We got a new Ricoh multi-function color laser printer a few days ago.  The initial setup was easy and straightforward.  But then it was time to log in as an administrator and continue the setup.  After spending several hours tracking down the relevant information, I thought I’d share it in one concise document. This article shows you how to set up your new Ricoh printer, copier, or multi-function device so you can use it with administrator privileges.

Our device is a Ricoh SP C360SNFw.  There may be slight differences in the web management console.  But the fundamentals remain the same.  So launch a browser, connect to the device, and you’ll see something like this:

Web management console (click for larger image)

The login link is in tiny type at the top right corner of that screen.  Click it:

Login page (click for larger image)

Oops!  You need a password.  (Even I could guess the default name was admin.)  I tried “password,” “admin” and a few others.  No luck.  Eventually I stumbled on a nifty website that lists thousands of default passwords for a wide range of printers, scanners, etc.

Default password websitre (click for larger image)

Looking up Ricoh and picking another device that started with SP, I saw this:

Ricoh default password (click for larger image)

That’s right.  The default admin login password is blank.  Leave the password field empty and you can login as administrator.

That doesn’t sound real secure.  You’ll want to change the password.  It turns out there is one item buried on the Configuration screen that will let you do this:

Ricoh change admin password (click for larger image)

Click the circled link:

Ricoh new password screen (click for larger image)

The only gotcha after this is that you have to click OK on this screen and the one that comes up after this.

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