Developing the Next Generation of Printing Industry Professionals
Offering real-world experience and insight into an industry can be a valuable component to any educational pursuit. Practical learning complements classroom instruction by providing a more representative perspective of the day-to-day aspects of a career. To that end, Canon Solutions America recently expanded its University Inkjet Program (UIP), a unique blend of classroom and real-world experience for college students considering a career in print production. Part of the company’s ongoing initiatives to help develop the next generation of printing industry professionals, the program now includes students at Clemson University, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and Arizona State University (ASU).
To date, the University Inkjet Program has offered approximately 200 students practical experience and insight into modern print industry trends. Through collaborative activities, the students can see firsthand how the business of production printing operates, the role played by production print service providers, and how the industry continues to evolve.
A first-class program’s first class
In 2019, the program was initiated as a pilot project by category product specialist Valentina Echavarria and Melody Ownby at Clemson, their alma mater. Their vision has now expanded to offer even more students opportunities to learn about potential careers in production print, an accomplishment that earned them the 2021 Girls Who Print Rising Star Award.
The following year, Canon Solutions America officially joined forces with Clemson University’s Department of Graphic Communications to establish the first-ever University Inkjet Program as part of the school’s curriculum. The course aimed to not only educate students about the industry and career possibilities in print production but also about emerging inkjet technology from Canon.
Learning beyond the classroom
As part of the curriculum, the Clemson students had an opportunity to tour a print production facility owned and operated by Canon inkjet customer Bob Jones University (BJU) Press. During the tour, they observed top-of-the-line industry printers in action, including the Canon ColorStream 6000 web-fed inkjet press with Hunkeler Gen8 Cut-Stack and a Canon imagePRESS C910 toner press, as well as PRISMAproduction workflow.
Continuing to build on the program’s initial success, Clemson students recently visited Amsive, another Canon Solutions America customer, which employs both a ColorStream 6000 web-fed inkjet press and a varioPRINT i300 sheetfed inkjet press. Seeing a production print operation in action allows students to connect their in-classroom learning to a real-world experience and envision the career possibilities for themselves.
“Thanks to Canon, we were able [to make a site visit], where our students appreciated the realities of everyday printing in a fast-paced production environment,” said Dr. Eric Weisenmiller, associate professor of graphic communications in Clemson’s College of Business. “This helped make further connections in their existing contexts of thinking acquired through classroom learning and internship experiences—which is invaluable prep for anyone pursuing a career in the graphic communications industry.”
Expanding the impact
After starting the University Inkjet Program with Clemson, Canon Solutions America brought a print curriculum to RIT and the school’s Typography and Page Design program in 2021. As part of that program, students took a virtual tour of the state-of-the-art Canon Americas Customer Innovation Center in Boca Raton, Florida, where they were able to see Canon's inkjet technology in use. The students were also given the opportunity to hear from members of the executive board of thINK, an independent community of inkjet users, solution partners, and printing experts.
To conclude the program, RIT students were given the opportunity to apply the concepts they learned to an actual project—developing a booklet to be printed on one of Canon's inkjet presses. The students were required to create a brand for an imaginary high-end company and design a magalog application (a promotional catalog or sales brochure designed to resemble a high-quality magazine) that shows the company's products. In preparation, class time included video workshops presented by Canon’s experts in the print, photo, and design fields. Canon also provided access to Getty Images for student use.
The 24-page student booklets were praised for their layouts and technical proficiency by Irma Abu-Jumah, a lecturer in RIT’s Graphic Media Science and Technology program, who has extensive industry experience as a graphic designer and a print production expert.
“The students were amazing; they created beautiful layouts and combined all their resources utilizing the proper techniques, great images, and original text,” said Abu-Jumah.
Developing a new class of industry professionals
Now, building on the University Inkjet Program’s successful start, Arizona State University is offering a semester-long initiative that has already given students an up-close look at print production in action. Student recently toured Phoenix-based Canon Solutions American customer District Photo, which employs a Canon ProStream 1800 web-fed inkjet press.
“The Canon Solutions America University Inkjet Program has been a wonderful complement to our ASU GIT 250 Introduction to Commercial Print Technology course curriculum,” said Patricia Perigo, faculty associate of graphic information technology. “The informative virtual lectures by the Canon team have brought the latest in their technology into the classroom. This has been an immersive and excellent complement to our curriculum. The partnership with the Canon team has brought another tangible real-world experience to our Graphic Information Technology program that extends our own ASU Print and Imaging Lab and digital printing rotation.”
All three schools have worked to make the University Inkjet Program a success and a value to their students.
“Developing the industry’s next generation of leaders is important for ensuring a promising future,” said Francis McMahon, executive vice president, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America. “We are excited to include all three universities in the program and help their students obtain hands-on learning experiences that expand classroom instruction as Canon looks to push the graphic communications industry forward.”
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