Ricoh’s Pro VC60000 continuous feed technology enables major improvements in quality, flexibility and cost

Colour inkjet pioneer

Hansaprint, part of the TS Group, is one of the leading print houses in the Nordic region. The company, which has extensive production facilities in Turku and Turenki, Finland, provides a broad range of print and multichannel marketing services. A pioneer in colour inkjet production, Hansaprint was the first company to adopt Ricoh’s Pro VC60000 continuous feed technology, installing two Pro VC60000 production lines. The technology promised major improvements in quality, flexibility and cost, and Hansaprint’s aim was to consolidate work from other processes on the platform. 

New product lines 

Fast forward a few short years and it is clear that Hansaprint made a shrewd investment decision. The quality and flexibility afforded by the Ricoh platform meant that Hansaprint was able to introduce new and innovative products, whilst growing its existing business lines. The two Pro VC60000 production lines are now used to produce a wide variety of products, including point of purchase material, short run books and Finnish versions of the Financial Times (FT) and International New York Times (INYT). 

Flexible platform

Hansaprint’s production platform is incredibly flexible. The Pro VC60000 handles media weights of 45 to 250 gsm and both lines are equipped with undercoat units that extend the range of supported substrates. Using the Pro VC60000 platform, Hansaprint can print onto gloss coated offset stock as well as uncoated media. Able to print onto a more diverse range of media, Hansaprint explored new applications, including point of purchase material. Hansaprint now produces promotional banners for a large retail chain. The bespoke packs are pre-sorted to reduce post-production costs and printed in high resolution on heavyweight coated media. 

Innovative applications

Newsprint was another new application. Hansaprint now prints the Financial Times and International New York Times for readers in Finland. Using the Pro VC60000, Hansaprint prints the Financial Times on its famous 45 gsm salmon pink paper. The printed newspapers look and feel identical to the coldset versions. The titles are printed overnight so that subscribers receive them first thing in the morning. The second Pro VC60000 line is crucial to the production process as it provides the additional capacity necessary for Hansaprint to meet the time critical deadlines associated with newspaper production.

“Ricoh’s support is excellent. They worked with us to make the initial investment a success and have continued to develop the platform, introducing new features and enhancements that increase its potential.”

Jukka Saariluoma, Business Unit Director, Hansaprint Oy