RESTON, VA (August 06, 2008) - The Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF) has announced that PrintED will develop a new area of accreditation:  Advertising & Design. This decision was based on the fact that today's printing and publishing industry is symbiotically tied to graphic designers, and the design process is an essential element in the print workflow.  Graphic designers are now performing technical processes-such as scanning, color separation, color correction, retouching and image resolution adjustments-once considered "in-house" procedures by printers.  The industry can only benefit by better preparing the designers with the technologies with which they will someday work.

"Advertising and design has always been an integral part of graphic communications, a fact never more evident than in the past several years, as the industry has shifted beyond ink on paper to becoming solutions providers," explained Thomas Saggiomo, chairman of the GAERF Board of Directors and president and CEO of Agfa Corporation in Ridgefield Park, NJ.  "Accreditation in Advertising & Design is an important and essential addition to PrintED, ensuring that our industry is reaching out to – and properly training – all the talented young people who may be interested in graphic communications."

Added GAERF President Ralph Nappi, "As the line between the advertising/design and technical sides of our industry increasingly blurs, it is crucial for us as an industry to make certain that those graduating from advertising and design disciplines are knowledgeable about the production process."

A task force comprised of industry and education members will develop the competencies for the Advertising & Design area of accreditation expected to be launched this fall.

The other eight areas of PrintED accreditation include:
- Introduction to Graphic Communications
- Digital File Preparation
- Offset Press Operations
- Binding & Finishing
- Digital File Output
- Digital Production Printing
- Advanced Offset Press Operations
- Advanced Digital File Preparation