SEVEN-ELEVEN Adopts Ricoh's On-Demand Direct Printing Thermal Media For Its food packaging

Direct-printing raw food materials and other information on a food package contributes to reduced environmental impact, increased work efficiency, and improved productivity.

TOKYO, May 9, 2022

Thermal printing technology, On-demand Direct Printing Thermal Media of Ricoh Company, Ltd. (President & CEO: Yoshinori Yamashita) has been adopted by SEVEN-ELEVEN JAPAN CO., LTD. for its tray food packaging.

Ricoh's On-demand Direct Printing Thermal Media technology applies a partial coating of Ricoh-unique thermal ink to the top sealing film of food tray, which is printed directly by a thermal print head or laser device.

SEVEN -ELEVEN JAPAN use this technology for their three different types of salads newly launched at Seven-Eleven stores, with information such as ingredients printed directly on the salad packages (approx. 1,700 stores, limited period only). Conventionally, a paper label is attached to the bottom of the tray package for ingredients. Ricoh's technology eliminates such paper labels, contributing to a reduction in the environmental burden. In addition, by moving necessary information from the bottom to the top, the visibility of food materials and allergen information is much improved. Furthermore, in the manufacturing process, it eliminates attaching paper labels and replacing consumable ink ribbons, thereby improving productivity in a wide range of fields, including the retail and distribution industries.

Product package with the On-demand Direct Printing Thermal Media applied
(Ricoh-unique direct printing thermal is coated to the upper part for printing variable food materials etc., the lower part is pre-printed.)

Ricoh's On-demand Direct Printing Thermal Media Technology - Features and Values

1. Enable direct printing on various printing substrates and reduce environmental loads

By coating Ricoh-developed unique thermal ink to the printing substrates, printing can be done directly to film, paper, cardboard, and others, eliminating the use of supply consumables and reducing environmental loads.

2. Achieve high productivity by streamlining the work process

Ricoh's direct thermal coating to the printing substrate eliminates removing paper labels and replacing consumable ink ribbons, improving productivity in a wide range of fields, particularly in the retail and distribution industries.

3. Unify packaging materials and streamline inventory

By enabling direct printing on a wide variety of substrates, Ricoh's new system supports on-demand printing, which allows users to print only what they need, when they need it, reducing the number of packaging materials in stock and contributing to slimmer inventories.

One of Ricoh's Material Issues is the realization of a recycling-oriented society. This technology will help reduce the use of paper labels and other indirect materials, thereby contributing to the reduction of environmental impact.
Driving Sustainability for Our Future. Ricoh will continue to work on solving social issues through its business and providing new value useful to the world.

* Product and Company names indicated are a registered trademark or trademark of each company.

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