FT vs. GL Series: Choosing the Right Inkjet for Your Workflow

At RISO, we understand that every print environment has its own unique rhythm. Whether you are managing a busy school office, a high-volume mailroom, or a commercial production floor, the goal is always the same: maximum productivity with minimum environmental impact.

Both our ComColor FT and GL series are powered by our heatless FORCEJET™ technology, providing the sustainable, ultra-fast inkjet performance RISO is known for. However, they are engineered to excel in different areas of the professional landscape.

If you are is printing more than 6,000,000 prints over the contract, you will need a GL (10 million lifespan).

1. The Core Philosophy

Both series use RISO’s signature FORCEJET™ technology—which is essentially a cold, high-speed inkjet process. Because they don’t use heat (unlike traditional toner printers), they are incredibly reliable and eco-friendly.

• The FT Series is your “Reliable Workhorse.” It’s designed for high-volume office environments that need a balance of speed, compact size, and cost-efficiency.
• The GL Series is the “High-Speed Specialist.” It is built for intense production environments where time is the most expensive resource.

2. Speed: The Pulse of the Machine

The most immediate difference is how fast they move paper.

• FT Series: Ranges from 100 to 140 pages per minute (ppm). For most offices, this is already lightning-fast—about double the speed of a standard office copier.
• GL Series: Reaches up to 165 ppm (140 & 165ppm). In a production setting, those extra 25+ pages every minute add up to thousands of extra documents over a single shift.

3. Ink & Colour Quality

While both produce professional-grade documents, they handle colour slightly differently:

Feature	ComColor FT Series	ComColor GL Series
Ink System	Standard CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black).	Features an additional Gray ink.
Visual Result	Vibrant, clear, and perfect for standard business documents.	Superior gradients and “blacker” blacks, making images look more sophisticated.
Best Use	Newsletters, forms, and general office mailers.	High-end direct mail transactional and trans-promo documents, where aesthetics matter more.

4. Footprint and Power

• FT (The Compact Solution): It has a smaller physical footprint that the GL so if space is of a premium then the FT is ideal.
• GL (The Production Powerhouse): It’s a slightly larger machine and can be configured with heavy-duty finishing options, like high-capacity feeders & stackers that aren’t available on the FT Series. It’s designed for the “Print Room” rather than the “Corner Office.”

5. Summary for the Client

Think of the FT Series as a premium SUV: it’s fast, incredibly reliable, fits in a standard garage, and handles every daily task you throw at it with ease.

The GL Series is like a Formula 1 car: it’s built for maximum speed and precision. If your business depends on moving massive amounts of paper in the shortest time possible with the highest visual clarity, the GL is your winner.