Inkjet & Digital Printing

Ricoh Introduces Mobile Hotspot Line of Printers

Thursday 17. January 2008 - Industry's First Fully Integrated Mobile Printing Solution Completely Embedded Inside a Desktop Printer

Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment, today introduced its new line of HotSpot printers. The SP C410DN-KP color printer and the SP 4100N-KP monochrome model are the industry’s first and only desktop printers that enable users to print documents from any Wi-Fi enabled location or device.

Ricoh’s HotSpot Printers ensure convenient access to reliable laser printing from Internet-enabled laptops, cell phones or handheld devices without the need to download and install drivers or additional software. The two printers perform all daily network printing tasks for stationary employees while supporting the mobile needs of users traveling or located remotely. For example, Blackberry(R) users can now print emails or attachments directly from their Blackberry. The HotSpot Series Printers are business-class devices with small footprints, fast first page to print speeds and the capability to produce high-quality documents all at a low operating cost.

The HotSpot Printers leverage Ricoh’s Embedded Software Architecture and a partnership with PrinterOn, a leading developer of mobile printing solutions, to embed PrinterOn’s PrintSpots(TM) mobile printing software securely inside the device itself. No external servers or appliances are needed, preventing any accidental changes to system settings or access to other print jobs. In addition, all printer enhancements are preconfigured and all software is preloaded, allowing for setup in minutes and requiring little technical support.

Printing with the HotSpot Printers can be done two different ways. Each printer has its own unique Web page by which mobile users can simply upload a file or Web page URL to be printed. In addition, emails can be forwarded from laptops or PDAs to the printer’s own email address. Using either method, the system automatically sends a reply message to the user with a secure release code that can be entered on the printer’s keypad upon printing the documents. Additional security features include data encryption during file processing and transmission, as well as password protection, to ensure that sensitive documents can only be printed by the appropriate users.

“Ricoh’s new HotSpot Printers make it simple for business professionals to print important documents no matter where they are,” said Ann Moser, senior vice president, Printing Solutions Division, Ricoh Americas Corporation. “These new printers fill an essential need for all types of organizations who seamlessly want to integrate this technology into their existing network infrastructure. This capability enables customers to enhance and maximize document workflow from anywhere at anytime.”