applications. The Pro C9500 is a production cut-sheet press, and the upgrade broadens the substrates it can handle within Ricoh's approved media set.

Ricoh says it worked with customers on application development as part of the rollout, focusing on new end uses and shifting material requirements. It also linked the push to replacing certain plastic-based card products with paperboard alternatives in specific workflows.

Ricoh describes work across the supply chain-paper mills, specifiers, finishing partners and end clients-as a way to change established production models and move jobs to digital print where short runs and variable data are required.

Target applications

Ricoh is pitching MediaMax for paperboard applications including gift cards, business cards, point-of-sale displays, short-run packaging, luxury direct mail and book covers. These jobs often combine heavier substrates with personalisation and frequent design updates.

"RICOH MediaMax opens the door to new application opportunities that were previously impossible to produce on digital presses," said Henryk Kraszewski, Product Marketing Manager, Ricoh Graphic Communications, Ricoh Australia.

Kraszewski said MediaMax combines new substrates with short-run and variable-data work. "Crucially, our unique technology enables our clients to add high value, high margin, short run, data driven applications. By collaborating closely with the full value chain along with our engineering teams and early adopter clients, we are continuing to bring new products to market through our co-innovation principle of HENKAKU," he said.

European use

Ricoh points to early deployments in Europe as evidence of commercial uptake and operational change. The examples focus on card producers and direct mail providers that have moved from plastic to paperboard formats or shifted volumes between print technologies.

Irish manufacturer ADC Plasticard has expanded its paperboard card work, according to Ricoh. Ricoh says the company eliminated offline gluing, reducing waste and improving efficiency, and achieved better durability and finishing for premium paperboard products.

Dutch producer Cards Unlimited, which makes gift, loyalty and membership cards, has used the system for thick paperboard card production, Ricoh says. Ricoh says the business shifted volume from offset to a Pro C9500 digital press and reached full production with minimal downtime, delivering a rapid return on investment.

UK direct mail provider Latcham is producing about 150,000 paperboard cards per month, Ricoh says. Ricoh says Latcham has transitioned most clients from PVC to paperboard cards and reported a 91% reduction in carbon footprint. The move also brought card production in-house and improved margins, it adds.

Ricoh also cites UK card producer Tag Systems, part of Austriacard Holdings. Ricoh says Tag Systems can print both PVC and paperboard cards with MediaMax and has positioned itself for growth in paperboard gift and loyalty cards. Ricoh says the approach lowers total cost of ownership and increases margins on short runs.

"RICOH MediaMax has completely changed how we produce card-based applications. Being able to print the artwork and variable data in a single digital process removes an entire production step that used to sit on a separate line. That frictionless, single pass workflow has significantly reduced lead times, cut waste, and helped us get to market much faster. By extending the same process to complementary packaging and POS, we've streamlined production end to end and dramatically reduced our carbon footprint from around 50 grams of CO2 per card to less than five grams while improving efficiency and margins," said Graham Lycett, Founder & Managing Director, Green Gift Cards.

Availability

Ricoh MediaMax is available in Australia for the Pro C9500 and can be retrofitted to existing Pro C9500 systems, extending the device's media range through an upgrade to installed equipment.