Milford, Ohio – TLMI announces that the association has joined ‘Friends of Print’ in the donation of a wide format inkjet printer to Cincinnati-based Elder High School. The Friends of Print is a collective of companies, educational institutions and industry associations that are making donations to support and foster print programs and instruction to students at secondary and higher learning institutions. In addition to TLMI, Friends of Print member companies currently include:

Cincinnati State
Liberty Marking Systems
KAO Collins, Inc.
DSC Office Systems

Last month, Friends of Print gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the donation of a new inkjet printer to Elder High School, an all-male college preparatory high school in the greater Cincinnati area. Gary Walton, Professor Emeritus at Cincinnati State, is spearheading the program and is a passionate advocate for educating high school and college students about the opportunities in the printing and graphic arts industries. He comments, “It’s time to get serious about educating young people about the career opportunities in print media. In the 1970s there were more than 50 high schools in the Cincinnati area that had a printing curriculum. Today, there are only two. Our goal is that by 2025 we will build and help foster 25 graphic imaging high school programs. I want to thank the Friends of Print for their generous donations and support. The inkjet printer installation is a great first step in reaching our goal.”

One of the key pillars of TLMI’s Strategic Plan is Workforce Development and the association’s Board of Directors is making workforce-affiliated initiatives a high priority for 2019. TLMI President, Dan Muenzer, comments, “TLMI is honored to be part of the Friends of Print program and it was such a thrill to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Elder High School. This is just one step in what will be a much broader and ongoing effort – to reinforce TLMI’s place as the industry’s primary force in bringing recruitment solutions to our converter and supplier members. TLMI supplier member KAO Collins is a fellow Friends of Print member and the association looks forward to continuing our work in reaching out to high school, vocational school and collegiate programs to educate students about the limitless career opportunities in our dynamic and growing industry.”

Gary Walton (Cincinnati State), Dan Muenzer (TLMI President), Brian Beam (Liberty Marking), Kristin Adams (Kao Collins), Bernie Reagan (DSC Office Systems).