Ricoh has released the world’s first B2+ water-based inkjet printer with perfecting capability set to take traditional lithographic markets head on in the form of the Ricoh PRO Z75. Brian Sims finds out more
The ‘Dragon’ has landed according to Ricoh in the form of the hotly anticipated Ricoh PRO Z75. This is the latest offering from the manufacturer, and again Ricoh is making some very impressive claims on both performance and specification.
First and foremost, the PRO Z75 is the world’s first B2+ water-based inkjet printer with perfecting capability; an impressive claim on its own. Added to that, the scope of papers in both size and type adds to the illustrious assertion of Ricoh and from the performance statistics provided by the manufacturer, the claims are all well founded.
The machine looks the part. In dark colours, the long and streamlined machine looks impressive and as the saying goes; ‘you need to look the part to be the part’. So, what makes the PRO Z75 tick and what lies under those dark streamlined panels?
Ricoh has invested significant sums of money to produce a completely new machine which utilises its proven ink head technology in which the company has become one of the world leaders. There are four process colours (CMYK) which are laid down on a B2 sheet on a large imaging drum.
The sheet is dried and ready for either finishing directly from the stack or automatically perfecting for duplex printing
The sheet is held in place by a vacuum system ensuring the substrate is held taut and with precision to ensure the image at 1,200dpi is of the highest commercial standard – equal to that of offset lithographic.
The ink is deployed through water-cooled pairs of inkjet heads and just because it is water-based, this does not weaken the depth of colour available. The depth and gamut of colour are very impressive and this is achieved by the use of heavily pigmentated inks which means less ink needs to be used for each pass.
Whilst a lot of progress has been made in a move to HUV (high ultraviolet) or LED UV, the fact the PRO Z75 uses water-based products means that the environmental credentials of the printer are not to be ignored either.
Post image imposition, the sheet passes through a long drying section which is in three parts. Whilst the drying of the sheet would seem to be a simple process, what needs to be taken into consideration is the condition of the sheet if excessive or uneven heat is used to dry the sheet.
Whilst there is a high level of colour applied to the sheet, the fact the inks are heavily pigmentated means that the amount of drying capacity required is less on the PRO Z75 than would be needed for less colour-heavy inks. What is clear is that at the end of the drying section, the inks are dried quickly and the sheet can be finished without any waiting time.
Adding to the list of ‘firsts’ is the perfecting capacity of the printer. The PRO Z75 can perfect the sheet at up to half of the single pass speed of 4,500 sheets per hour using an automatic perfecting device.
At the end of the drying unit, if the double-sided function is needed, the sheet is diverted down and under the drying belt and then interposed between the unprinted sheets coming from the feeder unit. This introduction of the reversed sheet in between every other new sheet is obviously what halves the overall printer speed. However, the upside is you have a double-printed B2 sheet ready for processing in the finishing department.
Concerning the sheets, whilst the processing of them is a vital part of the process, what cannot be ignored is the feeding and delivery of this large sheet. Lithographic press manufacturers would most likely scoff at the feeding of a B2 sheet, but the technology of inkjet printers and the nature of the printers used here differs so the challenges are different.
The PRO Z75 can be configured with a number of combinations but it comes as standard with a two-drawer system that holds up to the large B2 sheet. You can add two further trays should you need them and for dedicated longer-run production, a full pallet loading unit can be chosen.
Due to the nature of work that the PRO Z75 is targeting, the drawer system will give the flexibility of changing between sheet sizes easily and with smaller print runs the number of sheets needing to be added will be small so handling is less of an issue.
Regardless of the sheets needed, once they leave whichever feeding unit is selected, the sheet goes via a registration unit which aligns each sheet to the correct position prior to it being collected for delivery to the printing unit.
The PRO Z75 can print on any sheet up to 600gsm whether it is coated, offset, or uncoated substrate; the latter may require adjustment within the process for the best results. Should uncoated stocks be the main substrate you are planning to use, Ricoh can add a coating unit to the PRO Z75 to get the best results on uncoated stocks.
Post imaging the PRO Z75 has a pallet system to collect the printed sheets and stack them ready for further processing. The whole system from feeder to delivery is controlled easily from an oversized control screen which can be scheduled, moved, or adjusted depending on production requirements.
The printer has made significant waves since being released and Ricoh is clearly positioning the PRO Z75 as a replacement for offset lithographic technology where the run lengths make it viable. The market is moving ever more to lower production run lengths and being increasingly likely to be internet-based from order placement.
The added need for lithographic quality and variable data means digital technology is the only route that makes all this possible. The use of the Ricoh PRO Z75 gives production volume, speed, scope, and quality that will tick all the boxes for a modern printer and the gap closes even more between analogue and digital technology.
Statistics
Maximum speed 4,500 sheets per hour
Colours 4 (CMYK)
Sheet size (max) 585 x 750mm
Resolution 1,200 dpi
Brian Sims Principal Consultant, Metis Print Consultancy, www.metis-uk.eu
