The Cannock-based commercial printer took delivery of a Ricoh Pro C9100 last week to follow a Ricoh Pro C7100X, which was installed in September.

The C7100X was bought from Welwyn Garden City-based reseller Smart Print while the C9100 came direct from Ricoh.

“The C7100X has been an instant customer winner, hence the demand we’ve got on it, and we were running it beyond capacity,” said KJB Print UK commercial director Stephen Egerton.

“That’s why we’ve now bought the C9100, which is a great piece of kit in terms of the flat finish of it and the longer sheet.”

The machines, which cost around £200,000 in total, have replaced two Xerox devices – a DocuColor 8080 that the firm had been running for four years, and a Versant 2100, which the business had been trialling during 2015, but ultimately decided not to keep.

“The technology on the Ricoh machines is very high. On the 7100 we’ve got the benefit of the six colours, so we can print white and clear, and we’ve got the 700mm sheet so we can do landscape A4s, which we’re finding are increasingly popular,” said Egerton.

The business also looked at alternatives from Xerox and Konica Minolta before opting for Ricoh.

“I’m a big fan of Ricoh’s partnership approach. It’s not just about the kit but also about the relationship and support, in terms of maintenance, back-up and expertise,” said Egerton.

“We’ve found Ricoh to be very forward thinking and they treat us as a partner, which I really like and think is important. When we’ve got customers needing digital print the same day, the press has got to be reliable and consistent.”

Digital has grown for the traditionally litho business over the past four years and now equates to around 25% of its turnover of just over £2m.

The company also operates a Komori LS 529 B2 five-colour litho press and a wide range of finishing kit including laminators, guillotines and collators.

KJB Print UK, which has 27 staff, serves clients ranging from blue-chip organisations to trade customers and end-users.