Ricoh SG-3110DN A4 Colour Geljet Printer + CMYK SubliSplash Sublimation Ink Set - Budget A4 Sublimation Printer

This is my review of the Ricoh Aficio SG-3110 printer series for those interested. I'm not going to be discussing sublimation printing much here or using the printer for that purpose. I'm purely reviewing the printer itself and how it performs.This printer series is an unusual beast all round. It's basically a hybrid inkjet printer which has an unusually large print head allowing it to print much faster at high resolution than most inkjet printers. Ricoh called the series 'GelJet' printers as the pigment ink is unlike normal inkjet ink..it's actually soya-based (edible apparently!) and sits on-top of the paper giving a nice glossy finish (especially on glossy media, including labels).A major benefit of ownership of these printers (in addition to the amazing print quality and printing media flexibility) is that the running cost is actually very very low compared to inkjets. It even compares favourably to mid-range capacity compatible toner prices for colour laser printing. You can buy high capacity Ricoh compatible inks (2,500 black, 2,200 colour) for between £7-£12 each which are every bit as good as the original Ricoh inks. The standard capacity inks original Ricoh branded inks (600 pages black and colour) can be purchased for around £18 for all 4 inks which is still amazingly cheap compared to most inkjet printer prices.Plus, and here is the key point..unlike dye-based compatible inks sold for inkjet printers, most Ricoh GelJet compatible inks are always pigment-based. That means the ink is practically water-splash/smudge resistant and the colours look far more vibrant and have fade resistance, if stored away from sunlight.OK back to the printer itself.. I opted for the all-whistles-and-bells top of the range model the SG-3110SFNw which is an all-in-one printer, combining duplex printing, scanner, colour photocopier, fax, wireless and wired network printing. I won't go into the numerous features except say the printer does a good job at everything and works great as a scanner and copier for the home office. Printing and copying is very fast even at high resolution, certainly comparable to laser printing or more expensive high-end inkjet printers.Here is a key bit of info for anyone thinking of buying one of these printers either for the sublimation dye printing or for the high-quality/low-cost pigment-based printing on ordinary media.... All the GelJet SG series printers are basically the exact same printer, and use the same inks. i.e. the basic entry level model (SG 2100) is the same as the more expensive and bigger 3110 series. All have the exact same print head, print engine and print quality output. So if you don't need duplex (double sided printing) or the other extra features, save yourself a bundle and just go for the basic SG 2100 model which tends to be more popular with sublimation printers for this very reason.Although I love my Ricoh SG 3110 and wouldn't trade it for any other printer due its print quality and very low running cost, it's not all good. There are quite a few niggles with this printer series and with Ricoh.I will summarise what I particularly like and don't like:Likes:+ Very low running cost and flexibility to use standard or high capacity compatible inks.+ Supports refillable ink cartridges with cheap refill and continuous ink flow kits available.+ Very high quality printing, comparable to professionally printed on good paper/glossy labels+ Printer is fairly light, reasonable footprint size and not too noisy like colour lasers+ Supports a wide variety of media, same as inkjet, including clear and glossy media+ Wireless printing very handy can print from practically any device+ 100% Linux supported in CUPSDislikes:- The printer is made from all recycled eco-plastic and has a cheap flimsy feel to it- The duplex unit is very flimsy and ugly it sticks out the back of the printer and is easily damaged- The controls on the all-in-one series are confusing, it lacks any touch screen or easy interface- It does quite a lot of 'maintenance cycles' to keep the print heads clear and uses ink- There is no by-pass tray option for printing on card or unusual paper sizes- Ricoh are TERRIBLE over service warranty, it took me 8 months to get my printer fixed- The printer is prone to shaking when printing, which can cause misprinting if you're doing precision edge to edge or precision label printing. This only happens occasionally but it can be frustrating. Part of this problem is down to the flimsy paper tray which is not as accurate at holding/positioning media as other printers.Despite the draw-backs (hence one star missing from rating), I still think this printer is truly excellent. Ricoh came up with a really decent piece of technology in the GelJet series which sits uniquely between inkjet and laser printing, offering very affordable running costs but high-quality printing.Note: At the time of writing, sadly the GelJet printers are no longer manufactured by Ricoh. Although you can pick up new ones still from retailers, they tend to be a lot more expensive than they originally cost (mine was £150 new with 2-year onsite warranty).

Love this printer. The only problem was that it wasn’t sent with a uk plug. Seller didn’t reply thank my messages either.

5* seller will use again