Rath describes these professionals (who gave tours of their operations to PELT participants) as “very honest” about their businesses and the future of the printing industry as well. He reports that he and his fellow students asked many tough questions about starting pay, highest possible eventual pay, whether there are typically layoffs during slow times of year, and much more, and he says all questions “were answered honestly and succinctly, so as to not give students an unrealistic view.”

Another PELT graduate, Hossein Hosseinian, explains PELT confirmed for him that a career in the print industry would be an exciting opportunity for him to put his cabinet-making experience to good use. “As I learned more about printing, I saw it matched my skills,” says Hosseinian, who is now working in production at Great Little Box Company, also in Richmond. “It felt like a good change for me. I learned about different materials and how to design.”

PELT, now entering its fourth year, is offered through PrintForward Printing and Imaging Association of B.C. and its Next Generation Task Force. Funding is provided by the federal government through the Canada-B.C. Workforce Development Agreement, under the Ministry of Post Secondary Education and Future Skills through the Community Workforce Response Training Grants. PELT is delivered by the NorthWest Skills Institute (NWSI), which offers a wide range of vocational certificate programs and health and safety training.

PELT covers all aspects of the industry from the history of print, production processes, bindery, printing presses, and prepress skills to job readiness.

With over 40 graduates and a job placement rate of 85 per cent, PELT continues to be a highly successful way of easing recruitment pressures and bringing new vitality to B.C.’s print industry. According to PELT program director Jennifer McConnell (who’s also director of operations at Royal Printers in New Westminster, B.C.), the program model has the potential to be replicated across Canada.

This model, a free, honest, and jam-packed introduction to the sector, requires participants to apply for full-time print industry jobs at graduation. It also provides job application training and assistance with job application submission. Rath explains that “revising my resume, coaching me on how to ace job interviews and even how to act after being hired (e.g. attend all social events held by the employer; don’t be anti-social),  was all invaluable information. I credit this to NWSI having direct contact with those employed in the printing industry for several decades. NWSI did not just give general advice.”

Rath also very much appreciated that he didn’t have to demonstrate the reasons why he was seeking job retraining in order to be accepted to PELT. Incidentally, Rath’s reason for taking PELT was to try something new, and because, as an experienced graphic designer and operator in the sign industry, he was frustrated. “No matter the position for which I was hired over the past few years, I was soon transferred to installation,” he says. “This is because most sign installers have long since left for the far more lucrative careers in the construction industry.”

Hosseinian was looking for a new career where he could apply existing skills and thought PELT looked interesting. Some students like Rath are also able to access financial support through WorkBC, free transit passes and more.

Weekly tours to local printing companies exposed PELT students to different print environments and how they can apply their skills in the corporate world.

Rath strongly valued the help with job applications, which led to him being employed very soon after PELT completion. “I very much appreciated that the NWSI applied for several jobs within the local printing industry on my behalf,” he says. “These jobs were based on my past work experience, and on in-class cleanliness, attendance, punctuality, and comprehension of class material. Thus, the potential employer was getting the real picture of my capabilities, while I felt confident the potential employer was not a flash in the pan or only interested in hiring temporary employees for the busiest season.”

Sector needs

NWSI senior program manager Cormac O’Reilly applauds the Next Generation Task Force and PrintForward team for leading the charge with this program in order to address the looming print industry labour shortage. “As part of curriculum development, the NWSI team visited and spoke with a number of PrintForward employer members to understand their needs, and the skills required for a person to start work within this sector,” he says.

From “this invaluable insight and input,” PELT was born. It covers all aspects of the industry right from the history of print, print production processes and planning, bindery, printing presses, creative suite prepress skills, packaging and mail, safety, Kaizen, and as mentioned, job readiness. Guest speakers are an important aspect of PELT, along with weekly tours to local printing companies that expose students to different print environments and how their training would be applied in real-life situations. “The tours were also a great way to help students see what type of printing company or opportunity they would like to get into following completion of the training,” says O’Reilly.

PELT is a free 10-week program packed with hands-on training, guest lectures, and tours of printing facilities in B.C.

PELT has also evolved over its three iterations, incorporating feedback from students and employers. “As a result, more tours, more hands-on projects and more guest speakers have been included,” O’Reilly reports.

Further, excellence in instructors continues to be a critical part of PELT. Sarah Dakiniewicz, owner of Stationery Bike Designs, is PELT’s newest. “My hope is to imbue my passion for print onto the next generation of print industry leaders,” she says. “I am looking forward to lending my experience and expertise to help fill in gaps we’re currently experiencing in the workforce. PELT is an integral component for our industry to not only survive, but to also thrive.”

The 2023 cohort of PELT with advisors and instructors.

National rollout?

With the print industry’s current labour state, no one could argue that a successful program like PELT would be useful across Canada. “We know the B.C. printing sector is not the only province facing challenges,” says O’Reilly. “With a proven training model, there is an opportunity to help expand the program nationally and ensure the amazing skills of experienced professionals are passed down to the next generation before they retire.”

Rath and Hosseinian are also in full support of the program going countrywide. Hosseinian notes that “my journey from cabinet making to printing underscores the potential for individuals from diverse backgrounds to find their niche in this industry. A national program would not only bridge skill gaps, but also encourage career transitions and foster a more diverse and skilled workforce.”

Types of training covered

COJG covers:

• college or university courses;
• school board courses;
• union-based training courses;
• vendor product courses;
• fees by training providers; and
• mandatory student fees, textbooks, software and other required materials for all approved courses and examination fees.

Funding amount

The funding depends on the number of employees.

Companies with less than 100 employees

If your company has less than 100 T4 employees, COJG will cover 80 per cent of the training costs to a maximum of $10,000 per employee. For example, if a company spent $11,900 on training an employee, they would receive the maximum training grant amount of $10,000. Therefore, the employer would only be incurring $1,900 in expenses.

Companies with more than 100 employees

If your company has more that 100 T4 employees, COJG covers 50 per cent of the training costs to a maximum of $10,000 per employee. For example, if a company spent $20,000 on training an employee, they would receive the maximum training grant amount of $10,000 per employee.

Payment

Proof of payment needs to be provided to the government to receive reimbursement for training costs. It takes at least six weeks to receive your training COJG funding.

Application timeline

A grant is a limited amount of funding that must be approved before any expenditures are made. If you apply for COJG when training is in process, or after you complete the training, your company will be ineligible. You need to apply for COJG and get it approved before the training starts.

Once the COGJ funds are given out for the year, even if your company qualifies for the funding, you will not be able to get funding. For example, your company applies for funding for HR courses at a local college, which will be taking place in four months. While your company meets all the COJG criteria, you will not receive any funding if all COJG funds were given out for the government’s current fiscal year. You will need to wait until the next year.

COJG opens at the start of the government fiscal year, which is April 1 ^st and ends March 31^st of the following year. It is recommended you apply for all required training as soon as possible to ensure funding.

Application procedure

The COJG application can be found on the Ministry of Colleges, Universities and Training website.

Once the COJG application form is completed, you submit it online, and someone from the government will be in touch with you. The government representative will review the application and ask for any additional details they need. The approval decision on your COJG application will be made within a few weeks of your meeting with the government representative. Employers may apply for funding on an annual basis.  

Bonny Koabel, CPA, CGA, is president of AKR Consulting Canada, which specializes in government grants.

That’s the value of industry associations, peer groups and mentors. Mentoring arrangements can be formal or informal. Informal can include working with someone who has knowledge, skill, and experience that you recognize and value. The person may agree to establishing an organized arrangement, which could be meeting for coffee periodically, and discussing business issues and challenges. It’s important that the purpose of the relationship and objectives are discussed, otherwise it would appear that the mentee is just using the mentor for information and advice.

When I was with a major financial institution, there was a formal mentoring program. People would volunteer to be mentors, indicate their interests and skills, and provide some background information. Mentees would also do the same and would be matched with a prospective mentor. In addition to business discussions, other issues like challenges related to being a woman, or ethnic minority in the workplace, may be discussed. If this is a requirement, then matching someone who has faced similar challenges would be preferred.

Many people do not realize, but mentoring arrangements are useful at all stages of our careers. The needs and focus may change, but the process is beneficial for many. Also, being a mentor to someone does not mean that you cannot also have a mentor of your own.

Print Wisdom

Students at the Toronto Metropolitan University can participate in the Print Wisdom mentorship program. This is a formal program available for second- to fourth-year students. Students register and provide a profile with their areas of interest, goals and indicate if a specific demographic profile for a mentor is preferred.

Each student is matched with a mentor and specific goals, objectives, and meeting frequency is established. 

Natalia Lumby, chair, Graphic Communications Management program said, “Mentors provide a new perspective into future careers and are another friendly face in this important transition time for students.”

Helping someone who is investing four years of their life to prepare for the graphic communications industry bridge the gap from an academic environment to how the technology and processes are managed in the business environment is an important task.

There can be discussion on companies in the different segments of the industry, application and challenges with technology, materials, people, approaches, and outcomes. Getting ready for a career will also involve making decisions on industry segments, roles, and responsibilities and how to navigate a career path.

Throughout this process it is important to respect confidentiality. Mentors are not to share confidential company information, and mentees must be aware they may be gaining insights that should not be shared.

After talking to many mentors for the GCM program, Lumby also commented, “Mentors are also often surprised by how energizing and fulfilling giving back can be.”

If you are interested in becoming a mentor for a student or another industry person, please contact me. Remember, many of the students are young women and would really enjoy connecting with women who have been in the industry for a few years and would be willing to spend some time and share insights.

To summarize, as Michelle Obama said, “Mentorship is not just about sharing advice, but also about sharing experiences and lessons learned.”   

Bob Dale is co-founder of Connecting for Results. He can be reached at b.dale@cfrincorporated.com.

Currently available for the Speedmaster XL 105/106 and 145/162, Heidelberg’s Sheetfed Mechanical Maintenance and Sheetfed Electrical Maintenance courses are multi-phase training programs offered in the company’s Print Media Performance and Training Center (PMPTC) located at its North American headquarters in Kennesaw, GA. Depending on the course, participants will develop a baseline understanding of the multiple mechanical and mechatronic systems or electrical control systems throughout the press. Each course lasts five days and will have a maximum of six participants to ensure proper comprehensive training. Level 1 trainings are designed to introduce the basics of mechanical and electrical training while Level 2 is designed to turn participants into “first responders” to address press maintenance issues.

“We’ve been asked by our customers about how they can better develop their workforce,” said Mike Koeberlein, director, global solution centre for Heidelberg USA. “This type of training – specific to press repair and maintenance – has been a real need across the industry for years.”

Participants of the training will also be better equipped to speak with Heidelberg’s technical help desk about issues as they arise. While other operator training courses offered at Heidelberg’s PMPTC are free, there is a charge for the Sheetfed Mechanical & Electrical Training programs.

“We looked at the cost of a service call and the customers’ downtime,” said Koeberlein. “With suction head repair, for example, the best-case scenario is a part arrives to the customer, and the service tech arrives for installation next day. They’ve already lost 12-14 hours. If we can talk someone through the repair that’s been through training, they’ve saved a half day of production, which is a huge return on investment.”

Looking ahead, Heidelberg intends to offer Level 3 classes as participants complete the initial two levels. The company is also looking to add maintenance training courses for its line of press peripherals, UV presses, and potentially, smaller press sizes based on demand and availability. Private classes for larger groups of participants from the same company are available upon request. “This isn’t a ‘one and done’ type of thing,” said Koeberlein. “We want a developmental approach for our training so people can continue to grow in their skills.”

To register for available training dates, please contact your local Heidelberg sales representative or visit www.heidelberg.com/HUS_Maintenance_Training.

“The NAPIM Summer Course is an exceptionally unique educational opportunity which appeals to both experienced ink technicians and those new to the field. The scope and depth of the course is unmatched by any other course or seminar. This is the course to learn about printing ink,” says George Fuchs, director of regulatory affairs and technology for NAPIM. 

During the five full days of education, program experts will cover where, how, and why raw materials are used, discuss formulation testing, and application of printing inks linked to raw materials characteristics, and provide first-hand exposure to printing presses (offset, flexo, and digital). 

The 2022 Summer Course will be available to both members and non-members of NAPIM. However, space is limited. Information on hotel and travel costs can be found on the registration page. To learn more, visit www.napim.org.

• Adriana Ciocci, (PhD, history and philosophy of science);
• Sophie Edelhart (PhD, Yiddish);
• Katie Middleton (MI, Faculty of Information);
• Massey Fellow William Layng (PhD, English literature); and
• Massy Fellow Zoe Hellenier (MSc, archaeology).

Zoe is apprenticing with Don Taylor in bookbinding.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, PrintAction has created a podcast series focusing on some of the important developments in the industry.

In the fourth episode of the series, Nithya Caleb, editor of PrintAction, chats with Martin Habekost, chair of the School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM) at Ryerson University, and Ian Baitz, a former chair of the school, about the key role GCM is playing in training the industry’s next-generation leaders.

Listen to the episode below!

This podcast series is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or any other podcast app that you use.

“Last year we announced our first virtual Fundamentals Seminar Series course, the Fundamentals of Color and Appearance. We are excited to announce that the second course, Fundamentals of Instrumentation and Quality Control (FIQC), is now online, too,” said Raj Shah, vice-president of marketing, X-Rite and Pantone. “Together these courses provide a mix of colour theory and practical information to help attendees implement colour measurement and quality standards across their workflows and supply chains.”

The Online Fundamentals Seminar is a two-course series with more than 10 hours of video instruction taught by X-Rite colour experts. To enhance the remote training experience, attendees have access to a discussion board and a live Q&A with an X-Rite colour expert. The seminar is suitable for anyone who works with or specifies colour, including quality control professionals, lab technicians, part suppliers, product developers, designers and manufacturers.

To register, visit https://www.xrite.com/fundamentals-of-instrumentation-and-quality-control-online and https://www.xrite.com/fundamentals-of-color-and-appearance-online.

Located in downtown Toronto, Eva’s Print Shop is a social enterprise and a digital printing company. The print shop also trains homeless and at-risk youth for jobs in the printing industry. It is a part of Eva’s Phoenix, a transitional housing and employment training facility. Both of these initiatives come under the umbrella of Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth—formally known as North York Emergency Home for Youth—that was founded in 1989.

“At-risk youth and those experiencing homelessness face additional barriers in accessing education and employment opportunities,” explained Jonathan Gault, manager of Eva’s Print Shop. “Eva’s provides housing and wraparound supports to help our young people break down these barriers and build brighter sustainable futures,” added Gault, who has been the manager for five years. He also has 10 years of prior work experience in the industry.

Training program

Eva’s Print Shop offers the Graphic Communications and Print Training Program, a 17-week course that’s divided into three sections to help students develop a sense for the craft and be ready for employment. Each section is the foundation for the next one, and they are divided into:

• work and employment skills training for five weeks;
• six-week training in Adobe Creative Suite; and
• six weeks of real work experience including supervised training in bindery, digital printing, prepress and customer service.

The program serves to give at-risk youth an opportunity to learn and gain work experience while earning a stipend. “All 17 weeks is paid, and participants receive an hourly wage,” said Gault. Eva’s also offers an Adobe training program with stipend for youth who do not want to attend the entire 17-week class.

Job opportunities

Additionally, the print shop helps students get jobs with some of their employment partners, such as Marquis Books Toronto, Symcor, Inc., and Staples Canada.

“This program helped me a lot. At my first interview, I was able to express myself and talk about my experience, which led me to obtain a position at a well-established printing company,” said a past participant of the program.

Industry needs

Since the program’s goal is to empower at-risk youth to succeed in the labour market, it offers training in the skills the printing industry needs. The students are trained to operate a digital printing press, wide-format mounting, laminating and trimming of a variety of paper products on a guillotine machine.

“It provides a good combination of soft skills, technical skills and real-world work experience,” said Gault. “The extra time spent problem solving, working with clients and completing hands-on work helps build our participants’ confidence.”

The print shop

Eva’s, like many companies, has been affected by the pandemic. However, the team managed to continue some aspects of the training.

“The work experience module continued partially online, as well as in-person with small numbers in order to maintain social distancing and keep our staff and participants safe,” said Gault.

Further, by implementing new measures, the print shop has been able to weather the economic downturn.

“New services, such as fully featured neighbourhood mail, personalized mailing, kitting, floor safe decals and stickers were able to make up some of the revenue we lost since the start of the pandemic,” explained Gault. “The continued support of our long-time clients has been essential to our survival as a business.”

As the world begins to recover from the pandemic, Gault plans to strengthen and expand Eva’s Print Shop’s ties with industry leaders and education partners in order to help provide employment options for at-risk youth.

• Young people entering the industry prefer creative or marketing roles instead of traditional industry roles like customer service, operations, estimating or sales.
• Many high schools with technical streams have eliminated printing programs, and only offer design courses.
• Increasing competitive pricing pressure is reducing profit margins, and usually training budgets are the first ones to be cut when profits are low.
• Skilled technical operators are reaching retirement and fewer people are being trained to replace them.
• Industry apprenticeships and formal training programs and facilities are not available.
• With warehousing and fulfillment operations growing rapidly in large urban centres due to the unprecedented increase in online sales, finding staff for these functions is increasingly difficult, and more expensive.

Measures to take

The issues highlighted above affect all companies, and we need to work together to address them. Here are some suggestions to put ‘words into actions’.

Challenge 1: Attract young people to industry

There is a perception that “print is dying”. People also assume it’s a heavy hardware industry.

Actions to take

You can spread the message that printing is an exciting technology-driven industry. Associations must re-instate communication campaigns to promote industry as well as solicit support from industry and government.

Challenge 2: Skilled staff shortage

A majority of skilled print operators are in their 50s and 60s. Only few young staff members are developing the skills to replace these operators.

Actions to take

• Build succession plans for equipment operators and key operations staff.
• Invest in ongoing internal training programs.
• Cross train staff to ensure critical coverage.
• If located in a small community with a limited talent pool, recruit future talent from larger centres with incentives focused on quality lifestyle instead of financial rewards.

Challenge 3: Replacing staff using internal resources

Many companies don’t have dedicated HR staff, and for those that do, recruitment is only one of their duties and responsibilities.

Actions to take

Use recruitment channels that focus on the talent sought. This includes social media and recruitment jobsites, and industry-specific recruiters.

Challenge 4: Training staff

While it will be easy to ask current operators to train staff, there will be concerns about the quality.

Actions to take

• Develop, document and implement formal processes for training programs.
• Current team members may conduct the training, but they should be monitored by supervisors or HR

Challenge 5: Apprenticeship programs

As mentioned earlier, the lack of apprenticeship programs has reduced opportunities for technical training.

Actions to take

• Support community colleges that offer fundamental training programs.
• Engage with program leaders; offer support with supplies, facility tours and engagement.

This is a great industry, and regardless of our position or role, each of us can do something to improve the status quo, and make more people aware of the opportunities in the printing world.

Bob Dale and Heather Black are with Connecting for Results, Inc. They can be reached at info@connectingforresults.com.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of PrintAction.

The annual scholarship program, supported by donations from endowment investors and industry leaders through the Printing United Alliance Foundation, provides financial support to students planning a future in the printing and graphic arts industry.

The Printing United Alliance Scholarship Program grants a total of $50,000 in educational assistance to graphic communications students around the world for the 2021-22 academic year. Students receiving the scholarship are enrolled to attend a Printing United Alliance Educational Member college or university full time (12 or more credits) for the Fall 2021 semester, and are committed to pursuing a career in graphic communications, printing technology or printing management. Recipients must also have maintained a cumulative 3.0 grade point average or higher on a 4.0 scale.

“We are enthusiastic in the interest we receive for the Printing United Alliance Scholarship Program from students around the world year over year,” says Ford Bowers, CEO, Printing United Alliance. “In a time when industry fortitude is most important, the continued desire for students in printing and graphic arts to study the latest technology and innovations is a healthy sign for the future generation of this industry. We congratulate those who have worked hard diligently to be selected for this scholarship.”

At the beginning of this past academic year, it was decided the colloquium would be held virtually from March 11 to 12, 2021. This was the first time in the colloquium’s history that the event would not be held in person. As one can imagine, there are many elements to planning a digital conference that differ from an in-person event. Although the team had some challenges, many new opportunities also became available.
With an online event, we had the opportunity to expand our audience from Ryerson alone to worldwide! Our team was very determined to take advantage of this opportunity and strived to create an efficient and effective marketing strategy.

Theme
This year’s theme was Sustainability in the Graphic Arts, which explored both the creative and operational issues surrounding sustainability. The two-day event included a panel, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities. It was a very insightful event that highlighted the many sustainable initiatives companies are taking to ensure the health of the planet and its future.

Many firsts
Colloquium 2021 was a series of firsts for our team. This involved incorporating new technologies, such as Menti, Trello, Zoom and Rally, that helped us break our own records. We broke all previous records concerning total event registrations and had 170 attendees on day one and 180 on day two. The attendee locations included Canada, U.S.A., U.K., Pakistan and India. Our team also created an immaculate Snapchat filter with 921 views, 559 plays and 47 shares.

Panel discussions
Throughout the two-day conference, 11 speakers touched upon different elements of sustainability. They represented companies, such as Goldfin Consulting, Simpson Print, SwissQprint, Loop, Walmart, Hemlock, Marks, SGS & Co., PAC Next and Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP). An education panel discussion was held on the second day of the conference. Most of the questions were about the pandemic’s impact on the industry, sustainability myths and misconceptions. Visit www.gcmcolloquium.com/news to learn more about the individual presentations and watch recordings.
Working toward a more sustainable future is not a solo task, as we all need to continue collaborating. The 2021 Colloquium team would like to thank all of our sponsors, speakers, viewers and supporters who helped us create a successful and eye-opening event. As a final farewell, we hope to have planted a sustainable initiative seed, and are excited to watch them grow in companies and households.

Brittany Vucinic recently graduated from the Graphic Communications Management program at Ryerson University. Vucinic was part of the Colloquium team for the entire duration of her degree and was the marketing vice-president during her final year. She can be reached at brittany.vucinic@ryerson.ca.

“Visual colour consistency across all marketing media of a brand – whether online or print – is key for a successful brand recognition,” explains Kiran Deshpande, global senior expert colour management at Siegwerk. “A uniform colour management process based on the G7 methodology offers brand owners a proven concept to ensure an effective quality management even throughout a complex print supply chain.”

Under the new partnership, Siegwerk’s certified G7 experts will now help to qualify providers of print, creative, and prepress services in the G7 methodology by offering G7 Master Qualifications through Idealliance for its customers worldwide.

The G7 methodology is Idealliance’s set of specifications for CMYK printing process for ensuring a common visual appearance in all printed elements across multiple devices and facilities.

Broad knowledge of graphic arts technology is an asset. The appointment shall be effective July 1, 2021, for a one-year term, subject to final budgetary approval.

The successful candidate must hold a minimum of a terminal degree in graphic communications (such as a M.Sc.) with a strong knowledge base in the field of graphic communications management.

For more information and to apply, visit https://hr.cf.ryerson.ca/ams/faculty/preview.cfm?posting_id=541270.

These multi-day, live training events equip participants with the knowledge, experience, and ability to implement and manage G7, colour management, and process control across all four-colour (CMYK) print technology.

With nine new opportunities to choose from, spanning multiple time zones and being offered in English, Spanish and Mandarin/Cantonese, these trainings benefit global audiences. Course registration is available online. Discounts are available for Idealliance members.

“Brands and print buyers demand consistency and colour quality, regardless of where in the world or how their products are printed,” said Jordan Gorski, executive director, Idealliance. “The continued demand for training around the world is helping to drive the global growth of the G7 methodology.”

The six-week course is a high-impact sales coaching program for companies and professionals in the printing industry who need to learn or refresh their sales performance and expertise. The class begins May 19, 2021, and runs through June 23 with one live session per week.

Participants can also opt to include customized one-on-one sales coaching to complement the virtual class sessions.

“Master the Art of Selling” includes weekly live classes and coaching option with Leslie Groene, president, Groene Consulting.

The registration fee is $399 for APTech members and $499 for non-members for the full six-week master class. A discount is also available for multiple class seats for people from the same company. Inquire with Julie Shaffer about this offer.

To register for the course, visit https://www.bigmarker.com/series/aptech-master-art-of-selling/series_summit.

Looking ahead

While overall industry employment has declined in the past 15 years, it is projected that:

• The rate of decline is expected to flatten for the next 10 years.
• Skilled trade workers are retiring faster than they are being replaced.
• The packaging industry will experience significant annual growth.
• There will be an increased need for higher skilled workers with new technology.
• There will be a greater need for knowledge workers as communication channels become more integrated.
• The majority of graduates from post-secondary programs that provide industry-specific training will continue to receive multiple job offers and higher compensation rates.

While government programs have not continued to assist in recruiting more skilled and talented workers, other organizations are doing something positive to help the industry.

Canadian Print Scholarships 

Under the direction of Chair Jeff Ekstein and the board of trustees, the Canadian Print Scholarships initiative, run by the Canadian Printing Industries Scholarship Trust Fund, works hard to help students attending post-secondary institutions across Canada. Currently it supports nine institutions across the country.

The total value of the scholarships issued is regularly between $75,000 – $100,000 per year. It is funded by industry sources and donations. There are many success stories from students who have received financial support through this great program.

Eva’s Print Shop

Another initiative that provides print industry skills training is Eva’s Print Shop, run by Eva’s Initiatives in Toronto. This program was started in partnership with Eva’s Initiatives and Rotary Club member Doug Dempsey, founder of Delta Web, in the 1990s and has continued with industry, corporate and charitable support.

Eva’s Phoenix is an emergency facility that provides homeless youths with shelter, transitional housing and programming to help young people build brighter futures free of homelessness. It provides the tools to transition out of homelessness permanently and collaborate and innovate to end youth homelessness.

The Phoenix Print Shop offers a Graphic Communication and Print Training Program, designed to provide homeless and at-risk youth with career preparation support and skills training to help overcome barriers to employment and access entry-level jobs in the print industry, which will allow them to secure housing and transition to independent living.

The Phoenix Print Shop seeks commercial work to help prepare youth experiencing homelessness for employment in the graphics and print sector. The organization reinvests every dollar of profit into shelter, food, caring support and basic needs for homeless youth.

While we can’t underestimate the challenges faced by the industry due to the economic impact of the pandemic, we also can’t forget that there is a bright future for the graphic communications industry and we need young, talented people to join us in this rewarding and exciting industry. There is sure to be bright future.

Bob Dale is vice-president of Connecting for Results, Inc. Bob has many years of graphic communication management experience, including over 15 years offering management consulting services, transition execution and support. He can be contacted at info@connectingforresults.com or visit https://connectingforresults.com.

This article was originally published in the December 2020 issue of PrintAction.

In an April 2 press release, PMC said the classroom will offer “the global audience a much-needed outlet for information gathering and sharing, interaction with key players, and a space to create new partnerships.”

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent ‘stay at home’ orders have caused industry events and meetings around the world to postpone or cancel, leaving businesses that have spent significant money and time creating information to share with the world without the platform to do so,” PMC said. “[PMC] is strategically positioned to provide a conduit for education through its independent global social media presence consisting of more than 99,000 approved members in the Print Production Professionals group on LinkedIn, more than 40,000 combined Twitter followers, and many more connections on additional platforms.”

“The best way to ensure that print life goes on is to…keep information flowing, help printers understand new possibilities available to them, and provide a strategic channel for manufacturers and suppliers to share information about the print technology, products and services they planned to launch at cancelled or postponed industry events,” said Deborah Corn, principal at PMC.

Request to join Print Production Professionals here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/107023/

The conference is not only for researchers to present their findings, but also for PIA InterTech Award winners to present their innovative solutions, while post-secondary students from Canada, the U.S. and France show off their work in the form of student journals. These student journals contain research work related to the graphic arts industry conducted by students. The TAGA student chapters compete for the Kipphan cup, awarded annually to the best student journal. The Ryerson TAGA, also known as RyeTAGA, is the sole Canadian student chapter and has won this cup six times in the past and went to the conference as the defending champion. Unfortunately the RyeTAGA student chapter did not defend the cup, but received an award for the best electronic publication portion of the journal. Meanwhile Ryerson University’s Graphic Communications Management (GCM) student Julia Forrester won the Harvey Levenson Undergraduate Student Paper Award for her paper on expanded gamut printing.

The conference always starts with four keynote presentations on the Sunday afternoon. The keynotes are there to inspire the attendees to think outside the world of graphic arts and printing. The first keynote was delivered by Jeff Gomez from Starlight Runner Entertainment, who spoke about immersive media being the new language of enchantment. Gomez talked about how successful storytelling is becoming more and more important. “For the past couple of decades, media has engaged our eyes and ears at the expense of our other senses. Lately, young people have been yearning for something more. They want to imagine. They want to touch,” he said. He told his story about how he became part of the world of printing, images and storytelling. According to Gomez, variable data printing will result in big revenue. This quote from his closing slide is very indicative of where things are headed: “We are now capable of surrounding people with digital communication and the graphic arts.”

The next keynote was presented by Dan Dennehy, Head of Visual Resources from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He spoke about new approaches to documenting cultural heritage. One of the challenges they face is the long-term readability of eBooks. Dennehy said Getty has developed a platform that allows an eBook to be produced in various formats. The most interesting part of this keynote was how the Minneapolis Institute of Arts uses photogrammetry to make many of their collection items that are not on display to the public. The items are first 3D scanned, and then the images are cleaned up and processed so the viewer can see the items through a computer or tablet. There is a range of challenges for 3D imaging, including: Colour accuracy, reflectivity and surface appearance, verification of geometric data and viewability across different platforms. The current library of 3D scanned items can be viewed at https://sketchfab.com/artsmia.

Fritz Horstman, Artist Residency and Education Coordinator at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, delivered the third keynote: A look at the interactivity of colour, art and teaching of Josef Albers. Horstman set the stage by sharing the historic background of how Josef Albers was part of the Bauhaus, first in Weimar (1919 – 1925) and then in Dessau (1925 – 1933), Germany. Josef Albers was running the preliminary course at the Bauhaus. In 1933, Albers immigrated to America and started to paint and work with colours. His signature series, Homage to the square, features three or four squares set inside each other, each in a different colour, with the squares slightly gravitating towards the bottom edge. Although this presentation was vastly different from the other keynotes, it provided attendees with an opportunity to think about how different colours and materials interact with each other, perhaps in a way they hadn’t thought about before. In my opinion this presentation highlighted where the roots for certain colour interactions were laid in the first third of the 20th century.

The last presentation, This is your brain on paper, was given by Daniel Dejan of Sappi Paper. He spoke passionately about how all the senses get engaged when you read on paper. Many studies have proven that there is a larger mnemonic (aiding or designed to aid the memory) retention when reading something on paper versus reading the same information on a screen. He noted the following as some of the benefits of reading on paper:

• Lowered heart rate and blood pressure,
• More in-depth reading/increased ability to absorb more information,
• Increased mnemonic retention, and
• Better understanding of the content.

When you read the same information on a digital device, you go into ‘skim mode’ and start searching for keywords. You are reading for speed, you have a lower retention rate and a diminished understanding of the content, Dejan noted. Print still has its checks and balances, while with digital, everything gets uploaded and there is no filter in regards to the content.

This concluded the Sunday keynotes. All were well received by the audience and many attendees struck up conversations with the presenters during the welcoming reception that followed the sessions.

The 2019 RyeTAGA group, comprised of third-year students from the Graphic Communications Management (GCM) program at Ryerson University, and chapter advisor Martin Habekost. Photo courtesy of Aidan Kahane.

The Monday and Tuesday of the TAGA conference were dedicated to presentations by industry and university researchers, as well as PIA InterTech Award winners. The presentation by Axel Fischer from Ingede, an organization that evaluates the deinkability of printed materials, focused on the deinkability of prints made with inkjet technology.

Fischer noted that if a batch of paper contains 2-percent water-based inkjet printed material, the batch will be unusable for deinking with the current process that is being used. Inkjet printed material that has been pretreated before inkjet ink hits the paper, preventing it from being absorbed into the fibres, can be deinked. As well, prints made with dry toner technology can also be deinked. He noted that prints made with cross-linked inks – inks that have been ‘dried’ by UV light exposure – pose a problem for deinking, meaning new digital print technologies are not friendly for being deinked… at this time.

MacDermid Graphic Solutions’ Dan Fry presented an innovation in flexo plate technology for printing on corrugated material. The new MGS Anti-Fluting plate technology, Fry explains, is designed to minimize the washboard effect that is typical when printing on corrugated material and aims to reduce the board crush that can happen in the printing nip. Described as being very durable, the plates boast excellent ink transfer and low dot gain.

Keeping with the topic of printing on corrugated material, EFI’s Liz Logue gave a presentation on the Nozomi C18000 digital inkjet press, which won an InterTech Award. Along with highlighting the technological innovations that have made the Nozomi a reality, she noted the corrugated market will adopt inkjet as a valuable avenue of producing corrugated materials in the next five to 10 years. (More on the Nozomi C18000 can be found in my article, Change on the horizon, published in the April 2019 issue.)

David Biro from Sun Chemical gave a very good presentation on how UV-curing works. He explained the difference between UV-curing with mercury doped lamps and UV-LED lights. Both curing processes pose challenges for ink manufacturers to have the correct chemistry present in the ink. An ink formulated for UV-curing with mercury doped lamps cannot be cured with UV-LED lights and vice versa, he noted. Biro also showed how the variation of an ink formulation can help improve the curing rate of an ink.

Ganesh Kumar of colourvision.org.in, an organization that strives to raise awareness of colour vision deficiency, gave a presentation on the development of a new test tool to identify colour blindness. The test, he explained, had to withstand wear without losing its physical integrity, as it would be handled by many people. After testing on different substrates using various printing technologies, they determined that printing the Ishihara plates on 200 mil Polyester using electrophotographic print technology performed the best. This was a rather interesting presentation which took the audience on the journey of discovering the best possible solution for a problem.

Next was Mustafa Bilgin from the Bergische University in Wuppertal, Germany. He had developed a coding system, similar to a QR code, with elements that react to heat, light and water. These elements have the ability to change the message of the code, which can be read by a code reader, he explained. This presentation showed how initial research in this type of area is done and how various materials and optical code patterns are evaluated for their suitability.

Another InterTech Award presentation was made by Dr. Danny Hall from Global Graphics Software. His company has invented a screening technology for inkjet printing that helps to minimize and/or eliminate the problems from directional streaking that can be the result of missing nozzles, nozzle timing jitter and intra-screen defects. This can result in banding and other artefacts. The examples shown in the presentation were quite impressive. This technology is worth looking into for anyone having an inkjet production device in their printing company.

Several presentations at the conference addressed expanded gamut printing, one of which was given by Kyle Hargrove of CGS. He explained the difference between extended and expanded gamut printing. Extended gamut printing, he noted, is extending the gamut of traditional CMYK by printing these colours at higher densities and thereby extending the gamut. This is denoted as XCMYK. Meanwhile expanded gamut printing is traditional CMYK plus orange, green and violet, going from the four-colour process to seven-colour process. What does this mean for a printing company? If you have a flexo print shop, it means you can standardize your anilox roller inventory. You don’t need to keep a wide variety of anilox rollers, since you can more or less run the same anilox rollers for every job. And since you run the same anilox rollers all the time, they also wear out faster than before. Alternatively you have fewer wash-ups, since the inks stay the same for every job and you only need to change the plate cylinders and substrate. This results in a drastic increase in press efficiency, he said. He shared the cost analysis of a print shop his company worked with. All cost factors were taken into consideration and in the end, the customer saw a 35-percent savings in hard costs.

Next, Jodi Alejandro from CrossXColor and Thorsten Braun from ColorLogic gave a talk on the number of test patches needed to characterize a print process with four and more colours. As a measure of the quality of the test chart, the following two characteristics were chosen: DE average and 95% percentile. An example was done in relation to standard test charts for GRACoL. It showed that after about 150 patches, the average DeltaE is 1 or lower, meaning more test patches are not needed. One of the main takeaways of this presentation was that a high quantity of test patches does not automatically result in a better test chart — test chart generators and colour models need to be optimized to better reflect this.

Hanno Hofstadt from GMG gave a presentation on the characterization of multicolour printing and creating a meaningful test chart. Hofstadt showed that if the same logic behind the IT8.7/4 test chart was applied to expanded gamut printing, the test chart with the same resolution (10 to 15 percent, nine steps) would result in a test chart with approximately 5 million patches. Even if the resolution was reduced to only four steps, it would still result in a test chart with almost 17,000 patches, he said. These are all not practical approaches to creating test charts for expanded gamut printing, he explained, so what could be done to reduce this set of test patches to a maximum number of 5,000? Some approaches to limit the number of test patches is to reduce the Total Area Coverage (TAC) from 400 to 280. Also, limiting the number of colours involved in overprinting inks will result in a reduced number of test patches. For seven-colour printing with four steps and four overprinting inks, the number of test patches is reduced to approximately 4,000. Since most people printing with expanded gamut use AM-screening, so-called screen-clashes need to be avoided. Why is that? Well there are basically only four screen angles available, so certain colours need to share a screen angle. Most likely these will be opposing colours, like cyan plus orange or magenta plus green.

Currently there is an initiative from Idealliance to create a common expanded gamut test chart. It should be suitable for offset, flexo, gravure and digital printing, be supported by all major profiling software vendors and provide a reasonable CMYK characterization too. Another stipulation of this initiative is the test chart should not be more than four letter-size pages big. At the end of his presentation, Hofstadt demonstrated that GMG’s OpenColor software solution takes into account these various factors and creates a dynamic test chart layout.

One of the last presentations of the conference was given by Professor Liam O’Hara, who discussed expanded gamut printing in flexography. His study focused on the influence of the chroma of the inks on the gamut volume. Without going too much into detail, it can be said the greatest chroma of orange, green or violet does not mean the largest possible gamut volume. Using a low chroma version – up to only 70 percent of the original ink concentration – can make it possible to achieve more Pantone colours than using full chroma inks. The ink film thickness of the inks appears to influence the gamut size beyond its influence on the chroma of the solids.

Overall it was a great conference, and in my opinion, one of the best TAGA conferences put together. The variety of the topics was very broad and the research also showed that specifically in the expanded gamut printing area, a lot of work still needs to be done to fully understand how this technology works best and can be used by printers. I look forward to next year’s conference to discover what developments have since taken place.

This feature was originally published in the June 2019 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

Over a 7-week paid employment training course, the students – often referred to as cohorts – learn digital printing, bindery, large-format printing, prepress and design fundamentals using Adobe Creative Suite, designing items such as business cards, logos, booklets and greeting cards, all to be produced on-site in the fully digital print shop. With a Xerox Versant, a Xerox E95 black-and-white machine and two Konica AccurioPresses, the nearly 7,000-square-foot shop doubles as a training lab for the cohorts and a commercial printer for local clients, with all profit redirected into supporting Eva’s Initiatives. The print shop also features a full bindery, complete with a creaser, a booklet machine, a cutter and a Morgana folder, as well as a growing wide-format department with Mutoh and Summa machines.

Now in its 18th year, the Graphic Communication and Print Training program runs four times a year, with spots for up to eight trainees – aged 16 to 29 years – in each session. Along with the required 27.5 hours of print skills training per week, the cohorts also receive job readiness training such as workplace expectations and effective communication skills, and are paired with a job coach for on-going support as they take up work placements.

“Our print shop program is very unique. Since my time working in the sector, I’ve never seen a similar program. It really resonates with our youth,” Jonathan John, Manager of Training & Employment, Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth, says. “For a lot of our youth, their lives have changed because of the workforce they’ve gotten into. Often times they end up pursuing higher education in the field or set up their own business. The impact it has on their lives is tremendous.”

Beginning this February, the print shop will pilot a new program that reimburses employers that take on the job-ready graduates for up to 13 weeks of paid subsidized work placement, equalling just under $6,000 in wage subsidies.

“Print is one of the few industries where you can start with a ‘foot in the door opportunity’ and it can turn into anything,” Jonathan Gault, Manager of Eva’s Print Shop, says. “There are countless examples of individuals who started as operators and went on to become managers or run their own shop. While not everyone will have that same career arc, [these placements] can lead a young person to step into print.”

Related: Jonathan Gault named Community Leader of the Year at the 13th annual Canadian Printing Awards

Symcor of Mississauga, Ont., has been providing annual bursaries to Eva’s Print Shop since 2015, and in 2018 renewed its commitment for another three years. “Some of our most significant social and environmental accomplishments have come from our employee-led initiatives, engaging their fellow colleagues and family in support of their communities and beyond,” Jeannie White, Senior Manager, People & Culture, Human Resources, Symcor, says.

“The skills [I’ve learnt] have allowed me to add some more sparkle to my resume, create amazing designs for my own brands and others, and have opened new doors to opportunities I probably wouldn’t have been able to access [otherwise],” says 26-year-old Brooke Write. Since graduating last August, Write has been designing and selling notebooks, cards and other items, and plans to pursue a career in graphic design. “I’ve always loved design and after [taking the course], my passion just tripled.”

John explains some of the youth who enter into the program initially have no interest in the industry, but come to test out the options as part of their case plan. “It always leaves me with a good feeling when someone comes through the door and is apprehensive at the start, but ends up finishing the full program and working in the print sector. It ends up sparking an interest in someone who would have never thought of pursuing a career in this field.”

Related: Print leaders share their strategies for recruiting and hiring the next generation

“Before starting the program, I didn’t have the slightest idea as to how big, and how necessary, the print industry is. After learning so much…it was like looking at the world in a whole new way,” Joey Huff, a March 2018 program graduate, says. “My favourite part was the process. That transition from a blank-white screen to holding a product in your hands that you’re proud of, that you created, is one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt.”

Eva’s Print Shop estimates more than 70 percent of its program cohorts gain full-time work after graduation.  

“It’s always been a mandate of the print shop to develop a community around the industry,” Gault says. “There’s been a considerable amount of legacy, dedication and hard work that has gone into developing the print shop and the training program. It’s an essential part of Eva’s Phoenix.” 

Ways to get involved with Eva’s Print Shop

• Sign up to be a print shop employer. When a position opens in your organization, notify Eva’s Phoenix and you’ll be connected with candidates or recent graduates to consider.
• Take on cohorts for a placement, giving them hands-on training experience.
• Invite the group for open houses, tours and site visits at your facility.

This article was originally published in the January/February 2019 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

The company is situated in the town of Altona, Man., (population 4,212), 100 km south of the provincial capital of Winnipeg and 10 km north of the U.S. border. Although this location helps foster the company’s cross-border trade (about 50 percent of its book and 20 percent of its yearbook production enters the U.S. market), it also creates challenges for finding staff in the town and surrounding rural municipality of Rhineland, an area largely devoted to farming and agriculture-based business.

Dana Bergman, Friesens’ Training Coordinator, says the company’s local staff totals about 500, not including the 100 sales representatives scattered across North America. “Because of where we’re located we struggle with getting skilled workers, so we train up a lot of our own workers who start in entry-level positions. Right now, if the right individuals walked through the door, we would probably hire 15 to 20 more people,” she says.  

^{In November 2018, Mi5 Print & Digital hosted 75+ Humber College students for a tech tour of its Mississauga, Ont., facility. The tour included a walk-through of the litho, web, digital, large-format and in-house bindery departments and a look at file preparation and prepress planning and proofing. Photos: Mi5 Print & Digital}

Hands-on experience
One way Friesens cultivates potential new hires is by providing openings for the local high school’s Career Internship Program. This program helps Grade 11 and 12 students gain both academic credit and employability by spending 75 hours in the workforce in a field of their choice. Bergman explains these high school internships are unpaid and at Friesens occur mostly in production areas in the pressroom or bindery.

“We work with the school to assess the students’ interest and mechanical skills and whether they are a good fit for our environment…and some we have been able to give on-the-job technical training and employment after graduation. One IT student who went on to full-time employment here is now one of our intermediate software developers.”

Friesens annually hires two to five students on mandatory unpaid eight-week practicums from the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT)’s Graphic and Print Technician Program in Winnipeg, Man.

Kevin Gregg, Internship Coordinator for Ryerson University’s Graphic Communications Management (GCM) in Toronto, Ont., oversees about 130 four-month internships a year. The support both Ryerson and MITT students receive to find a job for their internship includes a job fair where students attend a series of 10-minute ‘get acquainted’ interviews with a variety of prospective employers in a process akin to speed dating. Gregg says the job fair often leads to internships and part-time jobs while in about 40 percent of cases, students complete their remaining studies and take on full-time jobs.

Gregg continues: “Although larger printing companies may take three or four interns at a time, we place no size requirements for companies that provide internships. One student from Gravenhurst [Ontario], whose hometown printer wasn’t hiring, successfully convinced the owner to give him an internship and the situation worked out really well on both sides. If a smaller printer has difficulty providing the prerequisite full job description for the intern, I have no problem phoning the employer to clarify things.”

Based in Toronto, Ont., Eva’s Phoenix Print Shop – operated by Eva’s Initiatives For Homeless Youth – is a commercial printer and social enterprise that trains young people experiencing and at risk of homelessness. Through a seven/eight-week training program, the students are introduced to the pillars of the industry and learn digital printing, bindery, large-format printing, prepress and design fundamentals using Adobe Creative Suite, as well as job readiness training such as workplace expectations and effective communication skills.

To further the program, Eva’s Phoenix Print Shop has announced that starting next February, its eligible cohort of eight graduates will be ready to fill work placements and potential employers who take on the job-ready candidates will be able to receive up to 11 weeks of paid subsidized work placement – equating to potentially $5,000 in wage subsidies – from Eva’s Print Training Program.

Related: Eva’s Phoenix named top pick charity

Scholarships and financial aid
Friesens provides post-secondary education scholarships to children of staff members as well as post-secondary students who have returned to the company after working at least one summer there. Also in the works is a new plan for tuition reimbursement to support post-secondary learning for students in positions for which they have a high need, including estimating, customer project management, and press and bindery operators. “We’re looking to engage with Grade 12 students before they graduate by saying, ‘If you are interested in any of these fields, we will support your education, build in paid periods of work between school years and enter into a post-graduation contract with you,’” Bergman says. “Sponsoring students while they work here helps us attract and retain local talent.”

Hiring challenges
“Without printing there would be no food, no soap, no shampoo, no toilet paper — there’s nothing sold,” Warren Werbitt, Founder of Pazazz in Montreal, Que., says. “Everybody in the world needs us yet nobody likes us. The bottom line is the industry is not a sexy business, so how are we supposed to get young people in?”

Barry Miller is Executive Director of the Manitoba Print Industry Association (MPIA), an 85-percent provincially funded non-profit organization focused on attracting and retaining individuals in the industry. He recounts: “Historically Winnipeg’s geographic location in the centre of Canada has been favourable for print and is home to companies like Pollard Banknote, Duha and Color Ad Packaging. Yet if I’m at a career fair and I ask students to name one local company that prints, most of them can’t even come up with the Winnipeg Free Press.

“Often times employers can’t find a bindery worker or press operator in Winnipeg because any who exist are already working or retired. Especially with retirement and people moving up in their companies, who will fill those entry-level jobs? We are trying to help people realize the opportunities that are available.”

Besides public education, MPIA’s other services include training opportunities, professional awards, and a scholarship program for printing and/or graphic design students. Elisa Solomon, the association’s second staff person, serves as  Career and Human Resource Consultant, primarily for small companies without a human resources capacity, providing such assistance as consultations, screening resumes, hiring interviews, policies, records and performance management.

^{Barry Miller, Executive Director, and Elisa Solomon, Career and Human Resource Consultant, Manitoba Print Industry Association. Photo: MPIA}

Related: Mi5 hosts tech tour for Humber students

School tours and talks
Throughout the year, Friesens engages youth and the public by hosting tours for MITT and other organizations, including schools that print their yearbooks with Friesens. As well, high school electrical technology and robotics classes from a neighbouring town have also visited Friesens to learn how their subjects apply to the print industry.

For 25 years, Friesens has also held a week-long summer day camp free of charge for 9-to-11-year-old children of staff members where the variety of activities offered to campers includes participating in the content creation, design and production of a book.

Related: Engaging with millennials through direct mail

Werbitt, who created Printing’s Alive and other popular YouTube videos in which he enthuses about print, says a first-year Ryerson GCM student emailed him in October to ask if she could visit his plant. He invited her to come any time, and when she arrived for a tour, he spent an hour and a half showing her around. She later told Werbitt he was the only one out of five printers who responded to her request. “Oh my God, how wrong is that? How do we not encourage the young people?”

He continues: “In 2016 I was speaking at an Idealliance conference, and when I was up at the podium, I looked around and said, ‘Where are all the young people? Why are all you old people here? Most of you aren’t happy with the business. You’re going to go back, and you’re not going to bring any value. You can’t tell me you can’t afford to bring some young people to these shows. Enlighten them, empower them, make them feel special. When they get back, they’ll spread the word about what they’ve heard.’” 

This article was originally published in the December 2018 issue of PrintAction, now available online.

Training topics include the consolidation of many parts into a fewer number of them, topology optimization, lattice/mesh structures, best practices, and DfAM rules and guidelines. Participants will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience by designing parts for additive manufacturing (AM) and building them on industrial AM equipment during the course.

The CRIQ, owned by the province, believes the partnership will help contribute to a more skilled workforce.

“The CRIQ has always been ahead of the curve in the adoption and commercialization of new technologies. Partnering with organizations such as Wohlers Associates to train our workers is part of our strategic mission to help companies transition to innovative manufacturing,” said Denis Hardy, President and CEO of the CRIQ.

The DFAM training will take place at the CRIQ’s Montreal research facility June 12 to 14.

“We are very excited about holding this training in Canada in partnership with such a great research institution,” said Terry Wohlers, President of Wohlers Associates. “AM is changing the face of modern manufacturing, but it requires professionals that can design complex parts and understand the full AM production process. This is why our DfAM course was created.”

The course consists of eight chapters and 46 movies, each covering what Witkowski describes as a vital direct mail strategy or concept. She continues to state the goal of the course is to give direct marketers, designers, print professionals and small businesses the tools and strategies needed to get powerful results from mail.


“I’m so proud of how the Direct Mail Strategy course turned out,” says Witkowski. “Mail is a fascinating topic and a powerful marketing medium, but you can’t just send mail and expect results. There’s a strategy and a process involved, and I’m sharing it with everyone.”

The Direct Mail Strategy course covers mailing lists, marketing strategies, writing offers, engagement techniques, format options, testing, tracking and measuring results. It provides registrants with downloadable exercise materials. Lynda.com provides a free preview of seven of the 46 videos in the Direct Mail Strategy course.



“We’re thrilled that Trish Witkowski is contributing course content to the Lynda.com library, joining hundreds of other industry experts,” stated Kristin Ellison, content manager for the design segment at lynda.com, which provides thousands of online training courses on a range of subjects. “Her insight on direct mail is invaluable and her passion is infectious. I know our members will find her course instrumental in helping make sure their next mail piece is both effective and on budget.”

Sheldon Levy, President and Vice Chancellor of Ryerson University, was also on hand for the ribbon-cutting donation ceremony, which included naming a portion of Ryerson’s dedicated Graphic Communications Management (GCM) building as the Esko Premedia Wing. The Esko donation itself includes a range of hardware and software, such as packaging workflow tools for design, visualization, proofing and production, as well as a CDI flexo plate imaging system.

“Esko is very active in the Toronto packaging market and it’s seldom that we have a customer or client who isn’t connected to Ryerson University in some way,” stated Larry Moore, Esko’s Director of Software Services in North America. “Considering this, and the fact that Ryerson’s School of Graphic Communications Management is a leader in educating those in the packaging industry, donating this gift to Ryerson was a natural choice for us.”

The Esko technology is to be used by GCM students within related program courses, as well as by faculty engaged in packaging research projects. Ryerson states such research, while not yet determined, could involve areas like flexo plate quality, package design, and the printability of stochastic and other specialty dot shape data.

Headquartered in Gent, Belgium, Esko is widely regarded as one of the world’s most-powerful technology companies focused on packaging applications, while also developing products for sign and display finishing, commercial printing and professional publishing.


“Students in [GCM] will benefit tremendously from this strengthening of our partnership with Esko,” stated Ian Baitz, Chair of the School of Graphic Communications Management. “This major donation will allow our 500 GCM students to learn Esko’s industry-leading packaging design and prepress systems. We are thrilled to begin using Esko job management and automation modules, including tools such as DeskPack and ArtiosCAD. Our new Esko CDI Spark imagesetter will become a very important piece of equipment in our new prepress flexography workflow.”



A portion of the donation is earmarked for GCM’s premedia platemaking lab for flexographic platemaking. The Esko CDI Spark flexo has been installed to make plates for flexography, which will help students to learn and practice platemaking processes using the Esko workflow system. All third-year GCM students will produce flexo plates on the new CDI.

“We have focused on offset and digital printing for many years,” stated Baitz. “We added a flexo press three years ago, but our missing pieces were a packaging workflow and method to create plates. Cooperating companies in the Toronto area were kind enough to make plates for us, but we wanted students to see the workflow and platemaking process for themselves. Now we have access to the tools and students can evaluate their own plates for quality.”

Ryerson also intends to employ Esko-donated technologies within GCM’s robust extracurricular clubs, including the RyePack initiative. RyeTAGA, an official student chapter of the TAGA organization, with over 60 members, will also use the new Esko equipment for research papers and the production of its annual TAGA student journal. The annual production of RyeTAGA’s student journal has historically resulted in numerous awards for Canadian printing students when matched against others from around the world.

“Our students are very open to packaging and flexo printing,” stated Bates. “It speaks to our students. They are touching packaging every day. Packaging involves marketing, branding, and consumer decision-making processes. It is a challenging, evolving technology and the tools they use are on the cutting edge. We are grateful to Esko for its contribution and support, and hope that this program is a positive influence for our students, Esko, and the local industry base in the Toronto areas, as well.”

Cober has long been seen as one of Canada’s most-innovative commercial printing operations in the field of Web-to-print programs, while also pushing new applications rooted in traditional lithography.

The company also offers large-format printing, mailing, fulfillment and bindery services, as well as providing a range marketing solutions to clients. By combining its various areas of expertise, Cober became one of North America’s first firms to offer proprietary Web-to-fulfillment solutions.


“Our Web-to-print programs drives pages to the HP Indigo printer, easing the printing process for customers while ensuring high-quality output,” says Peter Cober of Cober Evolving Solutions, who leads the operation with son, Todd Cober. Founded 96 years ago, Cober Evolving Solutions is now a fourth generation printing operation.

“One large advantage of the HP Indigo 7500 printer is its ability to manage colour,” continues Peter Cober. “The printer proactively watches and makes adjustments to colour shift, ensuring high-quality output at a fast speed, every time.”

Hosted by NorQuest’s Centre for Excellence in Print Media (CEPM), the one-day Lean Learn-and-Do seminar series was facilitated by CEPM Principal Josh Ramsbottom and printing-industry expert Dr. Ken Macro. Having previously spent two months with NorQuest’s printing program as a visiting professor, Macro co-authored the book Lean Printing: Pathways to Success.



The series made stops at post-secondary institutions and provincial associations in the key Canadian cities of Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Because of the government funding, CEPM was able to charge printers just $79 (including breakfast and lunch) to attend the workshops, designed to help small- and medium-sized printers engage in lean manufacturing. The workshops specifically focused on three key steps that an average printer can easily implement with little to no cost to their company. 


More than 70 printing professionals from 35 companies attended the seminars, which Ramsbottom says indicates a strong interest level in lean principles from the Canadian print industry. “It was great to see the number of printing companies that recognize the value of the programs we support,” said Ramsbottom. “We look forward to offering more training and informational seminars in the future.”

“I’ve studied various efficiency models and flavour-of-the-month business systems over the years, but none of those experiences came close to delivering the practical tools we were exposed to in CEPM’s lean seminar,” said Rick Kroeker, President of Calgary’s Little Rock Document Services Ltd. “I particularly appreciated how we can define and solve one small problem at a time. It helps keep tasks easily managed.”


Dan Matthys, Sales and Business Development Manager of Capital Printing and Forms in Edmonton, also found the workshop worthwhile. “It was an eye opener and very motivating,” said Matthys. “The CEPM provided information on the evolution of the print communications industry and how it compares with the manufacturing sector as a whole.”

As a follow up to the workshops, the CEPM will be working with three selected print companies in Western Canada on three-day onsite planning sessions. Both the seminars and the planning sessions are supported by National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program.


“Offering this level of education directly to industry would not be possible without the NRC’s generous support,” said Ramsbottom. “It demonstrates the government’s commitment to our industry. We hope more printers in Western Canada take advantage of these resources and the programs the CEPM brings to market.”


“It is very important for the students because it gives them an international view, that printing is more than what is going on in Canada,” says Gillian Mothersill, Associate Dean at Ryerson’s Faculty of Communications and Design, who joins four GCM faculty members overseeing the tour. “It also gives them a great view of where Canada stands in the global print market. I really think it increases their enthusiasm for going back, finishing their degree and finding their place in the industry.”

Twelve of the 14 GCM students at drupa traveled from their home base in Toronto, while two were already in Germany as part of an exchange program with Stuttgart’s Hochschule der Medien printing program. The students visited the school before their drupa arrival.


“The relationship between the Hochschule and Ryerson has existed for over a decade but our official relationship, in terms of sending over exchange students, has been for about two years now,” says Mothersill.

Post-secondary printing programs from across North America, as part of a TAGA Student Chapter initiative established in 1985, compete in a journal competition hosted at the annual conference of the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts. In addition to compiling and preparing some of its research, students are involved in every aspect of the journal’s production.



RyeTAGA’s 2012 Journal, while missing out on the coveted Kipphan Cup for best overall publication, won key awards for Best in Publication Design, Best in Production Quality, and Best in Overall Quality.



According to a statement by RyeTAGA’s Executive Team, “This year every student chapter came to the TAGA conference with their publications with the Kipphan Cup in their sights. Every school had a contending journal with unique qualities that could of earned them the top prize… we ended up seeing everything from metallic-based inks, thermochromic inks, stone-based substrates, near field communication, e-publications, and more.”



Ryerson’s Graphic Communications Management program has won the Kipphan Cup twice over the past five years and remains as one of the competition’s most-awarded schools. “We may have not won the Cup this year, but the journey that we have taken to get where we are has been an amazing experience. This just means that next year we will come back fighting with new innovative ideas,” wrote the student executive team. “This year’s journal could not have been made possible without the involvement of our members. This is our journal and we should all be proud of our work.”


Because of the government funding, CEPM is able to charge printers just $79 (including breakfast and lunch) to attend the daylong workshops, which are designed to help small- and medium-sized printers engage in lean manufacturing. The workshops specifically focus on three key steps an average printer can easily implement with little to no cost to their company. 



The workshops are to be co-hosted by Cal-Poly State professor Dr. Ken Macro and NorQuest’s Josh Ramsbottom. Macro, who previously spent two months with NorQuest’s printing program as a visiting professor, co-authored the book Lean Printing: Pathways to Success. “I am excited to take the lean message out to printers throughout Western Canada,” says Macro. “What differentiates this program from others is that we will provide participants with tangible tools and takeaways they can execute at their plants immediately. It is a terrific opportunity for NorQuest and the graphic communication industry.”

As part of the program, the CEPM is also providing three to four companies with the opportunity to participate in a focused 3-day Lean Implementation Planning session. To be considered for the 3-day sessions, a printer must attend one of the single-day workshops, detailed below with registration links.


March 16, 2012
NorQuest College, CEPM
Edmonton, AB
To register, visit www.edmontonleanseminar.eventbrite.ca

March 19, 2012
SAIT Polytechnic 
Calgary, AB
To register, visit www.calgaryleanseminar.eventbrite.ca


March 22, 2012
SIAST Wascana Campus
Regina, SK
To register, visit www.reginaleanseminar.eventbrite.ca


April 20, 2012
Manitoba Print Industry Association
Winnipeg, MB
To register, visit www.winnipegleanseminar.eventbrite.ca

To Be Determined
Vancouver, BC

The Eva’s Phoenix program not only gets youth off the streets, but provides vocational and life skills. The Phoenix Print Shop, associated with the program, trains youth for the graphic arts field and is supported by numerous companies in the industry. The program was founded in 2000. Eva’s Phoenix provides housing for 50 youth, aged 16 to 24 years, for up to a full year, and since 2002 has also allowed up to 160 youth each year, aged 16 to 29 years, to participate in its employment and pre-apprenticeship programs. 

The Eva’s Initiatives program has been named as one of the top 33 charities of the year by Charity Intelligence, a watchdog organization which promotes transparency in how charity funding is spent.

Click here to read the full Globe editorial.

Click here for the full list of the top 33 charities as promoted by Charity Intelligence. 

With success in the 2011 competition, however, MacKenzie was destined for the International Abilympics in Seoul, because it takes place every four years. The Abilympics is a competition to showcase the vocational skills of people with disabilities. MacKenzie suffers from agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder that made her afraid of being outside or in a situation from which it feels difficult to escape.



In Seoul during late September, MacKenzie competed in the poster design competition against 25 other people from around the globe and took home 7th place.



“It was an amazing experience. I was the youngest in my area of competition but I just went in there and did my best – I’m happy with my result,” said MacKenzie. “I got to compete against people from Korea, China, Japan, Iran, Macau, Sri Lanka, Thailand, France, Taipei, Slovakia and Austria. How many people can say that?”

This was Canada’s first appearance at the Abilympics, which in 2011 welcome over 1,500 competitors from 52 countries.

In the offset printing category, for the first time, both gold and silver medals went to woman: 22-year-old Makiko Ito of Japan received the Gold Medal, while Susanna Virtanen from Finland received Silver. Olivier Deloge from Belgium finished third, while fourth place went to German national champion Sascha Epp, an employee at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.

Ito has been employed by the Asia Printing Corporation in Japan since 2008 and, in 2010, she won Japan’s national championship in the printing category. Silver Medal winner Susanna Virtanen works at a print shop that forms part of the training institute in Turku, Finland, which is equipped with a Printmaster PM 52 four-colour press. Alongside her job as a printer, Susanna is a college student in the Finnish town of Jyväskylä.

Bernhard Nahm, a member of the management team at the Print Media Center in Heidelberg, was one of the judges assessing the performance of the young printers in London. He was delighted at the success of the female contestants. “Heidelberg has had an impressively high proportion of female printing trainees for some years now. We are currently training ten young people to become printers and four of these are highly motivated young women. The next WorldSkills competition will return to Germany for the first time in 40 years – and perhaps one of our trainees will once again be a finalist in Leipzig in 2013,” he said.

Heidelberg sponsored the offset printing category by loaning two Speedmaster SM 52 five-colour presses for the competition. The machines were then sold to British customers at the end of the event.

At the last WorldSkills Competition in Calgary in 2009, Canada’s Simon Beauchamp finished with a Bronze Medal.