CLUSTERFine Arts & Humanities

CONCENTRATIONGraphic Communications

WVEIS CODEFH1830

National Competencies

ONET Codes

43-9031.00 - Desktop Publishers

27-1014.00 - Multimedia Artists and Animators

51-5111.00 - Prepress Technicians and Workers

43-9081.00 - Proofreaders and Copy Markers

51-5113.00 - Print Binding and Finishing Workers

51-5112.00 - Printing Press Operators

Sample of job titles upon completion of the concentration:

Computer Typesetter, Prepress Technician, Electronic Prepress Operator (EPP Operator), Plate Maker, Plate Mounter, Pre-Press Proofer, Prepress Stripper

Sample of job titles upon completion of additional education (if applicable):

Art Director, Electronic Console Display Operator, Graphic Artist, Mac Operator, Production Manager, Desktop Publishing Specialist, Electronic Imager, Advertising Associate, Creative Director, Animator, Art Director, Artist, Graphic Artist, Graphic Designer, Illustrator, 3D Artist, 3D Animator, Animation Director, Prepress Operator, Pre-Press Technician, Desktop Operator, Electronic Prepress Technician (EPP Tech), Copy Editor, Proofreader, Assistant Editor, Desk Editor, Page Designer, Production Assistant, Content Editor, Copyholder, Editorial Assistant

INDUSTRY CREDENTIALS

REQUIRED COURSES (Sequence Preferred)

WVEIS CodeCourse

1835Fundamentals of Graphic Communication

1839Image Assembly and Platemaking

1833Electronic Imaging

1841Offset Press and Bindery

ELECTIVE COURSES

1831Photography and Dark Room Procedures

1832Color Processing

1834Digital Pre-Press

1837Application in Graphic Communications

1859Graphic Design Applications

1855Fundamentals of Desktop Publishing

SKILL SETS

Career Preparation Skills

Safety

Leadership Development

Customer Service

Digital File Preparation

Image Capture

Color Theory

Digital File Output

Press Operation(Offset and Digital)

Bindery Operations

Production and Processing of Assembly and Platemaking

Orientation

Type

Page Layout

Image Capture—Preparing Digital Files

Illustration

PDF

Offset Press Operations

Binding and Finishing

Skill set 1, 2, 3, and 4 should be integrated throughout the concentration as remaining skill sets are delivered.

Career Preparation Skills
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • career paths.
  • goal development and achievement.
  • attitudes and work habits that support career retention and advancement.
  • personal qualities and abilities needed to be effective with children.
  • communication in varied contexts.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • relate skills and abilities to possible career pathways.
  • explain methods of goal development.
  • discuss methods of time management and task coordination.
  • practice professionalism in punctuality, appropriate dress, task completion, etc.
  • investigate methods of supervision such as giving and receiving feedback and instruction.
  • develop and present a statement of their personal work ethic beliefs.
  • prepare an application, cover letter, resume and thank you letter.
  • create an employment portfolio for use when applying for projects.

Safety
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • proper safe work habits in and around the lab

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • identify location(s) and describe proper use of fire safety equipment in the facility.
  • list safety rules involving flammable liquids.
  • list the steps to be taken in case of injury in the lab.
  • identify location(s) of first aid kit(s) and eye wash station(s).
  • read and interpret Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
  • describe protective safety equipment, if needed (e.g., gloves, goggles, ear plugs, lab dress, etc.).
  • describe appropriate safety procedures to follow when operating equipment.
  • pass a general lab safety test.
  • identify approved methods for disposing of waste materials.
  • read, interpret, and follow instructions on warning labels.
  • identify the safety color code.

Leadership Development
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • public speaking.
  • parliamentary law.
  • leadership concepts.
  • characteristics of effective teams and organizations.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • develop and deliver speeches.
  • participate in meetings using parliamentary procedure.
  • attend leadership conferences and training (local, state and/or national).
  • volunteer in community service opportunities.
  • participate in career development events.

Customer Service
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • taking orders
  • identifying customers needs

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • take orders by phone, visit, or email
  • create job tickets

Fundamentals of Graphic CommunicationWVEIS 1835

Digital File Preparation
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • professional prepress software applications and uses, including: page layout (QuarkXPress, InDesign); image editing (Photoshop); illustration (Illustrator); Portable Document Format (PDF) generation and editing (Acrobat, PitStop); and, imposition (Preps).
  • the disadvantages of using office/home-based software for professional graphic purposes.
  • the difference between a raster image and a vector graphic image.
  • the advantages/disadvantages of removable storage media.
  • the significance of PDF as it pertains to the printing industry.
  • the difference between supplying PDF files versus native files for print.
  • identify various file formats and their extensions: .doc; .qxd; .pdf; .tif; .eps; .rtf; .raw; .jpg; .bmp; .txt; .indd; .psd; .ai; .pub; .html; .gif; .xls; .zip; .dmg; .png; .dng.
  • the purpose of a folding dummy.
  • the purpose of imposition.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • utilize professional prepress software applications and uses, including: page layout (QuarkXPress, InDesign); image editing (Photoshop); illustration (Illustrator); Portable Document Format (PDF) generation and editing (Acrobat, PitStop); and, imposition (Preps).
  • develop PDFs
  • create various file extensions: doc; .qxd; .pdf; .tif; .eps; .rtf; .raw; .jpg; .bmp; .txt; .indd; .psd; .ai; .pub; .html; .gif; .xls; .zip; .dmg; .png; .dng.

Digital File Preparation
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • basic scanning hardware.
  • basic digital camera hardware.
  • the difference between line art and continuous tone originals.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • scan images and documents
  • take photos with digital cameras

Color Theory
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • additive and subtractive color theory.
  • the effect of lighting on color perception.
  • the effect of the surround on color perception.
  • the significance of viewing conditions in the graphic communications industry.
  • the influence of the substrate on color reproduction.

Digital File Output
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • trapping and why it is necessary.
  • the purpose of proofing.
  • the difference between hard and soft proofs.
  • digital platemaking equipment for offset plates.
  • the difference between static output and variable output.
  • the process of creating digital output from a computer file.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • trap files
  • proof files
  • use platemaking equipment to create offset plates

Press Operations (Offset and Digital)
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • basic safety press procedures.
  • basic press systems.
  • quality control devices for press (color bars, densitometer, etc.).

Bindery Operations
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • the differences between, and the advantages/disadvantages of: in-line; off-line; and, near-line finishing.
  • basic paper types, weights, grades and classifications commonly used in the printing industry.
  • operational and safety features of a paper cutter.
  • grain direction of paper, and explain its importance.
  • padding equipment materials and hand tools.
  • stapling and stitching equipment materials and supplies.
  • punching/drilling equipment and tools.
  • folding equipment.
  • basic folds for printed products.
  • collating equipment.
  • die cut products, embossing and foil stamping products, and procedures/equipment used for each.
  • different binding methods and applications, including: case binding; perfect binding; saddle stitching; and, lay-flat.
  • mailing and distribution processs.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • calculate basic paper cuts from a parent sheet.
  • create an accurate master cutting diagram for making cuts.

Image Assembly and PlatemakingWVEIS 1839

Production and Processing of Assembly and Platemaking
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • plate equipment
  • quality control
  • principles involved in production of images

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • operate and maintain laser plate-making equipment that converts electronic data to plates without the use of film.

  • examine photographic images for obvious imperfections prior to plate making.

  • operate presses to print proofs of plates, monitoring printing quality to ensure that it is adequate.

  • monitor contact between cover glass and masks inside vacuum frames, in order to prevent flaws resulting from overexposure or light reflection.

  • transfer images from master plates to unexposed plates, and immerse plates in developing solutions to develop images.

  • examine unexposed photographic plates to detect flaws or foreign particles prior to printing.

  • lower vacuum frames onto plate-film assemblies, activate vacuums to establish contact between film and plates, and set timers to activate ultraviolet lights that expose plates.

  • examine finished plates to detect flaws, verify conformity with master plates, and measure dot sizes and centers, using light-boxes and microscopes.

  • perform close alignment or registration of double and single flats to sensitized plates prior to exposure, in order to produce composite images.

  • remove plate-film assemblies from vacuum frames, and place exposed plates in automatic processors to develop images and dry plates.

  • position and angle screens for proper exposure.

  • inspect developed film for specified results and quality, using magnifying glasses and scopes; forward acceptable negatives or positives to other workers or to customers.

  • punch holes in light-sensitive plates and insert pins in holes to prepare plates for contact with positive or negative film.

  • unload exposed film from scanners, and place film in automatic processors to develop images.

  • place masking paper on areas of plates not covered by positives or negatives, in order to prevent exposure.

  • mount negatives and plates in cameras, set exposure controls, and expose plates to light through negatives in order to transfer images onto plates.

  • perform tests to determine lengths of exposures, by exposing plates, scanning line copy, and comparing exposures to tone range scales.

  • mix solutions such as developing solutions and colored coating solutions.

  • activate scanners to produce positive or negative films for the black-and-white, cyan, yellow, and magenta separations from each original copy.

  • select proper types of plates according to press run lengths.

  • reposition lamps and adjust aperture controls in order to provide high quality images.

  • analyze originals to evaluate color density, gradation highlights, middle tones, and shadows, using densitometers and knowledge of light and color.

  • perform minor deletions, additions, or corrections to completed plates, on or off printing presses, using tusche, printing ink, erasers, and needles.

  • correct minor film mask defects with litho tape or opaquing fluid.

  • position color transparencies, negatives, or reflection copies on scanning drums, and mount drums and heads on scanners.

  • arrange and mount typeset material and illustrations into paste-ups for printing reproduction, based on artists' or editors' layouts.

  • scale copy for reductions and enlargements, using proportion wheels.

Electronic ImagingWVEIS 1833

Orientation
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • the basic principles of design (i.e., unity, contrast, page proportions, balance, etc.)
  • line images and appropriate resolutions.
  • continuous tone/halftone images and appropriate resolutions.
  • basic process color principles and methods of reproduction.
  • define PostScript.
  • the types and procedures for using removable storage media.
  • the use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) in transferring files from one computer to another.
  • preflighting and its purpose.
  • computer-to-plate, computer-to-press, and variable data printing.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • read and interpret production information on job docket/ticket.
  • demonstrate keyboard typing proficiency.
  • prepare a series of hand-drawn sketches or computer-generated layouts incorporating appropriate marks (i.e., gutters, register marks, fold lines, etc.)
  • preflight a native file using application preflight software and/or a manual checklist.
  • preflight a Portable Document Format (PDF) file using application preflight software and/or a manual checklist.

Type
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • the use of caps, lowercase, uppercase, small caps, ligatures, and glyphs.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • measure type in points using the appropriate tools.
  • explain x-height, mean-line, baseline, ascenders, descenders, leading, and their roles in measuring and designing with type.
  • define the use of glyphs in publications.
  • distinguish between display (headline) type and body (text) type by their point sizes and type styles.
  • list the basic type style classifications and their uses.
  • describe the appropriate use of type family members (e.g., bold, italic, Roman, etc.)
  • explain letter spacing, tracking, and kerning of type characters.
  • explain typographic ems and ens and their associated dashes.
  • define the use of type arrangements, e.g., flush left–ragged right, flush right–ragged left, centered, and justified.
  • explain the differences between TrueType, Postscript Type 1, and Open Type fonts.
  • demonstrate or explain the proper use of loading, displaying and organizing fonts using a font management software application.
  • explain the use of caps, lowercase, uppercase, small caps, ligatures, and glyphs.

Page Layout
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • PDF creation
  • page/document design
  • proofreading
  • altering images

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • select professional software for page layout.
  • demonstrate the use of a digital dictionary and spell checker.
  • demonstrate proper line and page breaks including hyphenation, widows and orphans.
  • demonstrate a functional knowledge of computer menus, shortcut keys, and palettes in page layout software.
  • demonstrate text alignment (flush left, flush right, center), vertical justification (top, center, bottom justified), and object alignment and distribution.
  • demonstrate use of basic proofreading marks.
  • demonstrate the proper setup of a new document including facing pages, page size and orientation, columns, margins, bleeds, and slugs.
  • apply appropriate paragraph formatting to text (indents, spaces before and after, drop caps, etc.).
  • place or get text from a word processed document.
  • design and produce a document using specified type faces, sizes, leading, margins, indents, tabs, and colors.
  • identify appropriate professional software for inputting words, creating illustrations, editing images, and laying out pages.
  • follow proofreading instructions to correct documents on screen.
  • place or get images.
  • demonstrate cropping images.
  • create a two-sided, three-panel brochure using graphics and text.
  • create a multi-page document using master pages, automatic folios, paragraph style sheets, levels of headings, sidebars, text inset, masthead, text, and graphics.
  • create a document that includes tables.
  • create a document using tints, reverses and manipulated type.
  • produce a multi-colored flyer that includes at least two spot colors and output separations.
  • demonstrate soft proofing using an appropriate profile and explain why it is used.
  • make a hard copy proof with appropriate printer marks.
  • upon completion of a job, demonstrate how to preflight, proof (hard and soft), package, and create an output-appropriate PDF.

Image Capture
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • the difference between continuous tone images, halftone images, and line art.
  • the basic components and uses of flatbed scanner hardware.
  • uses and limitations of basic scanner software.
  • the various components and settings (aperture, shutter speed, image resolution, white balance, etc.) of a digital camera.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • capture digital images using a scanner and digital camera.
  • demonstrate appropriate scanner/program operations for line artwork.
  • demonstrate appropriate scanner/program operations for continuous tone color and grayscale images.
  • transfer images from a camera and scanner to a host computer.
  • describe what an International Color Consortium (ICC) profile is and its use.
  • demonstrate how to convert Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images in Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Key/black (CMYK) using various ICC profiles.
  • demonstrate saving scanned images into an appropriate file format.
  • given an image, determine whether it is high or low resolution.
  • explain the image resolution requirements for various uses (screen/web versus press).
  • download a digital image from a stock photography web site or compact disc (CD) and resize according to specifications provided.
  • using bitmap editing software, retouch, crop, make modifications, color corrections, and levels adjustments to prepare an image to print correctly on a printing press.

Illustration
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • computer menus, shortcut keys, and palettes in illustration software.

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • create a single color vector graphic.
  • create a vector graphic using tints, fills, and color.
  • create a vector graphic using manipulated type.
  • trace a bitmap drawing and convert to a vector.
  • edit an existing piece of vector art.

PDF
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of
  • the Portable Document Format (PDF) as an integral part of the printing industry.
  • the difference between a PDF and native application files
  • advantages and disadvantages of PDF.
  • the various methods used to create PDFs

Performance Objectives / Students will
  • create a PDF from a native application file.
  • describe the differences between the PDF (such as PDF/x-3, press quality PDF, etc.)
  • describe why some PDFs are not appropriate for print production.
  • demonstrate how to make minor corrections to a PDF file.

Offset Press and BinderyWVEIS 1841

Offset Press operations
Knowledge Objectives / Students will demonstrate knowledge of