The Japanese manufacturer showcased its new flagship ComColor GD9630 model at the Dusseldorf expo, with the 160ppm machine billed as the world’s fastest cut-sheet printer.

The GD9630 uses Riso’s Forcejet single-pass inkjet technology with a five-colour CMYK plus grey system. It has an optional high-capacity feeder and stacker.

“The overall image quality is much better and and it produces very good blacks and halftones,” said Dinis Cachao, head of production print solutions.

Pricing for the GD9630 was described as “extremely competitive” and is likely to be under £60,000. The device will start shipping in Europe early next year, Cachao said.

The commercial production model will be on show for the first time in the UK on the Riso booth at our new event PrintWeekLive!, which will be held at the Wasps Arena in Coventry from 8-9 March 2017.

“It’s a great bit of kit and we’re very excited to be showing it in the UK. It will be there with all the bells and whistles,” added Riso UK marketing manager Debbie Callaghan.

Cachao said the firm had already taken orders for the printer, with lots of interest from direct mail and transactional printers.

“In particular, our cold process is much better for inserting systems,” he added.

Riso has partnered with EFI on a new Fiery digital frontend for the high-speed GD range.

The ComColorExpress FS2000C is based on the Fiery FS200 Pro platform. Yukimoto Sakata, general manager of Riso’s research and development division, described Fiery as “a natural fit” for the enhanced speed and quality features of the new printer, and said the frontend was “particularly well-suited for the high-volume printing market”.

Riso also showed two new concept digital presses at Drupa. The T1 is a compact roll-fed device that prints duplex colour at 42m/minute. Top resolution is 600x600dpi. The T1 requires just 7.3sqm of floorspace, making it less than half the size of some competing printers.

The cut-sheet T2 model uses the same five-colour system as the GD9630 and combines two print engines to produce 300ppm duplex at 300dpi.

“The feedback at Drupa from all quarters on the T-series was tremendous,” Cachao said.

Riso is now working on a roll-out plan for the devices, with the T1 in particular generating “staggering” levels of interest, said Callaghan. “It’s a massive next step in our evolution, and a great breakthrough,” she said.