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Wide-format printers are instruments of digital imaging. They consist of multiple moving parts that interact to produce breathtaking graphics and text. Specialists and experts in various fields come together to develop these devices to improve production output, operational speeds, and resolution. The quality of the resolution is extremely important with print projects tasked upon these devices, often including photography and fine art. Micromechanical and microfluidic researchers improve ejectors and nozzles, chemists experiment with different inks, mechanical engineers work to improve paper flow through the machinery, software experts convert digital data into printer instructions, and substrate researchers determine the best media to print upon.1

What are Large-Format Printers?

Wide format printers are specialty printers designed to print on large sheets of paper, vinyl, film, or other media, typically 24 to 100 inches wide. These printers provide vehicle wraps, posters, wallpaper, murals, backlit displays, kiosks, backdrops, banners, and other large-format graphics. Large-format printing produces durable indoor and outdoor applications. Print shops, sign shops, advertising agencies, corporate in-house print shops, and other businesses use these devices to print large-format graphics.

Wide format printers are typically more expensive than standard desktop printers due to their larger size and specialized capabilities. They require more space to operate and have rollers or feeders that hold oversized sheets of paper or other media. However, they offer the ability to produce high-quality, large-format graphics faster than other methods, making them an essential tool for many businesses.

Wide-Format Print Products

Wide-format printers publish on diverse materials, including ceramics, plastics, glass, textiles, biomaterials, conductive materials, and organic & inorganic hybrid substrates to offer various printed graphic products for indoor and outdoor advertising. Below is a list of typical products printed on wide-format devices.2

  • Banners
  • Backlit displays
  • Vehicle, building, and window wraps
  • POP displays
  • Commercial art
  • Fine arts
  • Digital photography
  • CAD output
  • Large sign graphics
  • Indoor/outdoor advertising
  • Packing materials
  • Architecture printing
  • Maps
  • Biomedical printing3
  • 12 Wide Format Printer Advantages
  • Larger-sized finished products
  • Wide range of media properties
  • Large color gamut
  • Sharper images with high-quality resolution graphics
  • Crisp text
  • High-speed production
  • Production of high-impact ads
  • Digital print on-demand functions
  • Minimizes makeready process, reducing waste
  • Reduces costs and improves print shop profitability
  • Indoor/outdoor durability
  • Decreases setup and increases output

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Types of Wide-Format Printers

There are several different types of wide-format printers, including solvent printers, UV printers, latex printers, and dye-sublimation printers. Solvent printers use inks based on organic solvents, which resist fading and water damage. UV printers use inks that cure with ultraviolet light, making them resistant to fading and scratching. Dye-sublimation printers use heat to transfer dye onto the printing surface, allowing for high-quality prints with vibrant colors and fine detail. The eco-friendly latex printers offer vibrant colors with no additional drying time. Latex printers provide durable prints, excellent for outdoor signage, vehicle wraps, wallpaper, and more.

Ricoh Wide Format Printers

Ricoh is a global technology company offering a range of wide-format printers for commercial and industrial printing applications. The design of these printers offers high-quality, large-format graphics for a variety of purposes, including banners, posters, trade show graphics, wallpaper, murals, backdrops, and more.

Ricoh large format printers are Ricoh Production Printers offering color prints. Resolutions range from 600 x 1200 to 635 x 1800 dots per square inch (DPI). They can print from 63.6 to 86.6 inches wide on media rolls and on material as thick as 4 inches. The T7210 can print up to 126 inches wide. Media can include paper, vinyl, textiles,4 aluminum, or wood. Ricoh wide printers can utilize 4- to 8-colors to achieve vibrant colors and astonishing effects. Some printers offer multifunction capabilities such as print, copy, and scan. Below is a list of Ricoh Wide Format Printers arranged by color and B&W models, along with some basic specifications.

Ricoh Wide Format Printer Specifications Comparison


Wide-Format Printers Ft2/Hr
or
PPM		 Max
Resolution
(dpi)		 Max
Print
Width		 Max
Tray
Capacity		 Footprint
(WxDxH, Inch)		 B&W Color Color
Cartridge
Capacity		 Energy
Star
Compliant		 Print
Copy
Scan
Large Format Color                    

Ricoh Pro L5160e

 502 ft2/hr 600x1200 63.6 roll 129.9x39.3x59 Yes Yes 8 No No

Ricoh Pro TF6251

 1251 ft2/hr 635x1800 51.2 flatbed
(optional roll fed)		 189.4x86.6x62.2 Yes Yes 5+clear+primer No No

Ricoh Pro T7210

 719 ft2/hr 635x1800 82.8x126 flatbed 168.6x152x62 Yes Yes 5+clear No No



One Ricoh's wide-format printers is the Ricoh Pro L5160e. This model offers high-resolution graphics at 600x1200 DPI and fast printing of 502 feet/hour. It provides increased productivity and automated daily maintenance. Its wide color gamut consists of an 8-color ink set, including cyan, magenta, yellow, black, orange, white, and green to produce a wide range of extraordinary colors.

For print masters needing more versatility and flexibility with higher resolutions and faster print speed, consider the Ricoh Pro TF6251 or the T7210. The TF6251 printer uses a flatbed format with UV LED drying to print on surfaces as thick as 4.3 inches. It is also available with paper roll function. It offers spot-on color consistency across a variety of substrates. Increase your productivity to 1,248 feet2/hour in four-color draft mode with 12 industrial printheads to achieve fine detail and greater color clarity. The T7210 is a flatbed printer similar to the T7210 but does not have the roll option. It can print up to 5 colors (CMYKW) and clear using UV drying.


How to Select the Best Wide Format Printer

Ricoh Wide Format Printer Selection Continuum

The product selection continuum above helps to identify the best wide-format printer for your needs. Printers on the left of the continuum are generally lower priced than those to the right. Also note that the printers to the right have a wider printing format than those on the left, except for the Ricoh Pro L5160e which offers a 63.6 inch width vs. the Pro TF6251 with a 51.6 inch width. Each product is roll fed. However, the T7210 is strictly a flatbed printer, handling surfaces up to 82.8 x 126 inches. Also compared in the continuum is print speed and resolution quality measured in DPI.


What Do Modern Print Shops Want?

The criteria used by master printers to select the right wide format printer for their print shop falls upon the following four basic elements: 1) print speed, 2) print resolution, 3) max printing width, and 4) ease of use. The continuum above compares the best selling Ricoh wide format printers. The faster the print speed and the better the print quality, the higher the cost of the printer. Extending the maximum width of the printed copies and more automated functions, also increase the cost of the printer. Many print shops find that they can quickly recapture the higher costs of the better machines with the new ability to print jobs they could not perform before, coupled with the less set up time and increased production. Another group of Ricoh production printers to consider are the Ricoh Cut-Sheet Printers. These devices do not print as wide, but offer numerous features such as cutting, folding, and binding that many print shops want to offer to their customers.

 

 

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