Training and Education

It’s no surprise that the types of print providers that attend are as varied as the types of technology on exhibit.

As PRINTING United ends, SGIA’s Women in Print Advisory Council enters a state of reflection on where we’ve been, and where we want to go next.

Tom Lamont is proud to be an instructor at one of the top 25 high schools in the U.S., Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton, Mass. Each year, more than 1,000 students apply for 320 spots. “The locals call it Valley Tech,” says Lamont, “Parents throw big parties when their kids get in.”

What does the print industry love in Texas more than great BBQ and the Cowboys? PIAMidAmerica! Come meet your local Texas Affiliate, as well as Affiliates from around the United States and Canada at the Affiliates of the Printing Industry Booth 12064.

“Everything is in the data sheets,” said Travis Barcelona of Nazdar in the Tuesday afternoon “Wide-Format 101” session.

"When encountering any new technology, high school students are fearless — they just jump right in,” notes Laura Henning, media specialist at Trumbull Career & Technical Center (TCTC). TCTC, located in Warren, Ohio, serves roughly 1,000 11th and 12th graders from 20 schools county-wide.

Three trades comprise the industry: graphic design, printing, and installation. Graphic design and printing have been available in educational institutions. But if you take a design of stunning quality, produced by a printer, and hand it off to an unqualified installer, the end product will be less than desirable.

For wide-format shops, PRINTING United has a lot to offer. You’ll likely spend time with all of the usual vendors in the Sign & Graphics neighborhood. That said, however, it is in your best interest to branch out and explore what else the show has to offer.

Win a free registration (valued at $1,950) to the ColorUp Digital Boot Camp taking place at Color Ink in Sussex, Wis., early Summer 2020. Immerse yourself in this three-day inside look into a futuristic, modern-day printing plant.

Ten graphic communication students have been selected to be Student Ambassadors at PRINTING United. All sales of the PRINTING United official show t-shirts will go to support the student ambassador program.