If you had any doubts about the market potential of direct to textile printing, read the below press release about the acquisition of AnaJet by Ricoh. After its start in 2006 AnaJet has quickly become market leader in this segment. The American company produces the superfast SPRINT and the compact mPower i-series printers for the digital printing of garments and textile. AnaJet already used Ricoh inkjet heads for its printers and the acquisition seems a logical step for various reasons. AnaJet products will be shown by Ricoh during FESPA.

Ricoh to Acquire AnaJet, a Leader in Direct to Garment Printers

News Release

Purchase Echoes Ricoh’s Commitment to Empower Global Customers to Bring New Value to Their Markets

TOKYO, January 8, 2016— Ricoh Company, Ltd. today announced that the company has reached an agreement to buy AnaJet, the leader in direct to garment (DTG) printing. This acquisition is the latest strategic investment by Ricoh to strengthen its industrial inkjet business while enabling its customers to move forward new ideas and drive imaginative thinking. Located in the U.S., AnaJet will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Ricoh Printing Systems America, Inc.

Founded in 2006, AnaJet was one of the first companies in the world to mass produce DTG printers. Today, the company is a global market leader in the DTG industry. The majority of AnaJet products available today leverage Ricoh’s market-leading inkjet printheads.

Ricoh’s experience has focused on office and commercial print technologies. The addition of the AnaJet portfolio will help Ricoh further its position in the industrial inkjet market, a market where Ricoh maintains global leadership in inkjet printhead development. With AnaJet’s solutions combined with the broad Ricoh portfolio, customers will now have the ability to more effectively deliver a broader solution set to their end users.

“Ricoh has a long history of successful, strategic acquisitions that have helped our customers and partners around the world find new, effective ways to better serve their end users,” said Junichi Matsuno, General Manager, Inkjet Business Division, Ricoh Company, Ltd. “With the addition of AnaJet, our collective customers benefit from a larger support team, added innovation and access to a services-led portfolio of solutions to ultimately help them grow their business. AnaJet already possesses a proven reputation as a leader in DTG printing and as such, it is a great complement to Ricoh’s broad portfolio.”

“At AnaJet, we have led the industry in establishing the trend of direct to garment printing,” said Karl Tipre, CEO of AnaJet. “Today we are very pleased to announce that this acquisition will provide our expanding customer base with the services of yet another global leader in Ricoh. We are extremely excited for what lies ahead for the AnaJet brand and our customers.”

AnaJet will continue to operate under its current name, management team and capabilities, which currently include more than 50 employees and is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.

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