Worldwide South Brisbane is one of the first businesses in Australia to purchase Ricoh’s new entry-level direct-to-garment (DTG) printer, the Ri 100.

The company says it has made the investment to market extra services to its existing clients, and hopefully bring in new business. The Ri 100 was launched alongside the higher-volume Ri 3000 and Ri 6000 models earlier this month.

Matthew Wibberly, director, Worldwide South Brisbane, says, “The installation is set to take place this week. I was impressed with how simple it is, along with its price point, it is something we will be able to market and offer to our clients.”

Coming in at the $10,000 mark with a small footprint, the DTG printer is an attractive prospect for printers looking at getting into short-run garment printing without heavy investment, or with limited shop space.

Henryk Kraszewski, senior product and marketing manager, Ricoh Australia, says, "There is a lot of excitement around the Ri 100, as there is no other all in one direct to garment solution on the market, especially under $10,000."

Wibberly says, “We already offer fabric printing, but not in short runs. This will be the first time for us, and a good opportunity to break into a new market.

“It is the first in Queensland, and maybe the first in Australia. The press was released on Friday and we did the deal on Thursday. We are excited to get it and are hoping to have it installed this week and start printing T shirts and everything else.

“It will be an extra service for our clients, particularly in personalisation. We know personalisation is the way to move forward and there is increasing demand for it.

“I have known and used Ricoh equipment. It looked easy and they have good back-up service.

Founded some 20 years ago, Worldwide South Brisbane employs eight staff. Wibberley and his business partner own the company.

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