High-Speed Inkjet Printing: How Does It Work?

A high-speed inkjet printer is the most popular choice for the printing needs of a print shop or production company. These printers work by propelling droplets of ink onto almost any type of material, unlike laser printers, which use toner and are designed mainly for home or office printing.

If you think your business would perform better by investing in an inkjet printer, here is a short guide to help you make an informed, appropriate decision. In this article, we look at what high-speed inkjet printing is, how it works and the latest trends in the printer industry.

If you want to know the characteristics of the different types of printers and which tool is right for your business, read our article on Types of printers and their characteristics from A to Z.

High-speed inkjet printing: what is it?

Inkjet printing is a constantly evolving technology that enables industrial and production businesses to deliver high-quality printed products to people.

Put simply, high-speed inkjet printing is an innovative printing method in which technological progress can be seen from one day to the next. This technique creates an image by propelling droplets of ink onto a particular type of material – usually printing paper or a special type of photo paper.

High-speed inkjet printing: how does it work?

The operator of the high-speed inkjet printer sends an image to the printer (via USB cable or wirelessly), where it is stored in the device's memory.

At the heart of a commercial inkjet printer is a number of microscopic, high-precision nozzles that eject ink onto the paper. These nozzles are typically around 10 micrometres in diameter. It is also not unusual for a high-quality inkjet printer to contain thousands of nozzles – several hundred for each ink colour it holds.

The ink is drawn from a dedicated tank or cartridge and expelled through multiple nozzles in the print head before landing on the substrate, where it dries in its intended position to create the transmitted image.

The advantages of high-speed inkjet printing: Ricoh printers

Ricoh high-speed inkjet production printers are proof of what experts call "technological progress in the printing and graphic arts industry". The latest innovation is the Ricoh Pro VC60000 inkjet printer.

The Ricoh Pro VC60000 is recognised internationally for several reasons. First, it enables a faster transition from offset to digital for workflow-focused, data-driven commercial printers that need high-speed inkjet presses, vibrant print quality and flexibility in the products they print.

Second, using the printer lets you cut make-ready time and speed up the production process, maximising operational efficiency and minimising costs.

The advantages of using the Ricoh Pro VC60000 inkjet printer include:

Print speed and volume

The printer's technology is based on water-based pigment inks and thousands of high-quality nozzles. These help it print products at impressive speeds and resolutions, so you can meet deadlines as quickly as possible and in far less time than with traditional printing methods.

The speed and volume specifications of the Ricoh Pro VC60000 are:

• 150 m/min at 600 x 600 dpi;
• 120 m/min at 600 x 600 dpi;
• 75 m/min at 1200 x 600 dpi;
• 50 m/min at 1200 x 1200 dpi.

Wide media support

The Ricoh Pro VC60000 can print graphics on a wide range of media, so every production business can meet its printing needs. The printer works with offset, treated and recycled paper, coated and/or uncoated, with weights from 40 to 250 and widths from 165 to 520 millimetres.

The optional unit included with the printer enables printing on glossy coated offset media, while the optional protective coating unit applies a durable "scratch-resistant" layer to protect any critical documents or products. Optional air dryers speed up drying times for coating applications on offset media.

New Digital Front End

The Ricoh Pro VC60000 runs on a new, purpose-designed system – TotalFlow Print Server R600A – which supports multiple print data streams, such as PS, PDF, PDF/VT, AFP/IPDS and JDF/JMF.

It also comes with a new, easy-to-use user interface, with advanced colour management tools designed specifically for today's challenges in graphic arts production.

A scalable solution

Flexibility is essential to any print operation. With its modular architecture, the Ricoh Pro VC60000 can accommodate a variety of configuration options that fit into existing environments, meeting the needs of both the business and the end customers who enjoy the printed products.

As a result, graphic arts businesses can achieve greater productivity while minimising production costs.

The Ricoh Pro VC6000 is therefore an excellent, feature-rich solution, both for new businesses entering the world of digital colour and for those looking to consolidate and streamline their operations so their business can grow steadily.

Ricoh high-speed inkjet printers are the ideal investment if you want to adapt your business to modern trends and reach new customers through innovative applications.