Ricoh Americas Corp. on June 11 launched the Priport DX4640 PD, a duplex digital express printer that vendors expect to make the printing of two-sided documents quicker, cheaper and easier—and save some paper in the process.
The printers paper-feeding device eliminates the ink drying and paper realignment processes to reduce the time needed for double-sided printing, which should make it easier for businesses to resort to double-sided documents and reduce their paper use, Ricoh officials said. It should also cut down on mailing expenses as businesses mail fewer pages, said Peter Grant, managing vice president of Printing Markets at the Stamford, Conn.-based company.
“This is a market that is mature, and one way for companies to defend its install base is through innovation and duplex is a big step,” Grant said. “Within the next 12-18 months, competitors will attempt to offer something similar to Ricohs product in order to play catch up with the market.”
Ricoh also is touting the Priport DX4640s productivity enhancement potential, pushing the printers maximum print speed for two-sided documents of 240 ipm (images per minute), as a means to put employees back to work sooner instead of waiting for the print to finish.
The duplex digital express printer, available now for $17,500, also includes document storage and password protection security and standard network connectivity. It also works with Ricohs Remote system, which is an Internet-based tool that provides users with remote management of networked printers and MFPs (multifunction products).
