Tokyo-based Ricoh Co., a manufacturer of commercial inkjet printheads and office imaging equipment, announces that it is partnering with Fremont, California-based EFI by adding EFI VUTEk flatbed printers to its portfolio.

Added to Ricoh's AR Latex roll-to-roll Ricoh ProTM L4100 series, these UV flatbed new additions will bring greater flexibility and opportunity to Ricoh clients in the commercial print and signage sectors. The announcement means that Ricoh's graphic arts offer expands further and is now a complementary product range encompassing flatbed, large format, continuous feed, cut sheet, software and consultancy services.

“This is a natural progression for Ricoh for two reasons,” says Benoit Chatelard, Ricoh's vice president of production printing for Ricoh Europe. “First, we have a long-standing relationship with EFI, who provide EFI Fiery as a digital front end for our cut sheet products. Secondly, we have already had a successful roll-fed large format offering in our portfolio; and the addition of UV flatbed options broadens the market possibilities our print service providers can embrace. We have been receiving client requests to expand our portfolio, and we are delighted to be able to do that with a long-time partner that is so well-respected in the industry.”

The agreement will start with Ricoh selling EFI flatbeds throughout Europe and Latin America, and North America and Asia Pacific will follow after.

The announcement was made at the recent DRUPA conference in Düsseldorf, Germany.