Ricoh already supplies web-to-print systems from a range of developers across different parts of its global operation.

National sales director Simon Isaacs said that a number of Ricoh’s large customers used Vpress tools, which had spurred the fresh alliance.

“We are very pleased to have built this partnership from this starting point and the future is very bright in terms of its mutual value and the additional business support we can provide to our customers,” he said.

Isaacs said the business had identified a need in its overall offering specifically for a web-to-print system “that would enable our customers to move from analogue to cloud-based design, specification and order systems for their clients”. He said that he liked the fact that the Vpress software was scaleable from a simple entry-level platform up.

Jeremy Hall, senior solutions architect at Ricoh UK, said the ease-of-use of the Vpress systems also helped remove a lot of the barriers around the adoption of web-to-print.

Cheltenham-based Vpress’ product range includes the Coreprint and Coreprint Pro systems.

It also offers bespoke integrations, and Vpress sales director Kelvin Bell said the firm had carried out “significant development work” to integrate its platforms with Ricoh’s Avanti Slingshot MIS.

He commented: “We will help Ricoh’s customers, the printer, automate and streamline their customer’s experience into their print shop. This ultimately means that, instead of a traditional set-up where Ricoh is a vendor and the printer is their customer, they really do become partners – pursuing a common goals of business growth.”

Isaacs added: “Covid-19 has caused a huge amount of disruption and caused a lot of business damage. Trying to take some positives from this time though, it has given a lot of business owners and managers space to really look at their business in the round, assess how they need to diversify and change to remain relevant and fulfil their full customer requests.

“Web to Print software married to state-of-the-art workflows and press technology – be it printing direct to everything from paper to fabric – is fundamental to powering this change.”