Special: A round-table talk on the RICOH Handy Printer

To achieve this completely new concept of “the printer moves instead of feeding paper through it”, we needed to develop a range of technologies. We did not have any technologies that continuously recognize the device’s own location as it moves. Mr. Murata, who handled the imaging design, focused on the imaging position detection technology that Ricoh had accumulated to date and brought the quality right up to a level that could be mass produced.

I developed an ejection technology that predicts where the hand holding a handy printer would move to next and in order to discharge the ink precisely. The manner and speed at which the device is moved differs depending on the person operating it, and targeted printing surfaces involve various states and materials. It took a lot of effort to eliminate the noise produced by those kinds of errors and expand the applicable scope of printing. We use sensors to detect the movement of the hand, whether fast or slow, and the state of the media being printed to, then match this against past data to predict the position of a handy printer as it moves and discharges ink accordingly.

There were many challenges with the overall design of the electronics system as well. Adjusting the contact between the ink cartridge and electronic substrate and selecting a sensor to detect the position were big challenges. And in terms of system evaluation, we were not able to use MFP evaluation methods without modification, so we had to start by establishing a method for evaluation.

I was tasked with designing the embedded software and apps, and since a handy printer was to be completely different from conventional products, we were independently responsible for design, evaluation and verifying usability factors such as buttons and operating sounds while receiving support from the dedicated departments working on MFPs. It was a great opportunity to study subjects outside my field.

One of the key benefits of this product is its compact size. In working on the mechanical design, we were not restricted to MFP design guidelines, so I aimed to incorporate new methods through a process of continual evaluation in order to make it as compact as possible. I worked with personnel specializing in component technologies and assembly to reduce the size of components, and we used adhesives to optimize layout through a process of trial and error.

In an effort to pursue usability, we made prototypes available inside the department and ran a booth at our in-house exhibitions to solicit feedback from as many colleagues as possible.

It’s amazing that the Handy Printer moves perfectly horizontally with such small rollers, isn’t it?

Considering that the device is moved by hand, we made improvements to reduce weight and the load when it is sliding so that it can slide perfectly horizontally. That was done in response to feedback from our colleagues in mechanical design.

Since this project was the result of a ’technology-led’ approach i.e. creating a product based on technology rather than customer demand, we had no way of predicting the needs of the market. It was difficult to get internal approvals to bring the product to market, but the key factor was the large amount of feedback we collected from potential customers.

In all, we gathered feedback from around 200 companies. When we gave presentations, I spoke about my own concept of a “dream printer that grants the wish of writing neatly in my pocket-size notebook, as a creative way to convey the vision. We learned about the needs of various industries, and went through several iterations of the process for creating prototypes, receiving feedback and making adjustments.

When making prototypes for various industries, we had to make changes to the design each time, but everyone in the project team handled the changes without resistance. At first, we ran into challenges while trying to uncover the needs of customers, but the more we listened to them, the more buyers we found, and gradually we increasingly had the necessary evidence to persuade company executives.

When we unveiled the product, the reaction from the media was better than expected, and we received orders for four times our planned production volume. As a designer, this filled me with emotion. Moving forward, as a project manager I think I need to grow personally so that I can invest in development while maintaining a management perspective and contributing to company earnings. As an engineer, I hope we can develop the product into a series, create an model for markets outside of Japan, and add a variety of new functions.

In terms of marketing, the product attracted a lot more attention than I had predicted, and I was frankly delighted at that. But the RICOH Handy Printer is just at the start line as a product. We are analyzing reactions on social media and elsewhere to uncover potential needs, and by combining our strengths, we are going to develop products that are even more marketable in the future.

Right now we need to start thinking about the next functions that will be demanded by the time RICOH Handy Printer becomes more widely used in several years from now. I hope to use the power of our imagination and add new functions that are not merely an extension of what we currently offer.