Ricoh has announced its new monochrome production printers — the RICOH Pro 8400 Series (RICOH Pro 8400S/8410S/8420S and Pro 8410/8420) — setting a new standard in reliability and sustainability in the production market. Designed with current monochrome printing trends in mind, the series represents the fourth generation of Ricoh's customer-proven and market-leading production platforms.

As offset-to-digital transformation continues its acceleration, the challenge of managing converging workflows, mail streams, transactional applications and producing variable data on preprinted shells has placed pressures on print service providers (PSPs) and in-plants when evaluating their existing monochrome production operations and current service level agreements (SLAs). With print speeds ranging from 96 pages per minute (ppm; for the 8400S) up to 136 ppm (for the 8420), customers can easily provide a common production device to all users with economy of scale.

The RICOH Pro 8400 Series addresses critical market concerns with its smaller footprint and versatile configurations. Both the optional in-line GBC punch and Plockmatic CT/XL booklet maker allows customers to eliminate legacy and multiple-step applications improving turnaround times and realize true cost savings on labor and waste. Additionally, the series offers unprecedented ease of use by incorporating an intuitive graphic user interface (GUI) robust enough for experienced production operators and simple enough for both convenience and walk-up users.

The RICOH Pro 8400 Series offers improved paper handling and scanning speeds with a new automatic document feeder (ADF), while maintaining the high-speed output and superior image quality of its predecessors. In addition, the Series shares a common Smart Operation Panel with Ricoh's office printers, enabling a seamless operator experience. The Series also provides users an optional Fiery controller based on the new FS-600 platform offering the highest level of security and uninterrupted processing of complex variable data printing (VDP) and incorporating a range of Fiery's industry leading applications and capabilities.

In-plants within the government, K-12 and university segments can take advantage of the RICOH Pro 8400 Series for both walk-up office environments and production by simply configuring the devices to reflect the individual department or location's needs. The modularity and design at the point of need makes the series ideal to address organizations seeking to "right-size" their walk-up, office and production environments to reflect evolving remote and hybrid workforces. In-plants in the manufacturing market producing manuals and instructions can utilize the RICOH Pro 8400 Series to print on substrates from 40gsm to 350gsm, while reducing their shipping costs and manual processing by printing on demand. In the health-care, financial and insurance segments, shorter run-length on explanations of benefits (EOBs), monthly statements and compliance documents can be supported. Documentation damaged by downstream equipment can be resubmitted and output on any of the RICOH Pro 8400 Series.

Ricoh's commitment to environment sustainability is reflected in the series's increased use of both recycled plastics and steel, contributing to reducing the environmental impact and aligning with organizational goals for sustainability.

"The RICOH Pro 8400 series represents a continued investment in technology that surpasses expectations in mono production," said Gavin Jordan-Smith, senior vice president and genera manager, head of the Global Sales Strategy Division & RICOH Graphic Communications North America Sales, RICOH Graphic Communications. "By incorporating the latest technology for precise registration and superior image quality in a space-saving, sheet-fed device that's built in the tradition of Ricoh's enduring commitment to sustainability, this series not only advances production workflows, but also empowers our customers to expand their offerings and grow their business in a more environmentally responsible way.

Key Features of the RICOH Pro 8400 Series include:

High quality and usability for reliable operation: 

• Equipped with Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) technology, achieving high-resolution printing of 2,400-by-4,800 dpi on a wide range of media, including heavy stock up to 350gsm. 
• The Mechanical Registration System, with a Contact Image Sensor (CIS), corrects skew and ensures precise handling even with preprinted and dark-colored papers. 
• Uses the same Smart Operation Panel as Ricoh's multifunction office printers, enabling seamless use of applications and reduced operator training.

Enhanced functionality and versatile options for high productivity:

• The RICOH Pro 8400S/Pro 8410S/Pro 8420S improve scanning speeds, reaching up to 280 ppm for A4 duplex scanning at 200/300 dpi.
• Connect three Vacuum Feed LCIT RT5150 to achieve the leading paper capacity in its class. With a maximum of 10 trays available, users with heavy-duty printing and multiple paper types can benefit from more paper capacity and a variety of tray options. This improves not only productivity, but also smooth transition of paper type to meet the versatile requirements from customers.
• The space-saving Booklet Finisher SR5140 supports stacking up to 3,000 sheets.
• The Finisher SR5110/Booklet Finisher SR5120 supports limitless output by equipping a shift sort tray, allowing for operation without interrupting workflows.
• A new multi-folding unit offers enhanced functionality and precision, ensuring optimal performance.
• Integration with Plockmatic finishing options allows for easy post-processing from printing to cutting via a graphical user interface.
• Optional Fiery EB-36, based on FS-600 Controller DFE to process larger and more complex files faster than ever.

Sustainability:

• The series uses recycled plastic and recycled steel (electric furnace steel).