Alex Wise (right) of Duggal Visual Solutions introduces students from New York City College of Technology to high-end output on wide-format digital inkjet equipment. Prof. Tanya Goetz (left) led the students on their visit to Duggal’s digital production facility in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. (photo by Jonathan Young)

Students in the department of Advertising Design and Graphic Arts (ADGA) at New York City College of Technology (NYCCT) saw high-end digital printing in action on a recent field trip to Duggal Visual Solutions in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Personnel at Duggal, one of the New York metro area’s leading providers of graphic services, showed the students samples from upcoming campaigns for prestige clients such as Tiffany, Hollister, and Ralph Lauren. The tour included practical lessons in color management and the effects of lighting conditions on the perception of color—subjects among many taught in ADGA’s two- and four-year degree programs in communication design, graphic arts, advertising design, and production management.

The students examined pieces produced on Duggal’s wide- and grand-format imaging equipment, getting a close look at samples printed on Tyvek by the company’s Durst Rho 500R. In 2009, Duggal became the first North American imaging service provider to install the Durst Rho 500R, a 16.4'-wide, six-color UV inkjet printer on which it produces banners, billboards, and other display materials. (The items in the photo above were printed on the Durst Rho 500R in CMYK plus light cyan and light magenta.)

Duggal recently expanded its digital capability with the installation of a latex ink HP Scitex LX800 printer and an HP Indigo press 5500. The company, which began as a photo processor in 1963, today offers imaging and output services of nearly every type both from its facility in the Navy Yard and from its headquarters at 29 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.

The visiting students are enrolled in Graphic Communications Workshops, required courses for some of the ADGA degrees. The workshops introduce them to core concepts in graphic communications, emphasizing digital technologies for print and the web.

ADGA has trained New York metro area students for careers in advertising, media, and publishing for more than 60 years. The department is located on NYCCT’s campus at 300 Jay Street in downtown Brooklyn, within walking distance of the historic Navy Yard.