Ricoh has announced that its Pro L4100 latex wide-format machine series is commercially available throughout the European market. A roll-to-roll engine available in 1.3m or 1.6m widths, the Pro L4130 and L4160, respectively, will officially be sold in the UK from March 2014.

Boasting Ricoh's piezo-electric print-heads and 'low' power consumption, the Pro L4100 series supports up to seven colours including orange, green and white inks in addition to CMYK. It also features an Uninterrupted Ink Supply System (UISS) for added producticity.

"When one CMYK ink cartridge runs out of ink, the system switches automatically to the second cartridge of the same colour for unattended printing," explains Stephen Palmer, director of production print at Ricoh UK and Ireland. "In a busy print production environment, this ensures that the operation runs as smoothly and productively as possible with minimal operator intervention."

The Pro L4100 range is able to print onto substrates including PVC, tarpaulin, coated and uncoated paper, film and textiles, while lower curing temperatures means that lighter-weight and heat-sensitive materials can be printed. Ricoh aims to expand its range of compatible substrates by continuing its media profiling and testing programme with Colour Concepts.