When was the machine launched and what market is it aimed at? It’s an age-old problem: you may have a fast print engine, but it’s difficult to find finishing kit that can keep up. As a result, productivity suffers. This was the main reason behind Ricoh’s launch of the SR5020 inline booklet finisher, a heavy-duty saddle stitch finisher capable of matching the full engine speed of a wide range of the digital manufacturers’ presses. The unit is primarily designed for high-speed, high-volume applications in central reprographic departments, data centres, print-for-pay bureaus and commercial printers. Although the machine was originally launched in 2009 to work inline with the Pro 907EX, 1107EX and 1357EX, Ricoh’s fifth-generation black-and-white production systems, its popularity persuaded Ricoh to announce at the end of last year that it was making the finisher compatible with both its dedicated mono printers, the Pro 907, 1107 and 1357, and Ricoh’s new flagship colour production print device, the Pro C901.

How does it work? The SR5020 has two delivery stations. A 250-sheet ‘proof’ tray collects one-off copies and prints for easy collection, while the 2,500-sheet ‘shift’ tray delivers finished document sets. The unit can saddle stitch and fold up to 21 sheets (20 80gsm SRA3 sheets plus a cover) to produce 84-page A5 booklets. The booklet maker can accept all media sizes (up to SRA3) and weights (up to 216gsm), including colour covers fed through the cover sheet interposer. There are inline hole punch units available as options for the SR5020. The European 2/4 hole punch allows the user to select either two or four hole punching via the print driver or at the touch panel. Another optional extra is the TR5020 booklet trimmer (TR5020), to trim the opening edge of finished booklet and magazines.

What’s its USP? Previously if customers required punching, stapling and saddle stitching they would have to purchase separate units to do each, therefore increasing the dimensions of the configuration. However, the SR5020 is the first finisher in the Ricoh line-up which incorporates three types of finishing housed in one device – punching, stapling and saddle stitching. Also, the SR5020 is capable of punching at engine speed – it can punch at up to 135ppm when configured inline with the Pro 1357EX – while most finishers tend to slow down, according to Mandeep Rana, product manager at Ricoh UK.

How quick is it and what’s the quality like? The speed of the finisher depends on the type of media used by the operator. As for quality, Rana points to the glowing customer testimonies that the company has received. "Ricoh’s feedback from the field has been very positive regarding the high quality of the finished booklets and the accuracy of the punching and stapling," explains Rana. "So much so that we have launched this finisher with our colour production print device, the Pro C901."

How easy is it to use? It’s very user-friendly as all finishing jobs are programmable on the printer driver. The operator is able to select between punching, stapling and saddle stitching by clicking on the icon they desire. Like all Ricoh production print machines the SR5020 has a large LCD touchscreen, which offers easy viewing of stored documents and intuitively guides through all copy, print and scan jobs which are finished on the SR5020. Jobs can even be manipulated at the machine rather than going back to the PC to make adjustments.  

What training and level of support can users expect? Training is provided at no charge for the life of the agreement and can either be provided on-site at the time of installation or on a one-to-one basis at Ricoh’s training academy in Wellingborough. "Our customers need to know how to use SR5020 efficiently so they can focus on their daily activities," says Rana. "We train end-users, key operators and administrators to thoroughly understand the Pro range and how they can improve document workflow. We focus on helping operators achieve maximum productivity, which in turn reduces total cost of ownership."

How much does it cost and how many are installed? Unfortunately, the company declined to divulge current UK sales, but it is less coy when it comes to pricing. The SR5020 has an RRP of £11,850 with the 2/4 hole punch unit available for £930 and the TR5020 trimmer unit costing £13,040.

SPECIFICATIONS
Capacity 250 sheets (A4 or smaller)
Max paper size 330x487mm
Footprint (wxdxh) 990x730x1,130mm
Weight less than 130kg
Price SR5020 £11,850
Contact Ricoh UK 020 8261 4000

ALTERNATIVES
Bourg Document Finisher The fully automatic, 4,200-books-per-hour (bph) BDF system is a purely online machine, which can be attached to a number of digital units, and combines uni-stitching, folding and trimming.
Price around £42,000
Contact Terry Cooper Services 0115 9702248
 
Duplo Inline System 5000 Available exclusively from Xerox, the Duplo Inline System 5000 connects to the iGen4 and Nuvera printer ranges. Capable of 5,000bph, it’s a substantially bigger beast than the Ricoh, in terms of flexibility, productivity and price.
Price from £87,058
Contact Xerox 0870 873 4519
 
Horizon SPF-9 Bookletmaker The 2,000bph machine is an inline stapling and folding unit that can handle book sizes of up to 320x450mm of a thickness up to 4.4mm.
Price £29,850
Contact Intelligent Finishing Systems 020 8997 8053
 
Watkiss Online Document Finishing System Like the other machines listed, Watkiss’s offering is bigger and faster, producing up to 3,300bph. It also comes with an option for square-back books.
Price around £30,000
Contact Watkiss 01767 685700