What is a Digital Duplicator

The Digital Duplicator is a high-speed, multi-functional digital duplicating system. It combines four functions with Ricoh’s advanced technology:

It offers the high image quality of laser printer, the convenience of a copier, the economy of a duplicator and the durability of an offset press. The Digital Duplicator is designed to bridge the gap between copier, laser printer and offset systems by handling those difficult run lengths that are too long for copiers or laser printers and too short for offset. The Digital Duplicator rarely replaces these printing methods, but typically coexists with them.

Unlike copiers and laser printers, the Digital Duplicator applies the same method as the stencil duplicators which create images on the paper with ink, by making ink penetrate through the pore created onto the master. However, the Digital Duplicator masters are no longer a cloth-like material covered with wax which is used in the stencil duplicators. With the advance of material technologies, special masters which provide finer penetration of ink have been developed. The ink has also been specially developed for the Digital Duplicator in order to realize high image quality.

The masters are automatically processed through a thermal head with the digital image recieved from the scanner or computer input and wrapped around the drum. The paper is feed once the drum starts to rotate. At the same time ink on the drum surface passes through the image pore created in the master to create an image on the paper. The exact same image is created every time the drum rotates. When a new master is proceessed, the old master is automatically peeled from the drum and transferred to the master eject box / unit.

 

All models except JP5000/8000 series, HQ7000/9000 series, DX4640pd, DD6650p and DD5450.


Model JP5000/8000 series, HQ7000/9000 series and DD6650p.


One cut of master is consumed for each original while a certain amount of ink is consumed for each copy. In addition, a small amount of ink is consumed per each master when it is ejected. The more prints you make the less cost per copy becomes. Therefore many who require high-volume duplicating find that a Digital Duplicator suits their needs better than any other alternative. Operating as cleanly and easily as a copier, it employs a master-based process featuring superior cost-effectiveness, efficiency and reliability on long copy/print runs.

 

A Drum Unit set with an ink cartridge is detachable from the mainframe. And you can change the Drum Unit easily without making your hands dirty. If you connect the Digital Duplicator to your PC or Mac with Desk Top Publishing software, you can send each colour of the document image separately. All you have to do for the multiple colour run is to select colour from the software and change the Drum Unit with each colour. This versatile digital-processing capabilities and easy colour changing for multiple colour runs are additional attractions.
 

Ricoh’s high-performance Digital Duplicators combine easy operation, cost savings and high productivity.