Kennesaw, Ga - Heidelberg USA recently hosted 35 students from Clemson University at its state-of-the art, multi-use North American Print and Packaging Technology Center (Technology Center) in Kennesaw, Ga. The students are members of the University's Graphic Communications 440 class, which focuses on commercial printing with an emphasis on offset sheetfed technology. The purpose of the field trip, which was the result of a request by Clemson's Graphic Communications Department, was to give students the opportunity to experience a live production environment, complete with integrated workflow and the latest in printing technology.

To personalize the experience for students, Clemson and Heidelberg designed the field trip around the production of an 8-page, 4-color book, a student assignment that is a major requirement of the 440 curriculum. As part of their Tech Center tour, students followed a selected book project from prepress to the bindery, getting a first-hand look at the processes involved in its transformation from digital file to finished book. Heidelberg also assumed responsibility for preflighting and printing each of the individual students' projects. The books were printed on a Speedmaster XL 75, folded on a Stahlfolder TH 82, and finally saddle-stitched on a Stitchmaster ST 450. Along the way, students heard from Heidelberg prepress, press and postpress experts, as well as from specialists in MIS and packaging. At the conclusion of the tour, each student was presented with their final printed project.

"It was a great exposure for Clemson students to have the 'Heidelberg experience,' being able to see first-hand the cutting-edge technology that we have here in our Technology Center," said Russ Barton, Director of Demo Operations for Heidelberg USA. Clemson's GC 440 instructor Dr. Eric Weisenmiller agrees. "The field trip opened our students' eyes to the wonders of automation, the realities of real world production, and the numerous opportunities that await them in the field of graphic communications." The trip was such a success, Weisenmiller said, that Clemson also plans to bring its summer GC 440 class through Heidelberg's Technology Center.

Heidelberg USA's Technology Center currently offers 36 pieces of prepress, press, postpress and packaging equipment, plus workflow solutions designed to help printers and packaging converters run more efficient and profitable businesses. Soon to be installed is the game-changing Speedmaster SM 52 with Anicolor technology, Heidelberg's answer to short-run, nonvariable digital printing. Thus equipped, the Technology Center offers the largest array of prepress, press, postpress, workflow, consumable and service solutions anywhere in the world outside of Germany.