XMPie, a leading provider of software solutions for Individualized Customer Communications Management is pleased to announce the donation of 55 uDirect and uImage licenses, to enable the teaching of Variable Data Printing (VDP), within Ryerson’s Faculty of Communication & Design (FCAD).

This significant donation from XMPie is intended to further support Ryerson’s Graphic Communications Management (GCM) program which has been using XMPie’s uDirect software since 2008. The licenses will be used to outfit two student computer labs located in the in the Graphic Communications Management (GCM) building. More specifically, the licenses will support the curriculum being taught in the following courses: GCM 320 Digital and Variable Data Printing, and GCM 420 Advanced print production processes.

The donated software products are considered industry leading desktop publishing tools for automating the production of personalized, visually-rich Variable Data Print jobs; uDirect is a powerful plug-in to Adobe InDesign for automating the production of personalized print campaigns and uImage is a plug-in to Adobe Photoshop for creating variable data-driven personalized images, whether photo-realistic images or graphics, and effortlessly embedding them into print and/or digital documents.

“Prior to [the donation], students were using a low-level approach with office-orientated word processing and page design applications,” stated Dr. Martin Habekost, Associate Professor and Associate Chair at the School of Graphic Communications Management. “With this generous donation, our students can now get vital hands-on experience with one of the top VDP production technologies on the market.”

“We continue to donate our software to Ryerson University because we place enormous value on helping students understand the significance of personalization in communications and integrating print and digital media in our ever-evolving graphics communications industry,” remarked Jacob Aizikowitz, XMPie President. “We want to contribute towards better preparing students to meet these needs and to secure rewarding careers within this dynamic industry.”

With over 640 students in the GCM program, and student application up by 30 per cent over the past four years, there is a clear interest in the field, and with industry partnerships like XMPie, students enrolled in Ryerson’s renowned and respected program can continue to gain the skills they need to thrive and succeed in this thriving industry.