Ricoh P 501: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Ricoh P 501 right for you?

The P 501 replaced the SP 4510DN as Ricoh's 45 ppm departmental mono printer and brings a proper colour touchscreen, locked print and user-code authentication to a single-function device. Toner yield jumps to 14,000 pages with a 60,000-page drum, so cost per page is genuinely low in high-volume settings. Wi-Fi and NFC are optional cards rather than standard, which is the most common surprise for buyers replacing consumer hardware.

Best for: Departments needing fast secure mono printing with pull printing

Setting up the Ricoh P 501

Add the printer by IP with the Ricoh PCL6 Universal Driver, which exposes locked print, user codes and tray selection; PostScript 3 is a separate download for Adobe workflows. Web Image Monitor is where you enable HTTPS, disable unused protocols such as FTP and Telnet, and set SNMPv3. Locked Print jobs are released at the touchscreen by entering the user code set in the driver's Job Type tab.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the toner cartridge and drum unit, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Ricoh's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Ricoh P 501 uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• Ricoh P 501 high-yield toner (14,000 pages)
• P 501 photoconductor unit (60,000 pages)

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications