Ricoh Americas Unveils New RA2K Integration
Software To Yield Professional Print Results From IBM’s AFP/IPDS standard.
West Caldwell, NJ, April 2, 2007 – Ricoh Americas Corporation, the leading provider of digital office equipment, today announced the release of RA2K Integration, a new model of support for IBM’s Intelligent Print Data Stream (IPDS). RA2K Integration for IPDS is an integrated software solution, designed for compatibility with the IBM zSeries (S/390) and iSeries (AS/400) environments. Found on selected Ricoh multifunction products (MFPs) and printing devices, this integrated software solution allows Ricoh to better serve its customers by providing a technology that delivers professional printing results that is easy-to-use yet tremendously powerful.
Intermate A/S Partnership
Created in partnership with Intermate A/S, a leader in the development of IBM printing solutions and remote connectivity for Fortune 500 companies, Ricoh’s RA2K Integration for IPDS is an ideal way to receive advanced transactional print data from any IBM mini or mainframe host, without any effect on print performance. The RA2K Integration resides directly on the hard drive of the Ricoh print device, and enables users to receive Advanced Function Presentation (AFP)/IPDS print jobs directly from their zSeries or iSeries systems in its native format. The solution is designed to provide customers with the ability to print professional laser-quality output and access standard finishing and paper size options, without any change in programming at the host, or loss of speed.
“RA2K Integration for IPDS is an example of Ricoh’s commitment to providing powerful output solutions to its channel partners and customers,” said Hede Nonaka, senior vice president, Document Solutions and Services Division, Ricoh Corporation. “This software brings together functionality and usability; two device characteristics that are extremely important to our users. We are proud to feature RA2K Integration on an expansive line of Ricoh products,” Nonaka added.
David Too, Vice President, OEM Division, Intermate, agrees that “ The RA2K Integration for IPDS provides Ricoh and their partners a powerful solution to pursue IPDS printing opportunities and capture a very important market segment in the printing world.”
With a variety of features, RA2K Integration makes printing from IPDS simple, yet productive. The software is easy to install on Ricoh devices and offers full AFP/IPDS support that parallels IBM’s standard programming practices. The software can accommodate both standard network print jobs and AFP/IPDS, thus decreasing the expense of individually dedicated devices. With RA2K Integration, users can select input and output trays, three-hole punch documents, duplex, staple and print edge-to-edge. Full color and spot color capabilities allow for effortless highlighting in financial statements, logos on forms and totals on invoice statements, and Object Containers enables support for print elements created for standard Windows environments, such as TrueType fonts, JPEG and GIF graphics.
New Ricoh Devices With RA2K
In addition to the extensive list of products that feature the RA2K Integration, several new Ricoh devices now feature the software, including: Aficio MP C2500/ MP C3000; Aficio MP C3500/MP C4500; Aficio SP 8100N and Aficio SP9100N; Aficio SP C410DN and Aficio SP C411DN; Aficio MP5500/MP6500/MP7500; and the Ricoh DDP 70e and DDP 92.
The Document Solutions & Services Division (DSS) of Ricoh Americas Corporation is leading the industry with a portfolio of solutions that transform paper documents into information that easily integrates into existing business workflows to measurably improve document workflow efficiencies. DSS is committed to creating new “document-centric” customer value that will revolutionize how individuals and businesses use digital and paper-based information.
DSS offers a complete package of products, services and support programs to all our channels, comprising of direct and indirect operations under the Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier brands.
Ricoh Americas Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 71-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2005 sales in excess of $17 billion, a 5.6 percent increase over the previous year.
Intermate A/S is a leading developer and integrator of software components in the fields of IT connectivity and network communication particularly within AFP/IPDS, SCS, and print control for iSeries and zSeries host systems (mini and mainframes) including secure remote connectivity solutions.
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