Leveraging RIT’s comprehensive collection of full-scale contemporary printing equipment, laboratory instrumentation, and the expertise of RIT’s world renowned faculty and technical staff, the Printing Applications Laboratory provides industry with empirical approaches to control and improve the quality of their products and expand on the knowledge of printing industry professionals.
PAL provides digital media certification programs, product/process auditing, competitive benchmarking, and assistance with product development. PAL also assists the industry with a broad range of both open enrollment and customized corporate educational programs.
PAL is proud to announce the return of the HP Certified Media listing to our website. With it comes increased functionality including sorting and advanced filters. Detailed information about individual records are avaliable in the summary page. If you have questions regarding the listing, or believe you have found errors in the data, please contact us.
The industrial (roll-fed) listings are still being populated and will be updated later this month.
Sponsored by the RIT Printing Industry Center, a printing standards survey was conducted from May 1 – June 30, 2010. The goals of the survey are to capture the view of printing companies regarding the role of printing standards, workflow and procedures from data reception to printing, and color workflow issues. Ninety printers out of a total of 117 companies from North America, Europe, Asia and Mexico participated in the survey.
Some of the key findings of the survey are
- The majority believe a visual match to proof is most critical in determining color OK.
- The majority has not applied any printing process certification.
- Most characterize their printing process control practice as visual inspection and defect detection based. Less printers characterize their printing process control as data-driven analysis and continuous improvement based.
- Most believe that having standard operating procedures (SOP’s) in color critical areas of the workflow has the highest importance in routine production.
Complete results from the survey will be shared at the Printing Industry Center Symposium November 18-19, 2010 at RIT.
| September 21, 2010 8:00 am | to | September 23, 2010 4:00 pm |
Training is from 8:30:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday, Wednesday and 9:00am to 4:00pm Thursday.
Please bring along a flash drive. Laptops are welcome but not necessary.
A G7 Expert is an expert in the field of color management, process and quality control for proofing and printing equipment. An Expert is able to analyze color and print related issues and take corrective action to bring systems and processes in control to a set method, standard or specification with repeatable predictable results. Certification is valid for 2 years. Experts must qualify a minimum of 3 G7 Master facilities per year and remain employed with an IDEAlliance Member Company to maintain their G7 Expert status.
A G7 Professional is generally an in-house quality/technical professional. Certification is valid for 2 years. A Professional must be employed by G7 Network Member or with an IDEAlliance Corporate Member company to maintain their G7 Professional status.
To register, and for information concerning hotels and directions, visit the IDEAlliance website.
PAL has released new seminar dates reaching to June, 2011. We provide training in both traditional and digital technologies using world renowned instructors, comprehensive prepress and press labs, and state-of-the-art imaging facilities. We can also provide custom training. Below are all seminars available for registration to date. Note, these dates may be subject to change. Continue reading New Seminar Dates Announced
The goal of RIT’s Print Standards Audit (PSA) Survey is to capture the impact of standards and certification on printing operations around the world. Today, the survey is well on its way to fulfilling this goal.
The survey consists of two parts: (1) a 15 minute Internet survey to collect information on the practices printers use and (2) a test from that printers can print to collect information on the results they achieve. Every printer who submits a test form receives a report of the results for his or her firm (individual results are confidential and protected from disclosure to anyone other than the firm submitting the data.) In addition, at the end of the survey, RIT will publish summary results so that printers who participated in the survey can see how their results compared to a much larger population.
The survey was launched in early May, and after 4 weeks of activity:
— 136 printers have registered for the survey (80% US, 20% International including Spain, Canada, China, Denmark, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, etc).
— Half of the registrants have downloaded the test form after completing the internet survey.
— Five companies have organized print trials and returned the printed forms for analysis.
With four more weeks to go, we’re looking for more printers to take the survey and submit press sheets from around the world. Access the survey and test form download by clicking on this link, http://printlab.rit.edu/psa/
RIT’s PSA initiative addresses the need of the printing industry as well as print buyers, .i.e., a rigorous, independent audit for the printing process from file reception, proofing, CTP, and printing that conform to ISO 12647 and other related standards.
Currently, we’re conducting an Internet-based survey to printers worldwide. As of week 2 of the survey, a total of 70 printers have registered in the data base with 41 completed the questionnaire, 36 downloaded the test forms, and 2 printed test forms received by RIT. The survey findings, including printing conformance check-up clinic, will provide concrete directions for us to move the initiative forward.
As a member of the PSA team, I like to share information about the PSA project and answer any questions that you may have.
On May 1st, RIT’s own School of Print Media students Saleh Abdel Motaal, Tiffany Chennell, Andrew Henry, and, School of Packaging Science student Jessica Pirrello, participated in this years Phoenix Challenge College Competition in Las Vegas.
Under the academic advisement of Professor Scott Williams, and with the company of in-coming team member Daniel Horowitz, both from the School of Print Media, the group presented their final solution to this year’s problem and attended the 2010 Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) Annual Forum and INFO*Flex at the Paris Hotel on the strip.
The problem asked participants to present a complete proposal for a line of personal hygiene products for a hotel with open-ended aspects and some constraints. Eight schools from around the United States and Canada presented their product development research, concepts, designs, and flexographic prints which were judged by a panel of industry experts in all four areas.
The self-directed team leveraged the expertise of Andrew Henry and Tiffany Chennell for design, and Jessica Pirrello for research, and was lead by Saleh Abdel Motaal, who competed in prior years. Together, they developed a concept which includes a twin-bottle Shampoo and Conditioner and went down to AdFlex for printing with Adam Toatef, Press Operator. This opportunity was made possible through the efforts of Tim Richardson at the Printing Application Laboratory at RIT and Jeffery Andolora, Vice-President at AdFlex Corporation, Inc. The bottles were donated by Robert Conahan of Continental Packaging Solutions. The team was empowered by the support of the School of Print Media and utilized the facilities to meet the challenge.
The team describes the experience as an educational taste of real-world product development where they learned about cross-functional team dynamics, applied technology, problem-solving skills and creativity.
Continue reading RIT & PAL Participate in Phoenix Challenge College Competition
Survey currently available, results to determine extent printers conform to printing standards
In the first phase of its plan to develop and offer process audits and certification services to North American printers, Rochester Institute of Technology has launched a Web-based survey to determine the extent printers conform to well-defined printing standards. Industry leaders have urged RIT to become a certification body in North America because of the void in the area of standards and process conformance.
Participants will take an online survey, download test forms, conduct a press run and submit printed sheets to RIT for a free “check-up.” The online survey is available until May 31. For the press sheet free “check-up,” the deadline is June 30. To take the survey, download the test form for the free conformance “check-up” and learn more about the printing standards audit, visit www.printlab.rit.edu/psa
Upon color measurement and analysis, RIT will offer feedback to the participant, similar to a medical lab report, in terms of value, aim point and tolerances. Once survey results are compiled, RIT will present its general findings (no specific company and scores will be mentioned) to the Printing Industry Center partners at its annual meeting in November.
In the second phase, RIT will partner with IDEAlliance, consult with auditing bodies in Europe and work with printing experts in the ISO/TC130 committee to develop process audit and certification services protocols that reflect the best practice for all. RIT will also offer public seminars to train companies about the importance of printing standards, methods and tools that are needed to achieve conformance.
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