Virtual Tours on Graph Comm Net

If you haven't been to Graph Comm Central in a while, it's worth a visit. The site is quite snazzy and has a whole list of virtual printing tours, as well as information for students on careers in the printing industry.

FREE Ink

Here is an email I received from Ashley Lenz, PIAG Marketing Manager. If you'd like the ink, please contact Leo this week.

I received a call from Leo Mascheck in Duluth Ga (right around Satellite & Boggs Rd.) - he is clearing out a warehouse and at the loading dock they’ve got 8-10 palettes of printing inks that are available for FREE to anyone who will come pick them up. Some have not even been opened. I have contact Wikoff to see if they know anyone who might be able to pick them up, but wanted to open the opportunity up to schools, too. They need everything gone by the end of this week. Spread the word! His number is 678.386.2987.

PIAG Lean Roadshow is "Mucho Helpful"

Attendees are saying this week's PIAG Roadshow was "Mucho Helpful" and "the best part is the effective balance between hands-on exercises and presentation". On Sept. 23 the Roadshow will be in Macon and in Savannah on Sept. 24. The Lean Roadshow is in Columbus on Oct. 7.

Sign up today by going to www.piag.org/lean. If you can't make it in person, follow PIAG on twitter @PIAGGeorgia. We'll have links to a live stream of the program. Remember, participants receive a FREE onsite assessment of their plant.

Want to see the recording of the Atlanta event? Go to any of the links below

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2171220
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2171802
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2171634
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2171731

Tax Credits Available for Lean Programs

Implementing the suggestions presented in the PIAG sponsored and Georgia Tech Innovation Insitute lead program Lean Roadshow: On the Road to Lean and Green could save printers significantly. In addition to the lean savings, the government is offering tax credits.

A company can qualify for the Georgia Retraining Tax Credit as long as some element of the program is implemented in the plant. The tax credit can cover up to 50 percent of all the printer's training expenses, including cost of the training, travel and wages paid to employees attending the training.

For more information on the Lean Roadshow: On the Road to Lean and Green go to www.piag.org/lean. To watch a preview of the program click here. If you do not have the FREE Silverlight software, you will need to download that before viewing the presentation.

For more information on tax credits for training, contact Terry McMillian at 706-302-7725.

Learn How to Make Money, Be Competitive, Grow

Last week, the Georgia Innovation Institute presented a short, half hour webinar giving attendees a preview of the PIAG fall Lean Road Show. If you missed the webinar, no worries, you can download it here and watch it on demand.

Derek Woodham of Georgia Tech's Innovation Institute explained what lean is and what it can do for your business through discussion and a case study of other printers that have worked with GT. So if you'd like to make more money; be more competitive; grow; and sustain and create jobs; don't miss this preview and the PIAG fall Lean Road Show.

To view the Preview Webinar on Demand, register here and an email is sent immediately. Once you receive the email, click on the presentation. You need to download the free Silverlight software before viewing the presentation.

FREE Webinar Teaches How to Go Lean

Join PIAG for a FREE Preview of PIAG's Fall Lean Roadshow: On the Road to Lean and Green. This webinar is scheduled for Aug. 12 from 12 - 12:30 pm.

Mitigate the effects of today's economic instability by making your processes as lean as possible. What is Lean, and what can it do for you? Derek Woodham with Georgia Tech's Innovation Institute talks about the benefits and savings and who should get involved in a company's Lean transformation.

This FREE preview, taken from the comfort of your desktop, helps printers decide who to send to the customized series of Lean courses, sponsored by PIAG, that Georgia Tech has developed especially for the printing and imaging industry. The Lean Roadshow is slated for September and October and those who participate in the Road Show receive a FREE onsite evaluation.

To register for this FREE preview webinar, go to http://gtlean081209.eventbrite.com.

For more information on PIAG's Lean Roadshow: On the Road to Lean and Green, go to www.piag.org/lean.

GA DOE on Education Grants

Mamie Hanson and Sonny Cannon with the Georgia Department of Education came to PIAG's Camp T&I program today to discuss the grant process and what funds are available to schools to go after the PrintED accreditation process.

Hear from Mamie here and Sonny here.

Frank Romano Talks about the Future of Printing

Frank Romano talks about trends in the printing industry and the future of printing. At first this is just audio, but part way through we added the video. To view the video, click here.

Paul Davis on Pre-Press

Paul Davis, a pre-press consultant talked to the group at Camp T&I about the pre-press function and walked them through several areas of InDesign. To see Paul's presentation, click here.

Joe Marin on Color Appreciation

Joe Marin, senior analyst of digital technologies for the Printing Industries of America presented a program at PIAG today on Color Appreciation. Click here to view Joe's presentation. For more of Joe's thoughts on RGB Color Correction, see the Summer 2009 Issue of Georgia Printer at www.georgiaprinteronline.com. In addition, click on the valuable resource tools to download tips for color management. For a copy of Joe's complete presentation, go to www.piag.org/missionpossible.pdf.

How to Run a Press Check

Today we had Joe Marin, senior analyst of digital technologies for the Printing Industries of America at PIAG presenting a program called Mission Possible. The day long program was attended by teachers, PIAG and AIGA members. PIAG streamed the event live and a copy of the "How to Run a Press Check" portion click here. For a copy of Joe's entire presentation go to www.piag.org/missionpossible.pdf. For information on the press check portion only, go to http://www.piag.org/PressCheck_MissionPossible.pdf.

Let us know what you think. This was an experiment. Our camera wasn't very good and it took us a while to figure out the Ustream system we used. However, we're very excited to have the technology to offer programs to those who are unable to attend. In addition to this stream, PIAG tweeted during the event allowing readers to ask questions via twitter and we pushed the program out through our LinkedIn group. We plan to do this for future programs including our Road Show (www.piag.org/lean) in the fall, so follow us on twitter @PIAGGeorgia.

Dalton Sophomore Takes Bronze in National SkillsUSA Competition

(Atlanta, Ga., July 8, 2009) – Yea Jee Bae, a rising junior at Dalton High School in Dalton, GA, placed third in the National SkillsUSA Advertising Design Championship, held June 21-26 in Kansas City, MO. The gold medal went to Victoria Brown, Del Sol High School, Las Vegas, NV and the silver went to Pedro Miramontes from Pocatello High School, Pocatello, ID. The competition was part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference where more than 5,400 outstanding career and technical education students joined in the excitement of hands-on competition in 91 different trade, technical, and leadership fields.

Contestants earned the opportunity to compete at the national event by placing first in regional, and then state, competitions. In addition to family and friends, Bae had members of the Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG) and AIGA, the professional association of designers, cheering for her. PIAG’s Educational Foundation hosted the state competition in April at the Print Media Demonstration Center at Heidelberg USA in Kennesaw. PIAG also provided a travel scholarship for Bea and her advisor, Nancy Hallsworth, to attend the National Competition. AIGA provided a scholarship to Bae for continued study.

“I had never been to the National competition,” said Nancy Hallsworth, a graphics instructor and Bae’s advisor at Dalton High School. “I did not truly grasp the magnitude of the Skills organization until now. It is amazing.”

SkillsUSA is a national organization for students in trade, industrial, technical and health occupations education. It sponsors the SkillsUSA Championships annually to recognize the achievements of career and technical education students and to encourage them to strive for excellence and pride in their chosen occupations. The contests are planned by technical committees made up of representatives of labor and management and are designed to test the skills needed for a successful entry-level performance in given occupational fields.

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About SkillsUSA SkillsUSA (www.skillsusa.org) is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. The organization serves more than 280,000 students and instructors annually and has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations. More than 14,500 instructors and administrators are professional members of SkillsUSA.

About The Printing & Imaging Association Educational Foundation
The PIAG Educational Foundation (www.piag.org/education) is a nonprofit corporation established in 1985 as the educational and charitable arm of the Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia. The Foundation provides educational opportunities to industry professionals, career awareness programs for students and instructors and scholarship opportunities. The Foundation also promotes the printing and imaging profession within the state to future industry leaders and potential customers.

Mr. Tim Taylor Named President of The Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG)

SMYRNA, Ga. - The PIAG Executive Search Committee and the PIAG Executive Committee have unanimously confirmed the position of PIAG president to Mr. Tim Taylor. Mr. Taylor comes to this position with over 20 years of experience in sales and management in the print paper industry, as well as numerous years in association membership and management.

Mr. Taylor officially began his duties as PIAG president on Wednesday, July 1, 2009.

(Read More)

SkillsUSA Champ Preps for WorldSkills Competition

From What TheyThink.com...
Amela Mujkic has a giant in her corner. The Ferris State University (FSU) senior earned the title of National Champion in Printing Technology in the SkillsUSA competition last spring and is preparing to represent the United States at the biannual WorldSkills competition in Alberta, Canada this fall. Her participation marks the first time ever that a student from the U.S. will compete at the international level. This summer, Mujkic is completing an intensive, two-week Print Media Academy (PMA) training class at Heidelberg USA’s Print Media Demonstration Center (PMDC) in Kennesaw, Ga. to prepare herself for the upcoming competition.
(Read More)

Georgia Printer Magazine Adds Media Buyers To Its Readership

Georgia Printer Magazine Adds Media Buyers To Its Readership

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PIAG Announces Winner of SkillsUSA YouTube Contest

The Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia's Educational Foundation announced today the winner of a YouTube contest to promote the 2009 SkillsUSA Georgia graphic communications and advertising design competitions, which the association sponsors. William Anthony, a student at Johnson High School in Gainesville, Ga. received a $100 cash prize for his video showcasing the recent competition. Effingham High School students Jessica Parker and Chelsea McIntyre received honorable mentions.

"The introductions and slide transitions set Will's video apart. They were fresh and different," said judge Pat Klarecki, Professor at Ferris State University and a coordinator for the graphic communications World Skills competition.

Contestants were asked to produce a YouTube video of no more than four minutes using photos taken during the 2009 SkillsUSA Georgia training and competitions held at Heidelberg USA, April 16 - 18. All photos were housed on Flickr for easy accessibility. Judging was based on number of views, YouTube rating and input from a panel of industry representatives.

To view all the videos submitted, visit www.youtube.com/PIAGGeorgia. To view the photos used to produce the videos visit PIAG's Flickr site.

SkillsUSA YouTube Contest

We have 11 entries so far in the SkillsUSA YouTube contest. It's pretty exciting. Below is one of the entries. You can go to www.YouTube.com/PIAGGeorgia to view all the entries. Rate your favorite one and maybe it will win! Spread the word by sharing your favorite videos and posting them to your Myspace and/or Facebook accounts.

If you're interested in entering, there is still time. Click here for official rules. FYI, the password to upload the video has been changed to just skillsusa.

Virtual Field Trips

I've heard from several teachers that it is harder and harder to get the budget and time to visit print shops with their students. PIAG is talking to some members about producing virtual tours that you can show your students. Nothing is as good as seeing it in person, but when that's not an option, perhaps this is the solution. Take a look at this video below of a print shop in upstate New York. Let me know what you think. Would this be a good model for other virtual tours? Would your students respond to this?

PIAG Sponsors SkillsUSA YouTube Contest with Cash Prize

The Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia's Educational Foundation is sponsoring a YouTube contest to generate buzz and recognition for the 2009 SkillsUSA Georgia graphic communications and advertising design competitions, which the association sponsors. The winner will receive $100 cash and recognition in PIAG publications.

Contestants are asked to produce a YouTube video of no more than four minutes using photos and video taken during the 2009 SkillsUSA Georgia training and competitions held at Heidelberg USA April 16 - 18. All photos and video have been uploaded to Flickr for easy accessibility. Contestants can use any format to produce their video. Some suggestions include PC based Windows Movie Maker, Mac’s iMovie or the website www.animoto.com. Judging is based on number of views, YouTube rating and input from a panel of industry representatives.

“You may be asking, why is PIAG sponsoring a video contest?” said Bill Garvey, Chairman, PIAG Educational Foundation. “PIAG member companies are no longer singular focused. Many offer an integrated solution to client's marketing communication needs. The most effective marketing programs incorporate print into a broader marketing mix. PIAG is promoting this contest and the results via mail stuffers, our quarterly magazine and printed postcards, as well as the internet.”

The contest is open to anyone. Entries must be posted by June 1. The winner will be announced the week of June 6. For a complete set of rules, click here.

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About SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. The organization serves more than 280,000 students and instructors annually and has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations. More than 14,500 instructors and administrators are professional members of SkillsUSA.

About The Printing & Imaging Association Educational Foundation
The PIAG Educational Foundation is a nonprofit corporation established in 1985 as the educational and charitable arm of the Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia. The Foundation provides educational opportunities to industry professionals, career awareness programs for students and instructors and scholarship opportunities. The Foundation also promotes the printing and imaging profession within the state to future industry leaders and potential customers.

More comments from SkillsUSA pre-press judges

Paul Davis was one of the pre-press judges for the SkillsUSA competition. He has posted a good recap of the contest on Graph Comm Net. He has also posted some videos on pre-press and labs that coincide with Claudia McCue's book on CS4 training (Claudia taught the CS4 class at the winter TIEGA teacher's meeting) This site is full of labs, training materials, PrintED safety materials, curriculum and more. I encourage you to take a few minutes to browse the discussions and look at the attachments for each post. You may also want to look at the video section. There are a few videos that may be of interest for classes. Here is a direct link to the Georgia Graphics & Design Teachers Discussion group on Graph Comm Net . If you have curriculum, tests or anything else that would be valuable to your peers, please share it on Graph Comm Net.

2009 SkillsUSA Ad Design Logos and Ads

During this year's SkillsUSA advertising design competition, students were given the task of creating a logo and advertisement for a new brand of Cover Girl lipstick called Cover Splash. Here is what they did.

Congratulations to Our 2009 SkillsUSA Winners!!!

Advertising Design

1st Place - Yea Jee Bae, Dalton High School
2nd Place - Anna Killmeier, Central Education Center, Newnan

3rd Place - Kristen Stevens, Sandy Creek High School, Tyrone

Graphic Communications

1st Place - Bryan Shipes, Appling County High School, Baxley

2nd Place - Cody Trapp, Central Education Center, Newnan

3rd Place - Paige Barton, Floyd County Schools College and Career Academy, Rome

A big thank you to Heidelberg USA for hosting the competition and providing training. We appreciate all the industry representatives that came out to judge the competition.

Our Judges were:

Gina Easter, PIAG

Heather Bondar, HP
Maria Baker, RR Donnelly

Rachele Ledford, Network Communications

Paul Davis, Consultant

Don Armel, Georgia Southern University

Phil Scott, Scott Litho

Chad Scott, Scott Litho

Mark Yeagle, The Pitman Companies
Mike Yalen, HP

Albert Whitley, Whit Creative

Christina Arntz, Manhattan Associates

Vincent Scatliffe, Contnuous Lne

Comments from the Written Assessment Judge

Professor Don Armel with Georgia Southern University compiled and judged the written assessment portion of the SkillsUSA Georgia Graphic Communications competition. Here are his comments.

Comments from the PrePress Judges

Here are comments from the SkillsUSA Georgia Pre-press judges.

Comments from the Finishing Judges

The following are comments from our finishing judges.

Comments from the Finishing Instructors

The following comments are from our finishing instructors. These gentlemen assisted our students during a full day of training prior to the competition.

Comments from the Heidelberg Offset Press Instructors

The following is comments from the offset press instructors from Heidelberg. These folks assisted contestants during a full day training session prior to the competition.

Comments from the Offset Press Judges

Here are comments from the offset judges Mark Yaegle, Pitman Companies and Phil Scott, Scott Litho.

Comments from the Interview Judge

Here are comments from Maria Baker with RR Donnelly regarding the oral assessment (aka job interview)

A Few Words from the Advertising Design Judges

Well, I ran out of memory at the end, but I think you get the idea.

Video of World Skills Training

Here's a great video put together by Patrick Klarecki about the lead up to sending the USA's first Graphic Communications World Skills competitor.

Georgia's Ailion Competes for WorldSkills Team

For the first time ever a student from the U.S. will compete in the WorldSkills offset printing competition to be held September 1-7, 2009, in Calgary, Canada. Amela Mujkic, a senior at Ferris State University, was recently selected from among three competitors, at the qualifying competition held at Heidelberg USA's Print Media Academy, Buffalo Grove, IL. Alyssa Ailion (pictured left), who won Georgia's SkillsUSA competition last year and placed second at the national event, was one of the three contenders.

Financial and in-kind support from the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF), Heidelberg USA, the Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG), and the Printing Industries of Michigan (PIM) have made participation in this event possible.

“I extend a big thank you to all who have helped make this dream of sending a SkillsUSA competitor to Calgary a reality. A partnership such as this—with students, teachers and industry working together—is key to America's skilled workforce for the future,” comments SkillsUSA Executive Director Tim Lawrence.

GAERF President Ralph Nappi added, “I was encouraged by the quality of the competitors and feel confident that we will be sending our best to WorldSkills in September. Those involved in planning and preparing for this event should be commended on their extraordinary efforts to make U.S. participation in this offset printing competition possible.” Michael Fleming, Ferris State University, and Allyssa Ailion, Georgia State University, were the other contenders.

About WorldSkills
The International Vocational Training Organization, headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, sponsors the biennial WorldSkills Competition (WSC). This year the event will take place in Calgary, Canada, from September 1-7, 2009, hosting over 1,000 competitors from 51 countries. WorldSkills is the pinnacle of excellence in skilled trades and technologies training.

About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization of students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. SkillsUSA helps high school and college students enrolled in career and technical education programs to excel by teaching employability skills such as communication, problem solving and leadership in conjunction with their trade, technical and service occupations skills. The association's annual membership exceeds 300,000 students and instructors in more than 4,000 schools and colleges in every state, three territories and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit: www.skillsusa.org.

Transportation for SkillsUSA

For all those participating in SkillsUSA, PIAG has some space available for advisors to ride the bus to and from Heidelberg for the Thursday training and the Friday competition. If you are an ad

Image via Wikipedia

visor and would like to ride the bus with your contestant from the Airport Marriott to Heidelberg and back, please email srodman@soukmc.com. Note: We can only accomodate contestants and advisors at Heidelberg. We cannot allow students who are not affiliated with the graphic communication or advertising design competitions to attend the training session or the competition.

Heidelberg PrintMaster QM46 Training

This video is an introduction to the Heidelberg PrintMaster QM46. This is the press that will be used at the state competition and is used at the National SkillsUSA competition. The videos that follow are from pieces of a training video on the PrintMaster QM46. This should help anyone that is competing at the Georgia state event, especially those that don't have access to a Heidelberg QM46 press. Let me know if you have additional training documents, videos, etc. on the equipment that will be used and I can post it here. I'd like to thank Heidelberg for supplying the video and Dr. Don Armel at Georgia Southern University for editing it for use here.

Introduction


Operator Safety


Presets

Feeder

Rear Feeder

Double Sheet

Delivery Backstop

Plates

Plate Mounting

Inking

Print Register

How to Make a PDF Training Video

Paul Davis, the SkillsUSA pre-press judge, is experimenting with training videos to assist students in learning pre-press. He has posted a test training video on how to create a PDF that is located on Graph Com Net. He is in the process of creating additional training videos, so register for Graph Com Net (it's free) and check back often to the Georgia Graphic Design Teachers Group.

Hands On Training for All Skills State Competitors

PIAG has put together a full day of hands on training for contestants in the Advertising Design and Graphic Communications SkillsUSA Georgia competitions. Industry experts will work with

Image via Wikipedia

students to hone their skills, answer questions and give them an opportunity to prepare for the competition the next day. This training is only open to Advertising Design and Graphic Communications SkillsUSA contestants. If you are a contestant, or have a student that is competing, contact Sue at srodman@piag.org to reserve your spot for the training.

Go to the PIAG website for a complete schedule.

FREE Paper for Teachers

Theresa Mattioli at HP Digital Printing Solutions has more than a pallet of paper available for schools to use. If you'd like some, contact Theresa at theresa.mattioli@hp.com or 678-823-0775 and let her know when you can come to the Solutions Center at 1001 Summit Blvd. in Atlanta to pick it up.

HP has been sending pallets of paper to several teacher training session this past year. Teachers have loaded their cars with free paper to take back to the classroom. This is an especially great donation given the economy. THANKS HP!!

We Want to Know About YOU!

PIAG is currently putting together an article for our upcoming Georgia Printer magazine, titled "The Face of The Industry". We want to find out more about you! Take five minutes to fill out our quick survey and you just might be profiled in the next issue of Georgia's only printing & imaging trade publication. This is great exposure to top decision makers in our industry, media buyers and even our legislative leaders! All PIAG members who are printers/imagers, suppliers, educators and print finishers are encouraged to participate. Click here to take the survey.

Graphics Teachers Learn CS3 and CS4

Last month more than 20 graphic communications teachers from around Georgia gathered in Natalie Hynson's graphic communications lab at the Central Education Center in Newnan to learn the latest tips, tricks and techniques on Adobe's CS3 and CS4. Adobe graciously provided expert instruction from Claudia McCue to teach the session. Dan Campanga, graphics instructor at Walton High School went home with a brand new copy of CS4 donated by Adobe.

PIAG is in the planning stages of two more teacher training sessions in July. On tap for the GACTE conference July 21 and 22 is a hands-on session at Hewlett Packard's Digital Solutions Center. Slated for July 22 - 24 is Camp T and I. A full-day session with Printing Industry of America's Joe Marin discussing how creatives and printers can work together for better outcomes is planned. Be on the lookout for more information on these two teacher training programs.

PIAG, Teachers, Students Meet with Legislators

On Feb. 12, PIAG chairman David Canady along with graphic communications teacher Amy Hicks and SkillsUSA graphic communications student Victoria Slagle (pictured left with representative Fran Millar) met with legislators after a breakfast featuring Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson, School Superintendent Kathy Cox and School Board Member Brian Burdette. The trio represented the graphics industry well and lobbied for the continued support of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education, of which graphic communications programs are a part.

Training Resouces Abound

The PIAG website is the central place for all information on the SkillsUSA statewide grap

Image via Wikipedia

hic communications and advertising design competitions. Even if you aren't sending students to state, take a look at the training resources available for both graphic communications and advertising design. There is a wealth of information for anyone interested in graphic communications. This site has been compiled with the input of numerous industry professionals and showcases the skills students need to know for a successful career in print. Some highlights include:

• Link to a free trial copy of CS4, the official software of SkillsUSA Georgia
• Link to training tutorials on CS3 and CS4
• Samples of past exams for both state and nationals

Check out the other resources available on PIAG's website and let us know what you find most valuable.

2008 SkillsUSA National Tests

If you are planning to participate in the 2009 SkillsUSA graphic communications competition, you'll want to take a look at the 2008 SkillsUSA National competition. This link is a 28 page PDF document and is a great study guide for the 2009 events. Bookmark the link above. The national technical committee for graphic communications is maintaining this blog and will post information on the national contest. We'll try to keep you posted here as well.

SkillsUSA Georgia Coming Soon

PIAG is planning for the 2009 SkillsUSA Georgia competitions. We hope to have the maximum entries in the graphic communications and advertising design competitions. If you are planning a regional competition and would like sample tests, please email me at srodman@piag.org.

The Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG) is sponsoring the statewide competitions at the United States headquarters of global print manufacturer Heidelberg USA on April 17. In addition, we are hosting a full day training session with industry professionals for the student competitors to prepare for the competition. PIAG hosted this same program last year and our state graphic communications winner placed second in the national competition and has been invited to compete for a spot on the WorldSkills team!

As sponsors of the SkillsUSA Georgia statewide graphic communications and advertising design competitions, PIAG has assembled more than 25 industry professionals to assist in creating, administering, training and judging these competitions. In addition, we have partnered with AIGA, the professional design association to offer specific expertise in advertising design. Students are given intensive training prior to the competition on the latest equipment used within the industry today and access to professionals working daily on the equipment. After the competition, all contestants are given extensive feedback on their performance with specific suggestions for improvement.

PIAG is also offering assistance to teachers in preparing their students for the competition. On PIAG’s website under the About the Foundation section there are resources and information on the SkillsUSA competition including the equipment used, training videos on the equipment, copies of old contests for review, and a link to Graph Comm Net, a social network for industry and academia on educational issues including SkillsUSA.

Finally, The Trustees of the Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia Foundation have committed to offer scholarships to the winners of the statewide graphic communications and advertising design competitions. In addition, the Foundation will sponsor the winner and their advisor to attend the National SkillsUSA competition in Kansas City, MO.

Georgia teachers and students, we hope to see you in Atlanta on April 17. For industry, we'd love for you to participate in this great event. We are looking for sponsorships, prizes, gift bag donations and your expertise. Contact me at srodman@piag.org if you'd like to get involved in this great event.

National Student Design Competition Slated

To promote career opportunities within the graphic communications industry, the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAREF) is challenging students to create and produce a marketing product designed to appeal to the industry's future workforce.

Winning entries receive $2,000 plus a two-day, all-inclusive paid trip for the student(s) and instructor to attend PRINT 09 in Chicago, IL. There will be a winner in the secondary and post-secondary category. Second prize is $1,500 and third is $1,000. Deadline for entries is May 1, 2009.

To download more information and an entry form, go to www.gaerf.org. Questions? Call 703-264-7200 or email ecassidy@npes.org

More Adobe CS Exercises for Your Class

Image via WikipediaDigital Foundations: Introduction to Media Design with Adobe Creative Suite is a textbook that integrates the formal principles of the Bauhaus Basic Course into an introduction to digital media production with the Adobe Creative Suite.

If you'd like to view a working version of the book online for FREE (it includes exercises in all twenty chapters that have been tested and proven in the classroom.) Go to http://wiki.digital-foundations.net.

If you are an instructor interested in adopting the book in your course work, you can also request a review copy through this page.

Print Production Test Questions

A week from Saturday, Jan. 31, the Trade and Industry Educators of Georgia will meet in Newnan for the annual TIEGA conference. If you haven’t registered, go to www.tiega.org and do so today.

If you want to get more out of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat make sure you attend on the 31st. Claudia McCue will teach useful, productive skills in Creative Suite 3 that you can pass on to your students. While the session is devoted primarily to Creative Suite 3, you'll also see the cool new features in Creative Suite 4!

Claudia is the author of Real World Print Production (Peachpit Press, 2006), a contributor to InDesign magazine, Dynamic Graphics magazine, and HOW magazine, and a frequent presenter at industry conferences. She is the presenter for the video training series "Adobe CS3 Print Workflow" from Total Training. She is an Adobe Certified Instructor for Photoshop, Acrobat, and InDesign.

But wait! Just like the old Ronco commercials, there’s more. Paul Davis, former graphic communications instructor at DeKalb Tech has taken Claudia’s book Real World Print Production and created worksheet questions (could become a real test) for use with each chapter of the book. To view the worksheets click here.

Paul’s got a lot more items to share and will be hosting another FREE session for teachers on Friday, Jan. 30 from 12 – 4 pm at the CEC in Newnan. So come a little early for TIEGA and see what other goodies Paul has compiled. Paul’s session is not an official part of the TIEGA conference. If you’d like to attend his session, just email me at srodman@piag.org.

Online Pre-Press Training

Looking for extra training in pre-press? Have students that want to do more? Check out http://www.prepresstraining.com/. It's $150 per year for teachers and you can take the courses as many times as you want. There is also a liscencing option that will allow students to download per course for a less expensive fee. This site was recommended by Tim Captville, formerly with Semper International during our summer Camp T&I program at PIAG.

Check back to The Mentor soon, we'll have additional pre-press training materials and labs from our FREE teacher training session with Paul Davis soon.