DirectSmile is just one of many partners whose products Ricoh (12/D130) is exhibiting at Ipex. It is also showing integrations with Agfa Apogee and Kodak Prinergy workflow products combining offset and digital production, and EFI's Pace MIS.

The firm, which is making its Ipex debut this year, also claimed to be making huge inroads into the production print market.

"Who believed us when we said at Drupa that we aimed to become a leading player in production print by 2010," asked Ricoh Europe production printing executive vice president Peter Williams. "According to Infosource we are now number two in cut sheet colour, with 20% of the market, and are number one in colour continuous feed inkjet in Europe and the US, according to Infotrends."

InfoPrint Solutions is on the Ricoh stand at Ipex, showing its future position as a strategic business unit of Ricoh, when the Japanese firm formally acquires IBM's remaining stake in the highvolume print specialist on 1 July.

InfoPrint unveiled a monochrome version of the 5000 that also includes MICR ink.