Ricoh SA has launched its Digital or Offset Calculator, which eradicates guesswork when routing jobs to offset or digital. The tool is free and exclusive to all members of the Ricoh Business Driver Programme.
The calculator helps printers determine which of their devices will be optimal for the job and ensure that their presses are used most profitably, said Vaughan Patterson, sales manager for the production printing business group at Ricoh SA.
For jobs at either end of the scale, the production technology decision can be obvious. However, there is an increasing grey area in the middle that the calculator addresses, said Patterson. This is driven by continual price and performance improvements in digital printing presses that extend the run lengths for which these presses are appropriate. The Digital or Offset Calculator provides printers with a fact-based methodology for making these important production decisions.
The calculator takes into consideration the run length for a range of products, such as leaflets, business cards, posters, brochures and folders, to determine the most profitable printing platform.
Ricoh customers simply enter basic information into the calculator to confirm fixed costs such as labour, consumables and energy consumption for each process. For offset – the make-ready waste, plate production, service and maintenance costs are included. For digital – click charges and maintenance fees based on anticipated volumes are important data points. For both offset and digital, equipment depreciation and residual values are also considered. Information on substrates, based on an A3 sheet size and whether the job is simplex or duplex, can also be a factor if different substrates are used in the two processes.
We are very pleased with the Ricoh Digital or Offset Calculator, said Aryen Pellikaan, MD of De Hoop Grafisch Centrum, who was an early beta tester of the calculator. His print centre runs three offset presses alongside its digital colour Ricoh Pro C901 Graphic Arts press. We use it as a basis for jobs and that helps us improve our margins because we have a greater trust in the crossover period.
The new calculator can be used in conjunction with our Carbon Calculator to allow Ricoh customers to accurately assess and offset the carbon emissions generated by individual jobs, said Patterson. It is a part of our continuous research and development to help our customers improve profitability and sustainability, as well as to strengthen relationships with their clients by delivering more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable products.
