Ricoh Co. Ltd. has reached an agreement to buy Costa Mesa, CA-based manufacturer of direct-to-garment (DTG) printers AnaJet, which will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Ricoh Printing Systems America Inc.

Previously, Ricoh has focused on office and commercial print technologies. The addition of the AnaJet portfolio is a move to help the company further its position in the industrial inkjet printhead market. AnaJet, founded in 2006, will continue to operate under its current name, management team and capabilities, which currently include more than 50 employees at its U.S. headquarters.

“With the addition of AnaJet, our collective customers benefit from a larger support team … and access to a services-led portfolio of solutions to help them grow their business,” said Junichi Matsuno, general manager of Ricoh’s Inkjet Business Division. “AnaJet already possesses a reputation as a leader in direct-to-garment printing and as such, it is a great complement to Ricoh’s broad portfolio.”

Ricoh and AnaJet have partnered in recent years, including AnaJet’s use of Ricoh’s Gen IV printheads in its mPower series of direct to garment printers. The result is that the majority of AnaJet products incorporate Ricoh’s printheads. “We’re very pleased to announce that this acquisition will provide our expanding customer base with the services of a global leader in Ricoh,” said Karl Tipre, CEO of AnaJet.