The 5 Most Underutilized Features of Your Ricoh Copier (And How to Use Them)

Your Ricoh copier is likely the most technologically advanced piece of equipment in your office—yet most teams only use a fraction of its capabilities. Beyond basic copying and printing lies a suite of powerful features designed to save time, enhance security, and streamline workflows. These tools often go unnoticed, quietly waiting to boost your office’s productivity.

Here are the five most underutilized features of your Ricoh copier and a simple guide on how to start using them today.

1. The Visual Guide & On-Screen Help System

• What It Is: An interactive, animated tutorial built directly into the touchscreen. Instead of searching for a manual or calling IT, the copier itself shows you how to perform tasks step-by-step.

• Why It’s Underused: Many users don’t realize this help feature exists or assume it’s complicated.

• How to Use It: On the home screen, look for a button labeled “Help”, “Guide”, or “?“. Tap it, then select the task you want to perform (e.g., “Scan a double-sided document to email”). The screen will display clear animations showing exactly where to place the paper and which buttons to press.

• The Benefit: Instant self-sufficiency. New employees can train themselves, and anyone can tackle unfamiliar tasks without downtime.

2. Customizable Workflow Shortcuts (One-Touch Buttons)

• What It Is: The ability to save a complex, multi-step process as a single, one-touch button on the home screen.

• Why It’s Underused: It requires a one-time setup, so many offices never configure it.

• How to Use It:

  1. Perform your desired task once (e.g., Scan → Settings: Duplex, PDF, High Resolution → Destination: “Sales Team” Shared Folder).

  2. When finished, look for an option to “Save as Program” or “Register as Shortcut.”

  3. Name it (e.g., “Scan Contract to Sales”).

  4. This new button will now appear on your screen. In the future, just load your document and tap it.

• The Benefit: Transforms a 10-step, 60-second process into a 2-step, 10-second process. Perfect for repetitive departmental tasks.

3. Locked Print vs. Secure Print

• What It Is: Most know about Secure Print (hold job with PIN), but “Locked Print” is its more powerful cousin. It requires a PIN to send the job and to release it, and jobs are stored on the copier’s hard drive for days or weeks.

• Why It’s Underused: “Secure Print” is the default; “Locked Print” is a slightly hidden alternative in the print driver settings.

• How to Use It: When printing from your PC, choose your Ricoh printer, then open Printer Properties > Job Type. Select “Locked Print” and set a PIN. The job is now encrypted and stored securely on the copier until you enter the same PIN at the device.

• The Benefit: Ultimate security for highly confidential documents. The print data is protected from point of send until point of release, and you can print today for a meeting that’s happening next week.

4. Energy Saving Timer & Schedule

• What It Is: A system that automatically powers down the copier into a deep energy-saving mode based on a schedule you set (e.g., weekdays after 7 PM, all day Saturday/Sunday).

• Why It’s Underused: Buried in administrator settings; often left on defaults.

• How to Use It: Access User Tools (Settings) > System Settings > Timer Settings. Here you can set the “Auto Power Off” schedule to match your office hours perfectly.

• The Benefit: Significant reduction in electricity costs. This is more effective than relying on people to remember to switch it off, ensuring savings 24/7.

5. Scan-to-Cloud with Direct Authentication

• What It Is: The ability to scan a document and save it directly to a cloud service (like Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox) without using a computer as a middleman. The copier logs into your cloud account directly.

• Why It’s Underused: Many users default to the familiar “Scan to Email,” creating an extra step.

• How to Use It: On the scan screen, look for the icons for OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. Tap one, log in with your credentials (often a one-time process), and then browse to the exact folder where you want to save the PDF. The copier will remember the path for future use.

• The Benefit: Creates a seamless paper-to-digital pipeline. Scanned documents become instantly available and organized in the cloud, accessible to your team from anywhere.

Conclusion: Unlock the Full Potential of Your Investment

Your Ricoh copier is a productivity platform, not just a printer. By investing a few minutes to explore and activate these underutilized features, you can achieve faster workflows, tighter security, lower costs, and a significant competitive advantage in daily operations.

The most powerful tool in your office might already be sitting in the corner, waiting for you to unlock it.