With a 90ppm print speed at 1,200x1,200dpi regardless of substrate or if in duplex mode, the successor to the Pro C900 is also able to print on thicker substrates - up to 300gsm, as opposed to 210gsm. Across five years it is expected to clock up 21m impressions.

It uses wax-based PxP chemical toner, not unlike Xerox's EA Toner, which Emma Pynaert, colour product manager at Ricoh Production Print claims offers near offset quality print with improved stability and consistency. The machine is also more environmentally friendly as it fuses the toner at a lower temperature.

Print controllers to the Pro C901 are now external, and in addition to EFI's Fiery E-41 or E-81 products, it can now be used with Creo C-81 as well in the New Year.

The machine also includes a number of operator replaceable components, so that end users can fix problems with minimal impact on downtime. A Ricoh engineer will subsequently visit the user to ensure the component is properly installed and restock the component.

Additionally, Air-Assist Feeding technology along with built-in De-Curling, Paper Registration, and Skew Control help ensure accurate registration.

Karen Lawrence, Professional Print Solutions marketing manager, said: "The Pro C901, combined with our professional services team and best-of-breed software solutions, will continue our focus on helping customers expand their offerings with new revenue generating services such as transpromo that enhance their business advantage."

The Pro C901 is also compatible with the finishing units available for the Pro C900.

At the UK launch event last week the company said it sold six of the machines including three to UK commercial printers.

It is priced at the equivalent of the Pro C900 and will eventually replace the model rather than be an additional product to the range.