Ricoh c7500 after 8 years of using a xerox versant 2100

thibault

Member
Hello everyone,

I wanted to give my testimony on the transition from a Ricoh 7500 press after using a Xerox versant 2100 for around 8 years. I am a small printer in Paris and we have a diverse clientele. I took the large format banner option which allows me to print up to 700mm long double-sided plus the 5th group options in white/silver/gold and translucent toner.
It is above all these possibilities which led me to be interested in this machine because there is no equivalence in this price range and size of machine (the xerox iridesse is much too large for my small area). For now, after two months of use, the results are really very positive. One of the most important things for me is printing on very textured papers and the Ricoh does it more than well. All my most difficult papers print perfectly without having to make any adjustments and it's quite impressive where I often had to fight with the transfer settings on my 2100 to achieve satisfactory results. The print result is however slightly shiny as if there was a varnish
It is apparently possible to reduce this effect by adjusting the temperature settings but I have not yet explored this possibility and most of my customers have been very satisfied with the result. In terms of print quality, the solid colors are much more uniform and the colors are more vivid. The screen is much finer which makes the printing of photos really impressive. The result is almost close to an inkjet print from my Epson 9500.

The vacuum paper handling system is a huge plus and all types of paper pass through very easily and I have had almost no jams so far. The envelopes also pass very well which is really a huge advantage for me. I have not yet tested weights beyond 400gr but I am eager to carry out tests on the limits of the machine which is close to 500gr. Very light weights also look interesting (45gr). Otherwise the white toner is impressive with two passes in a row and the reprinting is quite precise which surprised me. I haven't tested the translucent yet but the gold and silver work really well on colored paper.

It takes about 10 minutes to change the special toner and apparently this has been improved and simplified compared to the 7200. The storage boxes are not too bulky

I would also add that the registration is really very precise compared to my old press.One of the big advantages is that the alignment sheets can be reused in printing because the marks are reduced to the minimum of the 4 corners of the sheet. This will prevent me from wasting the paper like before where flat gray areas were printed over the entire surface. I would like to add that the price was around 30% cheaper than the Xerox 4100 opposite which did much less good... After testing it, it showed absolutely no change compared to the 2100 and there was all the same defaults including the horrible banding which often appeared on the solids of thick paper.


Don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions.
 
Hello everyone,

I wanted to give my testimony on the transition from a Ricoh 7500 press after using a Xerox versant 2100 for around 8 years. I am a small printer in Paris and we have a diverse clientele. I took the large format banner option which allows me to print up to 700mm long double-sided plus the 5th group options in white/silver/gold and translucent toner.
It is above all these possibilities which led me to be interested in this machine because there is no equivalence in this price range and size of machine (the xerox iridesse is much too large for my small area). For now, after two months of use, the results are really very positive. One of the most important things for me is printing on very textured papers and the Ricoh does it more than well. All my most difficult papers print perfectly without having to make any adjustments and it's quite impressive where I often had to fight with the transfer settings on my 2100 to achieve satisfactory results. The print result is however slightly shiny as if there was a varnish
It is apparently possible to reduce this effect by adjusting the temperature settings but I have not yet explored this possibility and most of my customers have been very satisfied with the result. In terms of print quality, the solid colors are much more uniform and the colors are more vivid. The screen is much finer which makes the printing of photos really impressive. The result is almost close to an inkjet print from my Epson 9500.

The vacuum paper handling system is a huge plus and all types of paper pass through very easily and I have had almost no jams so far. The envelopes also pass very well which is really a huge advantage for me. I have not yet tested weights beyond 400gr but I am eager to carry out tests on the limits of the machine which is close to 500gr. Very light weights also look interesting (45gr). Otherwise the white toner is impressive with two passes in a row and the reprinting is quite precise which surprised me. I haven't tested the translucent yet but the gold and silver work really well on colored paper.

It takes about 10 minutes to change the special toner and apparently this has been improved and simplified compared to the 7200. The storage boxes are not too bulky

I would also add that the registration is really very precise compared to my old press.One of the big advantages is that the alignment sheets can be reused in printing because the marks are reduced to the minimum of the 4 corners of the sheet. This will prevent me from wasting the paper like before where flat gray areas were printed over the entire surface. I would like to add that the price was around 30% cheaper than the Xerox 4100 opposite which did much less good... After testing it, it showed absolutely no change compared to the 2100 and there was all the same defaults including the horrible banding which often appeared on the solids of thick paper.


Don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions.

It would be interesting to see samples, especially of solid colours like you said with no banding
 
This has been my experience also, took in a 7210x after having a KM. At my previous employer we were all Xerox so very familiar with that world as well. Over 2 million clicks in I’m still very confident I made the right choice. Love the versatility, reliability, color and registration consistency. Changing out parts myself is a snap.

I will say, just have very few paying applications for the 5th color, it’s mostly used for dicking around (ie: making fancy business cards for us). Occasionally I do use the banner sheets (we got the vacuum banner drawer with a regular drawer below it) but still not as much as we probably should to justify it.
 
Thanks for sharing! Does the Ricoh C7500 slow down for jobs mixed media weights (ie, 90gsm interior and 200-300gsm cover)?
 
Yes, the machine slows down to adapt the temperature according to the weight but it cannot do otherwise when you understand how it work. I guess that you have to pre-print the cover to insert it without lowering the speed.

One other impressive thing is that the 7500 can print some media completely full page with full bleed. This only works on weights between 160 and 240gr with formats between postcard and A4+ but it's quite surprising.

I will post some picture later today to let you see how good it is :)
 
Here is some picture with two passes white toner for enveloppes.
 

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An example with silver toner on Fedrigoni materica Colbalt paper. It's a little harder to take a photo of due to the shine but the result is quite subtle.
 

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Hello everyone,

I wanted to give my testimony on the transition from a Ricoh 7500 press after using a Xerox versant 2100 for around 8 years. I am a small printer in Paris and we have a diverse clientele. I took the large format banner option which allows me to print up to 700mm long double-sided plus the 5th group options in white/silver/gold and translucent toner.
It is above all these possibilities which led me to be interested in this machine because there is no equivalence in this price range and size of machine (the xerox iridesse is much too large for my small area). For now, after two months of use, the results are really very positive. One of the most important things for me is printing on very textured papers and the Ricoh does it more than well. All my most difficult papers print perfectly without having to make any adjustments and it's quite impressive where I often had to fight with the transfer settings on my 2100 to achieve satisfactory results. The print result is however slightly shiny as if there was a varnish
It is apparently possible to reduce this effect by adjusting the temperature settings but I have not yet explored this possibility and most of my customers have been very satisfied with the result. In terms of print quality, the solid colors are much more uniform and the colors are more vivid. The screen is much finer which makes the printing of photos really impressive. The result is almost close to an inkjet print from my Epson 9500.

The vacuum paper handling system is a huge plus and all types of paper pass through very easily and I have had almost no jams so far. The envelopes also pass very well which is really a huge advantage for me. I have not yet tested weights beyond 400gr but I am eager to carry out tests on the limits of the machine which is close to 500gr. Very light weights also look interesting (45gr). Otherwise the white toner is impressive with two passes in a row and the reprinting is quite precise which surprised me. I haven't tested the translucent yet but the gold and silver work really well on colored paper.

It takes about 10 minutes to change the special toner and apparently this has been improved and simplified compared to the 7200. The storage boxes are not too bulky

I would also add that the registration is really very precise compared to my old press.One of the big advantages is that the alignment sheets can be reused in printing because the marks are reduced to the minimum of the 4 corners of the sheet. This will prevent me from wasting the paper like before where flat gray areas were printed over the entire surface. I would like to add that the price was around 30% cheaper than the Xerox 4100 opposite which did much less good... After testing it, it showed absolutely no change compared to the 2100 and there was all the same defaults including the horrible banding which often appeared on the solids of thick paper.


Don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions.
Hi,
Now after some months of use you confirm your analysis?
I am a Xerox user and my experience, specially in the last period, is really bad. On Iridesse the time consumed on transfer settings is enormous, and the settings made today tomorrow will be unusable. Im very curious on Ricoh performance.

Thank you
 
Hello,
yes I confirm that Richo's 7500 is an excellent digital press and for me it is close to perfection. I have only had two technician interventions in 9 months for two minor problems (blocked stapling head and twisted cell after a jam which is quite impressive. I save about 30% in production time compared to my old press thanks the good functioning, the simplicity of the registration and the stability of the printing with almost no jams. The customer returns are particularly enthusiastic. The only point of disappointment is the translucent toner for which I did not find a satisfactory application. I'm thinking of replacing it with a fluorescent toner which seems more interesting with the option of being able to enhance the four-color process.
 
also an interesting application that I discovered with this press and that it is precise enough to be able to make several passes of the same impression and that this creates an interesting relief. I am providing you with two photos of prints that I had reprinted in black toner between 10 and 20 passes and the result is quite surprising
 

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also an interesting application that I discovered with this press and that it is precise enough to be able to make several passes of the same impression and that this creates an interesting relief. I am providing you with two photos of prints that I had reprinted in black toner between 10 and 20 passes and the result is quite surprising
that is impressive, but what is the cost of 20 passes compared to a spot varnish?
 
We just got our C7500 installed a week ago and it's not been smooth sailing.
We mostly print on synthetics (labels and PVC sheets) and it's been really difficult to get a good-quality toner adhesion.

CMYK prints nicely, but whenever we do white under CMYK in a single pass it just rubs off (Which happens exclusively on clear media)

Also, the new software is a bit buggy, they updated us to Version 7 right away and if a sheet gets stuck in the fuser and we remove it, we have to reboot the machine to get it working again.

Are you printing on labels or any synthetic papers?
 
We just got our C7500 installed a week ago and it's not been smooth sailing.
We mostly print on synthetics (labels and PVC sheets) and it's been really difficult to get a good-quality toner adhesion.

CMYK prints nicely, but whenever we do white under CMYK in a single pass it just rubs off (Which happens exclusively on clear media)

Also, the new software is a bit buggy, they updated us to Version 7 right away and if a sheet gets stuck in the fuser and we remove it, we have to reboot the machine to get it working again.

Are you printing on labels or any synthetic papers?

Thanks for the info. I'm thinking of getting a C7500. We don't do a lot of synthetic, but I wouldn't want to turn away those jobs.
Does the C7500 have controls adjusting transfer voltage, current, etc for a particular media?
Does synthetic brick in yours from static?

We've been using Kelley Create's house brand synthetic on a Xerox Versant 3100 and its been working great with minimal static and almost no press adjustment fussing. Was using Synaps before and it was more challenging.
 
@SoggyWinter, We haven't experienced issues with static, but its fairly humid now so I can't tell.

Yes, the C7500 has quite a lot of options for adjusting how each media works.
 
Hello i am thinking of getting the ricoh 7500 but i want to see a specific print job from it could any one print it out.
there are no machines near my country.
 
Hello i am thinking of getting the ricoh 7500 but i want to see a specific print job from it could any one print it out.
there are no machines near my country.
You may want to start a new topic for this but…

I always ask the manufacturer to provide samples of several different files that I have. Coated, uncoated, text, cover, heavy coverage, fine lines, small text are all different files that I have samples printed for. The reason I don’t ask local uses to do this is because I base those samples on the output of the installed equipment. The samples are all saved and if output is not up to the same level of quality as the samples then the manufacturer/service provider needs to rectify the problem.

It would be better for you to get the samples printed by the vendor and have them shipped overseas instead of having them printed by someone else that’s a user. It’s just my opinion, but I think the responsibility of samples should be placed on the vendor. If they aren’t willing to print your samples, they probably aren’t going to be a good partner.
 
You may want to start a new topic for this but…

I always ask the manufacturer to provide samples of several different files that I have. Coated, uncoated, text, cover, heavy coverage, fine lines, small text are all different files that I have samples printed for. The reason I don’t ask local uses to do this is because I base those samples on the output of the installed equipment. The samples are all saved and if output is not up to the same level of quality as the samples then the manufacturer/service provider needs to rectify the problem.

It would be better for you to get the samples printed by the vendor and have them shipped overseas instead of having them printed by someone else that’s a user. It’s just my opinion, but I think the responsibility of samples should be placed on the vendor. If they aren’t willing to print your samples, they probably aren’t going to be a good partner.
We have asked the vendor in our country for samples and they gave us only from 7200 and they cannot get from 7500 samples we asked 3 months ago so that is why i want from a person who is working on the machine to make sample because its not only print i want one sheet printed 13 times...
 

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