HEIDELBERG & Ricoh Marks 15 Years with Versafire Digital Printing Systems

For 15 years, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) and Ricoh have stood for innovative strength and sustainable market success in industrial digital print.

With the introduction of the first Versafire digital printing systems in 2011, HEIDELBERG took a strategically decisive step into the fast-growing digital print market and has since consistently established itself as a leading system integrator for hybrid print production.

Now, the third generation of the Versafire portfolio is successfully established worldwide in the commercial market. Over 3,500 systems sold and over two billion pages annually underline the high market acceptance and industrial performance of the technology.

Jürgen Otto, Chief Executive Officer at HEIDELBERG, said, “Our long-standing partnership with Ricoh is a success story for HEIDELBERG in digital print and a good example of successful technological cooperation to open up new market segments. Today, the Versafire systems, which are perfectly tailored to the needs of the printing industry, exemplify our claim as a full-service provider and end-to-end system integrator of hybrid print production.”

Koji Miyao, President, Ricoh Graphic Communications, added, “We are delighted that this enduring partnership has helped support the adoption of agile digital production for so many print service providers. We look forward to many more years of cooperation together.”

HEIDELBERG has integrated the Versafire systems into the Prinect workflow via the digital frontend (DFE) developed in-house. This positions them specifically as a complement to offset printing, enabling maximum flexibility, economical short runs, and individualized print products. 

The cooperation between HEIDELBERG and Ricoh is long-term and will be strategically expanded. The continuous development of software, automation, and services will strengthen HEIDELBERG’s position as a leading provider of integrated, hybrid printing solutions and Ricoh’s position as an innovative force in digital production technology.