Ricoh Multifunction Printers Push Laser Color Farther Into the Office

Ricoh Corporation, a manufacturer of digital office equipment, has introduced eight new color workgroup printer/scanner/fax/copier devices in its Aficio product line.

"Ricoh has been a leader in combining the proven technology of black and white with the convenience of color in affordable and easy-to-use devices," said Hede Nonaka, vice president of marketing, Ricoh Corporation, in a statement. "We expect the adoption of color and the deployment of next generation devices to continue as businesses realize its affordability and competitive advantage."

These devices continue to blur the line between copiers, workgroup laser printers, scanners, and fax machines, merging these functions that formerly each required a stand-alone device into a single network-attached unit.

The Aficio products that were introduced today include an entry-level machine, the Aficio 3224C, that provides built-in functions such as Scan- to-Email/Folder/FTP, among others. The 3224C, designed to be an easily administered device, comes with software utilities designed to simplify the tasks of monitoring system performance and managing network settings. The midrange Aficio 3228C/3235C/3245C units use a new toner, Polyester Polymerization (PxP) Color Toner, that the company says is finer and more uniform, reducing the amount of dust around the image to make it sharper and crisper.

This series of machines also provides access control via Windows authentication in addition to the user codes provided on Ricoh devices. With Windows Authentication users input a valid user name and password to access the printing, faxing and scanning functionality on the system. The series also offers LDAP Authentication to protect data stored on registered LDAP servers. This series of devices also support a variety of encryption algorithms to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access and tampering when files are sent across the network or Internet.

The Aficio 3260C updates the features of Ricoh's B2C multifunction printer line with color and output speeds of 45 pages per minute (ppm) in color and 60 ppm in black and white. The 3260C comes standard with copying, scanning, and printing capabilities, and can be optionally configured with document finishers and additional paper capacity.

The Aficio Color 5560 shares many features with the 3260C and adds support for greater color management. It can be configured with either the EFI Fiery E-7000 or E-8000 print controller. Like the Aficio 3260C, the Aficio Color 5560 includes a 100-sheet automatic reversing document feeder, trayless duplexing unit, and 3,400-sheet paper capacity. Multiple document finishing options are available.

The high-end Aficio CL7200 and the Aficio CL7300 intended for production printing environments where security is an issue. Both use Ricoh's new Polyester Polymerization Color Toner. The systems support many print languages, including Adobe PS3, PCL 5c, PCL6, and RPCS. They offer connectivity options including wireless and Gigabit Ethernet and paper capacity of up to 3,100 sheets and two separate finishing options including a booklet finisher, hole punch and stapling, the machines. An optional image scanner provides scan-to-email; scan-to-folder, scan-to-FTP, TWAIN scanning, and scan-to-print capabilities.

For more information visit http://www.ricoh-usa.com/.