An overview of the graphic arts fields. Students work in digital imaging, desktop publishing, platemaking, press operations and bindery/finishing. Along with assisting in our shop’s “live production work”, students complete “real” jobs for the tech school, the three sending schools and several non-profit organizations in the area. Students in Level 1 (first year, mostly 10 th grade students) begin their 3- year education at UBAVTS working in Introduction to Graphic Communications. Most students enter this course because they are interested in graphics … however, a background in all the other units will help them understand the why and how of designing projects and jobs as they are related to printing, both digital and conventional. Students will do a large number of individual projects to better acquaint themselves with our graphic arts computer programs (QuarkXPress, Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, etc.) along with the production end of the printed jobs. They will produce memo pads, greeting cards, business cards and other forms that are used and produced every day in printing businesses. Time sheet documentation and development of a portfolio are stressed as a way to grade and display their accomplishments.

The Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation, along with hundreds of concerned businesses and industry leaders have organized a national certification process which enables students across the country to become certified in the various printing and graphic arts fields. The UBAVTS Graphic Communications program has been certified since In 2006, our recertification was earned through the assistance of many local printing and graphic arts affiliated businesses and dedicated individuals in our area. The certification helps our graduates with college or trade school placement, enabling students to bypass several courses. It gives them an opportunity to jump ahead of other first-year graphic design students in community colleges, four-year institutions, along with business and trade schools. For the students wishing to directly enter one of the printing fields after graduation from UBAVTS, it gives the student the structured PrintED curriculum, giving them the terminology and practical work helping them to acquaint themselves with tasks associated with their new job.

Introduction to Graphic Communications Digital File Preparation Digital File Output Press Operation Bindery and Finishing Advanced Digital File Preparation Advanced Press Operation

Students will work on the computers over half of the time they are in Graphic Communications. They will learn individual responsibility as well as teamwork as they move through the projects, lectures and production work. The software we use is industry standard. They will become acquainted with both the PC and Mac platforms.

When the graphic design work is completed, it can be digitally produced on various printers or be converted into an offset plate for reproduction in larger quantities. Students will use our “image setter” to produce computer generated plates. We briefly cover conventional plate making, using the darkroom for reproduction photography. This area is becoming obsolete in the industry, however, it is an effective way to show “how it used to be done” and some of the steps that our image setter completes inside the “plastic boxes”.

This is still the most sought after position in our industry. Local printing companies are in constant search for dedicated, mechanically inclined individuals who have the drive to earn excellent salaries. These positions are open at large printing companies (such as Moore-Wallace in Quakertown, Brown Printing in East Greenville, or any number of other corporations in the Bux-Mont area) or the area’s many smaller commercial printing companies that are in business in almost every town in our communities.

After the jobs are printed it is necessary to “finish” them. Students will learn how these jobs, whether produced digitally or conventionally are Completed. Cutting, folding, collating/gathering, laminating, stitching, binding, scoring/perforating, packaging, and many other operations are explored. This unit helps students understand why they designed and printed the project and/or job the way they did, and also why quality control is necessary throughout the processes.

Many of our current graduates, especially those interested in graphic design, move into post-secondary education. In the past three years, we have had over 1/3 of our graduates enrolled at Bucks County Community College. Others attend trade related schools or four-year colleges.

Of course, if the graduate chooses, she or he can become employed in the printing field immediately. Our program has developed an excellent relationship with the local printing companies, both large and small.

Along with great opportunities for the graduates, this relationship has opened doors for the UBAVTS Graphic Communications program as well. Last spring, Harleysville Insurance decided to close it’s in-plant printing shop, which had three of our former students employed in it. (A large national printing company offered them an “offer they couldn’t refuse”.) Because of the strong relationship that our school built with Harleysville Insurance, they chose to donate hundreds of dollars of ink and paper to us. They also sold us four offset presses and several other pieces of equipment that could have easily sold for $70,000-$100,000. Because we are the school that originally sent them ¾ of their workforce in their shop, we only had to pay $7,000 for the equipment.