RISO Pushes Forward With Inkjet Technology

By Marc Bussanich, Assistant Editor, December 23, 2009

RISO is pushing forward with inkjet technology for the mid-volume transaction output market, which the company says ranges between 50,000 to 5 million monthly impressions. Believing that the mid-volume transaction output market is underserved, and to help spread the word among small businesses, in-plant shops, non-profits, and religious and education institutions about the value of high-speed, low-cost inkjet printing of transaction documents (invoices, bills, statements, notices, checks and letters), RISO recently launched “The MVTO Movement” Web site. Currently in BLI’s lab for testing, the 2009 launch of the ComColor Series, including the 90-ppm ComColor 3050, 120-ppm ComColor 7050, and the flagship 146-ppm ComColor 9050, is RISO’s strategic hardware offering for the MVTO market. Stay tuned to bliQ to review the final lab test results.

RISO ComColor 9050

At the PRINT '09 event in Chicago in September, David Murphy, vice president of marketing at RISO, said that while the main vendors, e.g., HP, Xerox, Océ and Canon, are targeting the High Volume Transaction Output market with high-cost digital presses, he was surprised that the competitive vendors seem to be overlooking the opportunities in the MVTO market. RISO claims to have an install base of 10,000 “light production inkjet printers, and a 2009 report cited during a recent Webinar sponsored by RISO indicates that inkjet printers account for approximately 33 percent of placements in the MVTO market. In addition to the new MVTO Web site, RISO is utilizing social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to convey the attributes of color inkjet printing at the cost of black-and-white.

According to Corey Reid, product marketing specialist at RISO, the ComColor Series will expand RISO’s capacity to compete for customers that print transactional documents (such as invoices and statements), personalized direct mail pieces and books. “There could be no better time than now to launch a series that offers users communication color that is affordable, fast and reliable, and features a low TCO,” she said. 

All three devices offer a maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 500,000 impressions and each is configurable with an optional Adobe PostScript RIP controller designed for more graphic-intensive jobs. The products also offer an optional multifunctional finisher that saddle stitches, staples and folds, as well as an optional IC Authentication unit for “PIN-less” user authentication.

Past inkjet RISO devices have performed well in BLI’s testing. BLI tested the HC5000 in 2005, and the device demonstrated excellent reliability (no misfeeds occurred during a 195,000 durability test) and featured a CPP of approximately 4 cents for a full-color page with 20 percent page coverage. In 2006, RISO launched the faster HC5500 (120 ppm), and during a 400,000-impression BLI durability test, the unit misfed just four times and featured a lower color CPP than the HC5000, at approximately 2 cents for a full-color page.

RISO Making A Difference For One Commercial Printer And University

Station America, a Florida-based commercial printer, uses the HC5500, along with two RISO duplicators and a full-color press, for a variety of applications. “We print a lot of bank notices and stuffers [marketing brochure in a customer’s statement] for different financial companies, flyers for local businesses such as auto shops, electricians and restaurants, and direct mail for insurance companies,” said Station America owner Carl Gallo.

The less expensive acquisition and CPP costs of RISO’s inkjet devices were the “deal makers,” according to Gallo. As Gallo explained, he considered a higher-end device from two competitive manufacturers, but felt the majority of work his shop produces is better suited for a mid-range device. “We outsource jobs more appropriate for printing on a higher-end device, which is more cost effective than investing in a device that is used only for a limited number of work orders,” Gallo said. Conversely, because of the HC5500’s low-printing costs, he is seeking to become an outsource provider for large commercial printers that do not print color flyers or brochures on an inkjet device because they do not have a cut-sheet color inkjet device on the premises. 

According to Penny Istre, manager of the University of Memphis’ print shop, the university’s print shop was going to shut its doors in 2003 until she helped the shop transition from offset to digital printing. The print shop is now made up of three RISO digital duplicators, an envelope feeder that prints logos and address information, one HC5500 and two non-RISO cut-sheet digital print systems. “Before going digital, everything but black-and-white documents was outsourced because the shop could not print variable data in color,” said Istre. With the addition of the HC5500, the shop now produces more documents in color, such as office documents, training manuals, coarse packs, fundraising calendars, post cards and handbills, and Istre noted that in the first three months of purchasing the HC5500, the shop has saved $100,000 in outsourcing costs. Istre also said that the drying agent used in the RISO inkjet device allows her shop to print letterheads and envelopes without offsetting because the ink is dry when it exits the device.

Gallo and Istre stressed that the RISO units are excellent for commercial color printing. However, Istre advises that print shops should consider an alternative device if they are printing graphics onto a glossy or matte finish because ink smears off of coated paper. Gallo and Istre both said that they are currently reviewing the new ComColor devices.