Careers In Printing Technology

Introduction : In the present era of information, when it is realised that new wealth is neither money nor power but information and knowledge, printed material is emerging as one of the important sources of information, apart from the information through computers. The products of printing may be books, magazines, newspapers, theatre tickets, posters, stamps, currency notes, credit cards, greeting cards, packaging material, etc. Printing uses a large variety of technological processes to create a product of virtual impact.
The material used for printing varies and includes paper, plastic, card, metal and textiles. Some of the printing processes have been around for a long time but printing technology has undergone enormous change in the last decade. It is continuously changing with innovations and evolution of technology and introduction of computers on a large sclae.
Stages : Printing process mainly involves three stages: pre-press and binding finshing.
The widespread use of computers and avances in computer software and printing technology in the present days has begun to affect pre-press work greatly. Much of typesetting and page layout work is increasingly done by the customers themselves rather than pre-press workers. Customers are able to use their computers to send material to printers that look more or less like the desired finished product. This change called Desk Top Publisghing (DTP) poses new challenges for the printing industry.
The printing industry is rapidly moving towards the use of DTP software and digital imaging by which printed material received on typesetting programmers, electronic scanners and electronic pagination processes are growing in printing organisations and industries.
Printing organsiations are in all sizes and types, large and small general printers, specialist packaging printers, high quality book printers. magazine printers, etc. Most large publishing houses have their exclusive printing set ups.
Demand : The demand for traditional craft-based workers in the printing industry is on the decline but the demand for highly skilled engineers and technologists is increasing greatly with increasing automation imn can be quite promising if they keep track and upgrade their knowlege and skills continuously.
Printing technologists have employment opportunities in the printing process of newspapers, State government presses, university presses, railway presses, private commercial presses and job shops, packaging and stationery industries and desk top printers.
Printing technoligists also have good prospects for selft-employment. The can establish their own small or large printing presses along with technical skill in printing.
Institutions
1) Diploma/ Certificate Courses :
- School of Printing Technology, Shri Jayachamrajiner Polytechnic Building, Bangalore, Lithography Printing).
- Department of Technical Education, Institute of Printing Technology, Shoranapur (Kerala) (Three-year Diploma in Printing Technology).
- Kala Niketan, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (Three-year Diploma in Hand and Machine Composing ; Letterpress; Litho-offset; Photo offest).
- School of Printing Technology, Dr. D. N. Road, Mumbai 400 001 (Maharashtra) (Three-year Diploma in Letterpress; Litho-offset; Photo offest).
Spicer Memorial College, Aundh Road, Ganesh Khind, Pune (Maharashtra) (Four-year Degree in Graphic Arts Printing; Two-year diploma in Graphic Art Printing).
Pune Vidyarthi Griha’s Maharashtra Institute of Printing Technology, Pune 400 030 (Maharashtra) (Four-year part-time Diploma in Litho-offset Printing; four-year part-time Diploma in Litho-offset Printing; four-year part-time Diploma in Litho-offset Printing; One -year certificate course in Letterpress Machine work, Hand Composing, Book Binding).
- Pusa Polytechnic, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012 (Three-year Diploma in Printing Technoolgy).
- Northern Regiional School of Printing, Allahabad, U. P. (Three-year Diploma in Letterpress, Printing, Lithography).
- The Regional Institute of Printing Technology, Government of West Bengal, Raja Subodh Mullich Road, Jadvapur, Kolkata 330032 (West Bengal) (Three-year Licentiate Diploma in Printing and Graphic Arts, Letterpress, Lithography, commercial Photography).
- Government Polytechnic College, Ajmer (Rajastahn) (Three-and -a half year Diploma in Printing Technology).
- Nice Computer Education’s Printing Engineering and Graphic School, Mudrak Bhawan, 1078, Sadashiv Peth. Pune 411 030 (Maharashtra) (Two-year Diploma in Printing Engineering and Graphic Arts).
Eligibility : The eligibility for these Diploma/Certificate courses is mostly 10+2 or equivalent with Physics, Chemistry preferably.
2) B.E./Tech. Printing Technology : - 1) JNTU College of Enginerring, Kukatpatty, Hyderabd 500 072 (A.P.)
2) - B.M.S. College of Engineering P.B. No. 1908, Bull Temple Road, Bangalore 560 019 (Karnataka).
3) - Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal 576 119 (Karnatka).
4) _ Pune Vidyarthi Griha’s College of Engineering and Technology, 44, Vidyanagari, Shivdarshan, Pune 411 009 (Maharashtra)
5) _ Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women. Faculty of Engineering, Conimbatore 6410 043 (Tamil Nadu).
6) _ Jadavpur University, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Kolkata 700 032 (West Bengal).
7) _ Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar 125 001 (Hariyanna).
8) _ Anna University, Alagappa College of Technology, Guindy, Chennai 600 025 (Tamil Nadu).
3) M. Tech. Printing Technology :_ Cochin Universtiy of Science and Technology (CUST), School of Engineering, Changumpuzha Nagar P. O., Kochi 682 033 (Kerala).