Ricoh & Brother expand A4 print range for hybrid work

Ricoh Canada and Brother International Corporation-Canada have formed a strategic alliance that expands Ricoh's A4 office print range with Brother devices, as businesses adapt print estates for hybrid and decentralised work.

The agreement builds on the companies' existing relationship in the US. In Canada, Ricoh will offer the Brother Exclusive Series as part of its portfolio, serving as the sales and service channel for a broader set of desktop and small workgroup printers alongside its existing A4 models.

Hybrid work has increased demand for compact devices that fit smaller offices and home workspaces. A Robert Half survey cited by the companies found that 53% of Canadian employers offer hybrid options to those in leadership roles. It also found that a further third offer hybrid options to all regular employees, regardless of seniority.

This shift has led to more distributed printing, with devices spread across multiple sites rather than concentrated in a central office. It has also increased the need for consistent fleet management and security controls across locations and user groups.

Ricoh will add the full Brother Exclusive Series lineup to its A4 portfolio. The companies cited models including the Brother MFC-L6915DW and Brother HL-L6415DW. Ricoh's existing A4 range includes models such as the Ricoh IM C320F and Ricoh P C375.

Portfolio expansion

The alliance is positioned as a way for organisations to procure a broader A4 fleet from a single supplier. Ricoh will present Brother's desktop printers as part of a unified offering aimed at customers that prefer one service relationship for purchasing, device support, and print policy management.

The companies also emphasised cost and operational simplicity. Smaller A4 devices often sit closer to users in satellite offices, clinics, branch locations, and home environments. As fleets grow, management overhead can increase if tools and contracts differ by site.

Ricoh will adapt its print management platform, Ricoh Streamline NX, to support Brother devices covered by the agreement. Print management platforms typically provide user authentication, job accounting, policy enforcement, and reporting, along with a single point of administration across multiple device models.

Sector focus

The expanded range targets document-intensive workplaces that still rely on paper workflows alongside digital systems. The companies pointed to healthcare, legal, financial services, and retail as examples of environments with mixed printing needs, including frontline roles and compliance-driven document handling.

In these sectors, organisations often balance centralised multifunction devices with smaller printers for local needs. That mix can reflect space constraints, security rules that limit document movement, or operational demands that require printing close to point-of-service locations.

Scott Dabice, Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Operations, Ricoh North America, said the alliance reflects changing workplace patterns and demand for more flexible device choice.

"Organisations across Canada are reshaping their workplaces to accommodate modern workstyles, and they need flexible print solutions that support distributed teams without adding complexity," said Scott Dabice, Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Operations, Ricoh North America.

He said the expanded A4 range would provide more options for customers buying through Ricoh.

"By expanding our A4 portfolio to include the Brother Exclusive Series, we're giving customers more choice, more value, and more ways to build print environments that fit the way people work today. Partnering with Brother augments our ability to deliver scalable, secure, and affordable solutions through a single provider, and we're excited for the new possibilities we will bring to customers, together," said Dabice.

Tania Goffredo, Senior Director, Product Planning, Brother International Corporation-Canada, said the arrangement broadens distribution for the Exclusive Series through Ricoh's channel and services footprint.

"Brother is proud to collaborate with Ricoh to bring our Exclusive Series to even more businesses across Canada," said Tania Goffredo, Senior Director, Product Planning, Brother International Corporation-Canada.

She said the alliance aligns Brother's devices with Ricoh's workflow and fleet management approach.

"This alliance combines Brother's proven reliability and cost-effective technology with Ricoh's deep expertise in workflow optimization. Together, we're helping organizations of all sizes support hybrid and remote workplaces with compact, high-performance devices that deliver exceptional productivity and long-term value," said Goffredo.

Under the agreement, Canadian customers buying A4 devices through Ricoh will have access to Brother desktop printers alongside Ricoh A4 models, with Ricoh Streamline NX adapted for use across the combined fleet.