EskoArtwork's investment in software and equipment at Clemson University's Department of Graphic Communications continues to reap rewards—both to students' education and to research for the graphic arts industry.

Clemson University's Department of Graphic Communications' mission statement is to develop dedicated, practical problem-solving people for the print, packaging and allied industries. While the program focuses on packaging in particular, it covers all facets of commercial printing. The technologies students use on a daily basis complement every one of the print market areas. Over the years, every student in the department's major, literally hundreds, has been exposed to EskoArtwork technologies. The experience has been enhanced by the most recent upgrade to university efforts: the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics, which utilizes EskoArtwork software and a CDI Spark imager.

The school utilizes a number of seats of EskoArtwork software technologies—in addition to licenses for DeskPack plugins for Adobe Illustrator—to complement the platemaking system. Some seats are in the department's lab, while the Sonoco Institute utilizes the others. "We have the technologies spanning on both ends of the campus—traditional classrooms and the Sonoco Institute. It's an ongoing process to determine where and how to best use the technologies," explains Dr. Sam T. Ingram, Chair and Professor, Clemson University Department of Graphic Communications. "Without EskoArtwork's support, we would not be able to graduate students so well versed, exposed to, and using technologies they will need in the workplace. We just wouldn't be able to give them the experience they need."

EskoArtwork gets placed on classroom desks Two departments, Graphic Communications and Packaging Science, offer specific coursework that utilizes EskoArtwork equipment. All students are exposed to foundation concepts from the first freshman course. Clemson's curriculum plans for upward-spiraling complexity. The school considers problem solving as the crucial element students work though when developing, creating, printing and finishing work. EskoArtwork technologies have similar layers of technologies that a student can undertake on any given level.

Examples of courses include:

• in a freshman course, Adobe CS and EskoArtwork PackEdge are used to create graphics, while ArtiosCAD offers an introduction to CAD. Students create a packet structure with graphics design components, which is ultimately output to inkjet and diecut on Kongsberg tables.
• a second year course covers more complex prepress and color management tools, employed to help make an image printable. PackEdge and Intellicurve are central to instruction.
• in second and third year packaging science courses, students use ArtiosCAD, DeskPack and SolidWorks to create packaging designs through prototyping, using Visualizer.
• a senior level course involves a major use of PackEdge and other EskoArtwork tools for packaging and specialty printing. A number of live projects include multicolor labels, flexible packaging, and corrugated, which ultimately go on press.

In the packaging and specialty printing class, students develop a targeted product marketing program. Components must include project work in POP materials, labels, flexible packaging, and folding carton. The work involves printing some items on digital inkjet—and others on an offset or flexo press.