JAPANESE HEADLINES: Lots of Love for Digital Printing Demonstrated at page2026

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The 39th edition of the major commercial printing equipment event, “page2026,” was held from February 18 to 20 at the Sunshine City Convention Center in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, under the theme “Re:Connect – Reconnecting Through the Power of Print.”

A total of 136 companies exhibited at page2026, which focuses on the print media business. Over the three days, attendance reached 27,478 visitors, exceeding the previous figure of 24,580 by 12%.

At the exhibition hall, the four leading manufacturers of commercial digital printing systems showcased products on which they are currently focusing their sales efforts. These products emphasize automation features that reduce the need for manual adjustments during printer operation. Even operators with limited experience can achieve high-quality printing thanks to built-in automatic adjustment functions. The exhibition also highlighted the latest toner technologies that enhance print effects, as well as functional media compatible with printers.

■ Konica Minolta Japan

Konica Minolta Japan exhibited the newly launched color digital printing system AccurioPress C5080, released in January. This system pursues ease of use through a variety of automation support functions. Optional features include:

• IQ-601 Intelligent Quality Optimizer – Automates color management and front/back registration adjustment, enabling optimal calibration in a short time.
• AI-101 Inspection Unit – Detects printing defects during operation and automatically ejects and reprints defective sheets.
• IM-104 / IM-105 Intelligent Media Sensor – Automatically identifies paper type, weight, surface characteristics, moisture level, and resistance, and applies appropriate settings.

These functions automate optimal paper-specific settings and significantly reduce workload.

Konica Minolta also exhibited JobManager, management software that records the printing process via QR code scanning. This enables visualization of print operations on smartphones for office management departments and sales representatives visiting clients. It also visualizes printing costs to help maximize profitability.

■ Ricoh Japan

Ricoh Japan showcased the five-color digital commercial printing system RICOH Pro C7500, highlighting printing applications using the newly released antibacterial and antiviral matte clear toner as the fifth color.

The official product name is RICOH Pro Toner Matte Clear Antibacterial/Antiviral C7200. It is also compatible with the RICOH Pro C7200S series and was launched on February 27.

Key features include:

• A refined matte finish different from conventional clear toner, producing an elegant and subdued look.
• Suppression of bacterial and microbial growth on printed paper surfaces and reduction of viruses.

Applications include:

• Premium matte-finish business cards.
• Pseudo-desensitization printing on non-carbon copy forms such as invoices.
• Antibacterial and antiviral coating for menus and other frequently handled materials.

■ Canon Marketing Japan

Canon Marketing Japan exhibited a system integrating inline options with its on-demand color printer imagePRESS V1000, emphasizing productivity improvements. The following three units were integrated with the V1000:

1. Static Eliminator Unit – Removes static electricity from printing paper.
2. Inspection Unit – Automates and standardizes inspection of print quality and variable data.
3. Sensing Unit – Performs real-time image position correction and gradation adjustment during printing.

Through integration of these units, print corrections are performed automatically without reliance on manual labor, contributing to consistent high-quality output.

■ Fujifilm Graphic Solutions

Fujifilm exhibited the newly released six-color digital printing system Revoria Press PC2120, launched in December 2025 and designed for automation and efficiency in print production environments. By simply measuring paper using the included paper profiler, AI automatically sets paper type, weight, and transfer output adjustment values, significantly reducing paper setup processes.

Even operators without specialized skills or experience can achieve high-quality printing quickly and easily. The system supports two specialty toner colors to expand the printable color gamut. Fujifilm highlighted its newly developed green toner.

■ Epson Sales Japan

Epson introduced a newly released flame-retardant matte paper roll for large-format aqueous inkjet printers. This digital printing paper does not allow flames to spread even if ignited.

It has been certified by the Japan Fire Retardant Association and is the first matte paper roll for large-format inkjet printers in Japan with such certification. It is suitable for printed materials displayed in public facilities subject to fire regulations.

Epson also exhibited the upcoming A3 color line inkjet multifunction printer “LX-C10060,” capable of high-speed printing at 100 pages per minute, scheduled for release in May.

■ Brother Industries

Brother displayed output samples produced with its Domino business full-color digital label printer, along with the garment printer GTXpro. The GTXpro enables full-color printing directly onto garments by simply sending image data from a PC. Brother proposed t-shirt printing services as a business opportunity.

■ Otsuka Corporation

Digital printing solution provider Otsuka Corporation exhibited Ricoh’s commercial color printers RICOH Pro C9500 / C7500. Members of the Otsuka POD Partner Association, consisting of printing companies that purchased POD systems from Otsuka, also displayed sample outputs.

Otsuka Corp. originally grew as an office equipment dealer selling Ricoh copiers and NEC computers. Today, it sources and sells products from more than 150 office-related OEMs and vendors. For fiscal year 2025:

• Revenue: ¥1.3227 trillion ($8.3 billion USD)
• Operating profit: ¥89.9 billion ($564 million USD)
• Employees: 10,000

In the production printer (POD) segment, Otsuka offers a broad range of Ricoh products to meet diverse customer needs.