Ricoh Gen5 MH5420 Water-Based Printhead – 500 mm Cable (J36004)

The Ricoh Gen5 MH5420 is a genuine, Japanese-made industrial piezo printhead, and this version is engineered for water-based (aqueous) inks with the longer 500mm cable assembly. Its current Ricoh part number is J36004, which supersedes the earlier code N221414K — both designate the same long-cable aqueous head, so a machine whose paperwork still lists N221414K takes this part as its direct replacement. The extended cable suits printers whose carriage sits farther from the drive board, where a short-cable head simply would not reach.

Designed around aqueous chemistry rather than UV or solvent inks, this head is built for water-based production — most commonly textile and dye-sublimation printing, where rich colour reproduction and crisp detail on fabric are essential. It holds 1,280 nozzles and prints at a native 600 dpi, with variable grayscale producing droplets from 7 to 35 picoliters (7pl native) for smooth gradients and clean fine lines. A jetting frequency of up to 60 kHz keeps production moving, while the integrated heater and thermistor maintain stable ink viscosity for repeatable results across extended runs.

Like the rest of the Gen5 family, the J36004 is made to endure. A stainless-steel body, nickel-alloy internals, and a coated stainless-steel nozzle plate resist corrosion and wear, helping the head stay clog-free over a long service life — each nozzle is rated for up to 100 billion firing cycles. As an original Ricoh component, it arrives factory-sealed with its own serial number and the manufacturer’s warranty, and it is typically supplied with removable hose-barb ink inlets for straightforward integration into aqueous ink-delivery systems.

This long-cable aqueous head is found in a range of water-based wide-format and textile machines, including ATP Color DFP1320 and DPP740 G5, DIP J4, Hollanders ColorBooster 230 and 250, and MTEX Turbo Sub.

Compatible Printers

ATP Color — DFP1320, DPP740 G5
DIP — J4
Hollanders — ColorBooster 230, ColorBooster 250
MTEX — Turbo Sub

Compatibility list is compiled from multiple suppliers and may not be exhaustive. Please confirm against the part number on your machine’s original printhead before ordering.