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Studies & Degrees in Printing Technology

Printing technology, also called graphic arts or graphic communication, is the study of how a design becomes a finished printed product. It covers the whole production chain: preparing files and images (prepress), running the presses (offset, flexography, gravure, screen and digital printing) and finishing the result by cutting, folding, binding or turning it into packaging. Books and magazines are only part of the output. Labels, boxes, signage, textiles and ceramics are printed too.

Students learn colour reproduction and colour management, the behaviour of paper, inks and coatings, digital workflows and quality control. Higher-level programmes add planning, cost estimating and the management of a print company. The subject sits between design and industrial production, so it suits people who like both visual work and machines.

Qualifications and levels

Printing is taught mostly as vocational or applied education, and only rarely as a traditional academic degree.

  • Vocational training in Spain. The official vocational training (FP) family Artes Gráficas has a basic qualification, three intermediate cycles (grado medio) and two higher cycles (grado superior). The intermediate cycles are Técnico en Impresión Gráfica, Técnico en Preimpresión Digital and Técnico en Postimpresión y Acabados Gráficos; each lasts 2,000 hours. The higher cycles are Técnico Superior en Diseño y Gestión de la Producción Gráfica, also 2,000 hours, and Técnico Superior en Diseño y Edición de Publicaciones Impresas y Multimedia. One way into an intermediate cycle is the compulsory secondary education certificate; one way into a higher cycle is the Bachiller.
  • Associate and bachelor's degrees in the United States. Ferris State University in Michigan offers an associate programme in Graphic Communications and a bachelor's degree in Graphic Media Management within its College of Business. The bachelor's programme has 55 credits of required major courses, among them Digital Color Reproduction, Substrates, Inks, and Coatings, Introduction to Packaging and Color Management, and includes an internship. Classes are held on the main campus in Big Rapids, online or in a mixed format.
  • Design degrees with print workshops. Many students meet printing inside a graphic design degree. The Graphic Design BA of London Metropolitan University, for example, teaches practical workshop skills such as digital design, typography, screen printing, letterpress and photography.

Outside the official systems, private schools offer short courses in prepress software or digital printing. Ask those schools what recognition their certificate has.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 22 active schools for printing technology. Sixteen are in the United States, three in Spain, and one each in the United Kingdom, Italy and Chile. The US schools include universities such as Ferris State University, Idaho State University and SUNY Buffalo State University, and two-year or community colleges such as Augusta Technical College, Erie Community College and Montgomery College. In Spain the list includes the Instituto Cuatrovientos in Pamplona and the E.T.S. Ingeniería del Diseño in Valencia. London Metropolitan University, Domus Academy in Milan and the Universidad del Bío-Bío in Concepción complete the list.

Programmes are normally taught in the language of the country: English in the United States and the United Kingdom, Spanish in Spain and Chile. Because much of the training takes place on presses and finishing machines, check which equipment a school has and whether the programme includes a work placement.

Careers

The Spanish Ministry of Education's TodoFP portal lists typical jobs for each qualification. Holders of the printing cycle work as offset press operators, flexographic press operators and digital or screen printers, in companies that print books, periodicals, advertising and packaging. Prepress technicians handle text, images, page layout, colour and digital imposition. Graduates of the higher cycle in graphic production work in colour management, cost estimating, technical offices and production support, in graphic arts companies, publishers, the press and packaging producers.

Ferris State University states that graduates of its bachelor's programme work in project management, sales, marketing and customer service, and as cost estimators, production planners and digital workflow specialists. Employment conditions differ from country to country, so ask each school for its own graduate employment data.

Frequently asked questions

Is printing technology the same as graphic design?

No. Graphic design is about creating the visual message. Printing technology is about reproducing it: prepress, press operation, finishing, colour control and production management. Some programmes combine both.

How long does vocational training in graphic arts take in Spain?

Each of the intermediate cycles in printing, digital prepress and post-press lasts 2,000 hours, and so does the higher cycle in graphic production design and management, according to TodoFP.

What do I need to enter a bachelor's programme in the United States?

Each university sets its own rules. Ferris State University, for example, asks new students for a high school GPA of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale together with SAT or ACT criteria for its Graphic Media Management degree. International applicants should also ask about English requirements.

Which industries employ printing graduates?

Commercial printers, publishers, the press, advertising, and packaging and label producers. TodoFP also mentions textile and ceramic printing.