MANAGING INCREASING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS
While the world around us continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, we are reminded of the critical importance of one word: adaptation. It’s a word that has come to define the print industry, especially in the wake of recent challenges. Yet, it’s not just about mere survival—it’s about growth, transformation, and innovation. It’s about building a future that’s not just sustainable, but thriving.
Adaptation is a way forward, a tool to anticipate the curveballs that come our way, a strategy to turn obstacles into opportunities. It is this very ability to adapt that has opened doors to promising prospects, notably in the wide-format space, an area ripe with potential. These opportunities exist because of you, the print service providers, who’ve shown remarkable innovation, resilience, and creativity, redefining your business models and streamlining efficiencies to meet the changing market’s needs.
The stories of your success inspire us all. Your willingness to explore unfamiliar territories, to push the boundaries of conventional wisdom, and to adapt and overcome is not only impressive but awe-inspiring. As we move forward, these are the stories that remind us of the enduring power and potential of our industry.
In this issue, we delve deeper into the crucial role of adaptation in the printing industry. Our cover story, “The Works—Managing Increasing Customer Expectations,” focuses on how you, as printers, can meet the ever-growing client demands. It lays out the importance of transforming interactions into experiences, thereby
creating memorable impressions that not only foster customer satisfaction but also drive repeat business and positive word-of-mouth advertising.
In our second feature, “Out with the Old—New Ways to Sell,” we discuss the urgency of reshaping sales processes in this new world. Here, we unpack strategies for a successful remote sales environment, which includes understanding customer needs, harnessing the power of technology, and honing communication skills.
Adaptation is a way forward, a tool to anticipate the curveballs that come our way, a strategy to turn obstacles into opportunities.”
Finally, don’t miss out on our insightful Q&A with Chip Tonkin, Department Chair at Clemson University’s School of Graphic Arts. He shares his unique perspective on the evolving landscape of the print industry and provides his expert thoughts on the future print workforce.
It’s time to adapt, evolve, and take advantage of the opportunities ahead. Remember, it’s not just about weathering the storm—it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.
Here’s to growth, innovation, and the power of print.
With warm regards, Mark Friedman Vice President of Marketing, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Communication Division
Printers have a story to tell and an opportunity to save marketing. A sense of digital fatigue has dominated the landscape and is compounded by the fact that email saturation continues to increase year over year.
emails are sent and received daily, reveals research from Statista. By 2025, that volume is expected to grow by 25 billion more per diem.
However, open rates continue to decrease, hovering around 20% for business e-marketing correspondence, according to Marigold’s Campaign Monitor.
Print is well positioned to take advantage of the growing phenomenon of “digital detox” time and people seeking tactile media.
Magazine ads are often perceived as less intrusive by consumers compared to other forms of advertising.
(Statista.com)
According to a 2022 survey of internet users in the United States, 32% of respondents stated they took a break from their digital devices for at least two hours daily.
25% of respondents reported engaging in digital detox on a weekly basis.
8% practice digital detox monthly.
Overall magazine readership has been increasing over the past decade, with a temporary dip during the pandemic. According to the World Economic Forum, readers worldwide enjoy the feel of turning pages in their hands. In addition, it was noted that time spent reading print can be just as important, or even more so, than the total number of readers accessing a publication in print or digital. So, print is alive, well, and making an impact!
» 71% of readers in the United States and 82% in the U.K. prefer reading magazines in print, rather than digitally.
(YouGov survey)
» Digital readership has overtaken print for many newspapers, but subscriptions overall increased last year in large, medium, and small markets.
(Poynter Institute for Media Studies)
» Book sales saw a spike in recent years, with publishers selling nearly 60 million more print books in 2020 compared to the previous year. Sales remained 12% above 2019 levels in 2021. (World Economic Forum)
» About two-thirds of adults aged 18 to 34 love the touch and feel of printed magazines. (World Economic Forum)
» Magazines provide about 68,000 jobs directly and support another 200,000, according to the Magazine Media Factbook.
» There are more than 7,000 magazines in the United States, reaching 220 million readers.
Greg Fox, Jr. knows the term “game changer” is one you use only when the decisions you make and the people you make them with are worthy of the praise. And there he was with his Fox Press team marveling over their decision to add Fujifilm’s Acuity Prime 30 into its portfolio mix. While Fox Press has used eco-solvent machines in the past, the Acuity Prime 30’s ability to print on almost any substrate—combined with its ability to immediately dry—is, well, a game changer.
Greg, President of Fox Press, is quick to admit that the compliment is saying something, since the Hammond, Louisiana, printer is steeped in print history with family ties dating back to the 1680s. In fact, Greg’s 10th great grandfather delivered the first printing press to the colony of Maryland (more on that later).
Today, Fox Press is a commercial printer and educational publishing company featuring a team of print, customer service, information technology, and design and accounting professionals providing best-in-class printing presses and the latest in prepress technology. “We make all sorts of new products that help our
customers achieve their communication, education and branding goals,” Greg says. “We’re putting in equipment, software and personnel to offer more products to our existing customer base, and those investments are opening up new sources of revenue that were previously out of reach or hidden to us.”
Fox Press’ new wide format offering is an example of the printer’s commitment to expanding its capabilities to its customers. That also includes its commitment to investing in the equipment with automation needed to produce faster setup and run times, better quality and efficiency.
Enter the Acuity Prime 30. The true flatbed delivers exceptional quality, speed and efficiency, and is capable of printing on a range of rigid and flexible media. Supported by five dedicated vacuum zones and a jettable primer, its flatbed design features media registration pins, which ensures accurate registration for edgeto-edge printing and tiling for large layouts over multiple boards—even with multiple print passes.
“Having Prime 30 has opened up the signage and wide-format market in our commercial print and publishing divisions—both locally and nationally,” Greg says.” It has turned into a growth profit center for us. Right now, we are looking forward to adding the second and third shifts—and maybe a second and third press.”
Over the last 40 years, Fox Press and Fujifilm have built an ironclad partnership, especially as its primary prepress and press room supplier for the last 10 years. “We couldn’t be happier,” Greg says. “Fujifilm has been
there for us whenever we’ve needed it. They have been flexible, proactive and attentive. The tech support we’ve received over the years has been fantastic. My Fujifilm sales representatives are more than just salespeople, they truly are great resources. They are a valued partner.”
As the business landscape continues to rebound in a post-pandemic environment, today’s printers are facing solid competition at every turn. In a time of aggressive pricing and evolving technologies, Greg says the key remains focusing on having the right people, equipment and customer service to win the battles.
“We try our best to make sure that every one of our customers is not only happy with their products, but that they come away feeling like they’ve gotten world-class service,” Fox says. “Printing is custom manufacturing, and that means there are sometimes challenges. We bend over backward to keep our customers informed and satisfied. This might sound a little cliched, but our strategy is to provide quality products, deliver on time, offer fair and transparent pricing, and utilize proactive sales and customer service. That’s no secret, but it has been a successful recipe so far.”
If you ask Greg Fox to outline the blueprint every printer should follow for success, he is quick to mention finding the right partners. In an industry defined by its continual innovative accomplishments, matching the right solution with the right partner is critical.
By the time Captain John Fox, the commander of the merchant sailing ship the White Horse and Currycombe, delivered the first printing
press from England to Virginia in the 1680s, the next king-appointed governor, Lord Culpepper, refused to allow it to stay there. A British Royal Order was issued that “no person be permitted to use any press for printing upon any occasion whatsoever” in Virginia. The British king’s appointed governor of the Virginia colony, Sir William Berkeley, vehemently denounced the printing press, saying, among other things, that there shall be “no free schools nor printing…for learning has brought disobedience and heresy, and sects into the world, and printing has divulged them.”
are publishers that provide valuable advertising services to the businesses and communities they serve. As Greg looks at the road ahead, he sees a future much brighter than that first press sent packing. The undiscovered opportunities, he says, may be too many to list. “What I am truly excited about is progress. With the help of vendors like Fujifilm, our great employees and fantastic customers, we are getting better and better at fulfilling our company’s mission.”
The printing press that Greg Fox’s 10th great grandfather delivered actually ended up being sent to the colony of Maryland, where its owner, William Nuthead, became that state’s first printer. And therein lies the rather unorthodox beginnings of the Fox Press story.
Today, Fox Press has been able to make all sorts of new products that help its customers achieve their communication, education and branding goals. Its publishing divisions provide educators with products that promote health, fight substance abuse and violence, and teach everyone the value of good fire safety and prevention, while its commercial division specializes in short- to medium-run publications and direct mail. Many of its clients
The Fox Press mission statement is straightforward: to help its customers and its customer’s customers grow and prosper. “We make the sharing of information easier. We’re printing better, faster and more efficiently. We’re offering new, innovative wide-format products to publishing and commercial print clients. We’ve vastly increased our direct mail capabilities. We’re scheduling, tracking jobs and communicating better with customers. Everywhere I look in our business, I see progress. And I have no doubt that this progress will lead to successful opportunity after opportunity.”
If you ask him to outline the blueprint every printer should follow for success, he is quick to refer back to finding the right partners. In an industry defined by its continual innovative accomplishments, matching the right solution with the right partner can truly offer game-changing opportunities.
Our focus is always going to be on the quality of work we do, the products we produce and the customer service we provide.”
om Moe’s take on today’s customer expectation quandary is liable to take a few different turns depending on which part of the puzzle you want him to focus on. First, there is the standard form of contact (which centers on Marketing Rule of 7), which helps guide his team at Daily Printing from email exchanges to phone calls and meetings (either in person or online via platforms like Zoom). As a refresher, the rule of seven in marketing refers to the idea that it takes, on average, seven messages to a customer before the customer makes a purchase.
In the days before technology expanded the way you can engage with your customers, the traditional interaction was more of a sales team-requested meeting—ones that Moe, President and CEO of the Plymouth, Minnesota, print and marketing service provider, says often were not well planned out and organized.
Today, this cannot be the case. Buyers are busy, so the last thing they need is what Moe calls a “show up and throw up” meeting. “So much of the information a customer gets today is readily available online via websites, trade associations, etc. That means it is much harder to get time with a customer without having a good reason and a good message.”
So much of the information a customer gets today is readily available online via websites, trade associations, etc. That means it is much harder to get time with a customer without having a good reason and a good message.”
– Tom Moe, President/CEO, Daily PrintingThe new era of sales meetings must bring value. For starters, they must be informative, well planned and interactive. The customer must be able to find a takeaway. The days of social calls to discuss family, friends and the last baseball game are over. “The purpose of a meeting should be to show how you can help your customer with a specific problem,” Moe says. “You want to get them to buy from you, but the real outcome should be to uncover other issues, which provide you with the chance to do it all over again.”
When it comes to meeting rising customer expectations, the customer expectation gap continues to widen. More than anything else,
» Be Transparent and Honest
» Collect Customer Feedback
» Follow Up
» Prioritize Customer Service
» Cultivate Customer Loyalty
personalization is a must. According to the “Intercom Customer Service Trends Report for 2023,” 89% of support leaders cite personalization as a competitive differentiator. To note, teams that offer personalized service are almost twice as likely to report higher customer satisfaction scores, retention and loyalty.
If you follow along with the turns in Moe’s answer, the key is to make sure you have a well-thought-out plan and agenda to bring to the meeting. If it is better for engagement, get off site, which will help avoid distractions in the presentation process. And as you move into your presentation, make sure you don’t forget the most important component of all: listening.
“With everything you do—direct phone calls, emails, links to your website, etc.—you want real feedback,” Moe says. “You need to listen, and when you need to take action and respond, you do it. That is one of the best things about feedback—learning about issues. We often overlook or don’t want to hear about issues, but they can be more important in the long-term than the compliments.”
Moe believes that understanding what your clients don’t love about the process can help you shape your future deliverables, the ways you communicate, and so on. “No one will remember a problem three months from now, but they will remember how you handled or didn’t handle it.”
In any number of LinkedIn posts, you will find Dean Petrulakis out and about engaging with his customers and industry colleagues. The Senior VP of Sales at Lake County Press and self-described CX Disruptor makes a regular habit of taking early morning walks with clients to schmooze and talk shop.
Getting to know his clients is one of the tenets Petrulakis lives by—and one that helps keep the wheels of the Waukegan, Illinois, printer steaming ahead. The strategy involves keeping notes and when appropriate, using the insights to engage and delight his clients. Birthdays. Names of spouses and
children. Colleagues. The process is geared to let his customers see them as more than just customers.
“You have to actually care about the people you serve and take an interest in,” Petrulakis says. “It’s all about good old-fashioned conversations. I have not found any other strategy to be as genuine and effective. Set time aside with all of your key customers and ask for their opinions and listen. You might get your next business idea from these conversations.”
There is a caveat, as there always is. While customer satisfaction is crucial for a printer’s long-term success, a satisfied customer still will leave you for a cheaper price. That’s why
Petrulakis says the goal should be to create loyal, ardent fans—ones who will continue to do business with you because they like and trust you.
Dean Petrulakis,“In today’s world, it’s more paramount than ever to create meaningful relationships and overdeliver on the customer experience,” he says. “We have become more disconnected than ever, and those who are able to authentically connect with their customers, create value at a higher level, and overdeliver every time stand the best chance to win. It’s not enough to have the best quality and fanciest equipment. If you cannot give more in value than you take in payment, you leave yourself vulnerable to losing clients easily today.”
How do you know if the value you provide is meeting your customer’s expectations? Ask. “I have always found the best way is to ask them,” Petrulakis says. “I always do a temperature check with a new customer after the first few projects to see how they feel. With ongoing business, you should check in at least once a year and ask how they are doing. What are you doing well? What could you do better? Ask and listen.”
The strategy is as simple as it is, at times, hard to put into motion. Being able to commit to engage with, sell and continue to provide the guidance your customers need means continuously matching—exceeding— your customers’ expectations.
In today’s world, it’s more paramount than ever to create meaningful relationships and overdeliver on the customer experience.”
–
Senior VP/ Sales Lake County PressSource: Trio
ack in the days before the pandemic forced commercial printers to rethink how they approached the sales process, Jay Thomas says it typically took 22 attempts before The Marek Group could get a prospective customer on the phone. Today, that number is 42—and counting. The sales landscape back then was a different animal — one where to close a deal, you might have three to four calls with a customer. Now you have one shot.
From Thomas’ viewpoint, today’s sales landscape (from the making-a-pitch perspective) is basically a printer carrying around a puzzle piece trying to find a match.
“We are not selling meetings today,” says Thomas, The Marek Group’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Before it was about face-to-face presentations. But we are no longer selling to two people making a decision. There are a lot more factors involved.”
The Marek Group, a turn-key marketing execution company specializing in print, promotions, mail, incentives, kitting, fulfillment and sales enablement, is a bit different than most of today’s traditional commercial printers. Whether it is the top, middle or bottom of the customer’s journey, Marek provides the technological advantages to give its clients a single place to turn for sales support and marketing campaign execution.
“More than anything else, you have to focus on the how and why,” Thomas says. “Whatever conversations we have with our customers—and time is king— those conversations have to be about what’s in it for them, not us. In most cases, the customer does not know what the solution to their issue is. They don’t know what they need until we help them understand.”
In The Marek Group’s case, those solutions typically fall into areas like
campaign management, on-demand marketing and content. In short, Thomas says the key to selling in today’s changing sales landscape can be answered in three simple questions: What problem are you solving? Do your core values match with what you are selling? And do you have what is needed, i.e., the innovation, customer service, etc.?
“The real wins today are not on price,” Thomas says. “The real wins come in your ability to identify and solve your customer’s problem. It is about providing value. The easiest entry point is keeping it simple and understanding what it takes to move the needle forward. Today, connections are less about budgets and more about time.”
George Slater says there is no getting around the fact that a strong majority of CRW Graphics’ clients work remotely these days. Each of his team members have stories about video conference meetings conducted with clients in their homes. Regardless of where and how, the priority is to make the appointments.
Slater, the owner and Sales & Business Development leader of the Pennsauken, New Jersey, custom print solutions provider, says that his team has settled into the transformations made in the wake of the pandemic, giving everyone a new perspective on the company’s most enduring tenet:
The formula to a winning sales mindset is simple. It takes hard work and a dedication to continuing to learn your craft.”
– George Slater, Owner/Sales & Business Development, CRW Graphics
The customer comes first.
“The business world became very forgiving and lenient in 2020-2021,” Slater says. “There are a lot of factors that went into that. But the world is getting back to normal, which means that expectations are coming back to normal. We see this as a good thing.”
For the past 50-plus years, CRW Graphics has set itself apart by continually providing the cutting edge technologies and customer service needed to keep its clients taken care of. Today, even as everyone continues to adjust to how to do business, its relationships with its clients are as strong as ever. “It’s less about strategy and more about mindset,” Slater says. “Hard work, smart work, coupled with a great offering and a winning mentality will always prevail. We are driving growth through new technology and equipment investments. These are the kind of things that will create a competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
your efforts and allocate the resources needed to achieve the greatest impact? This is the focus of each of our print sales team.”
And as Thomas alluded to earlier, the time you have with your customer must be spent on finding what they need and delivering. “Today’s sales execs need to know the print process, industry trends and be a solution provider. There is no, ‘Hey, can I call you back later after I check into something?’ You don’t get those types of discussions anymore. Clients want to feel they are getting support from the decision-maker, not a message taker.”
That means if today’s sales reps are going to be experts, they need to know the lay of the land and have the decision-making skills to keep the conversations going. Slater says CRW works shoulder to shoulder with its team to make sure they have what they need to create a winning formula. This includes providing them with the training and resources needed to hit the mark.
“The formula to a winning sales mindset is simple,” Slater says. “It takes hard work and a dedication to continuing to learn your craft. Our sales team conducts role play presentations with each other. As we say here: First in, last out, be consistent.”
In case you are wondering, the CRW Graphics team reports to the office every day. And regardless of how their interactions with their customers take place, the edict remains the same—be the expert. “Buyers are smarter than ever,” Slater says. “Empty discussions equal no purchase orders. You have to have your facts straight, be a problem solver and work harder than your competitor. How can you prioritize
The real wins today are not on price. The real wins come in your ability to identify and solve your customer’s problem. It is about providing value.”
– Jay Thomas, Chief Strategy Officer, The Marek Group
We listen. When people ask why we have the success we do, that’s what I tell them. After 23-plus years in the commercial printing business, the little things still matter. As a small “boutique” print shop, we know that listening to what our customers tell us, and then going above and beyond their expectations not only gets the job done, but wins customers for life.
There is no other way forward.
So, how do we do it? It starts with our dedicated team of professionals, spearheaded by leaders like our Operations Manager Alecs PerezCrespo. This cohesive, committed and focused team is driven to make sure that Envision Graphics (egprint) stands out in today’s ever-competitive landscape. By providing the quality printing and customer satisfaction every job— every customer—demands, the business community in Miami knows where to go when they need to get things right.
If they want it, we deliver, including banner stands, brochures and catalogs, business cards, club flyers, postcards and posters, presentation folders and sales sheets.
The things that set us apart are what you would expect from a team dedicated to listening to what our customers want. It starts with our superior customer service, which we deliver on each step of our customers’ journey. At the heart is an attention to detail, which is laser focused on every project that enters our doors.
Let’s face it: We live in a fast-paced world, so getting someone’s attention or simply having someone listen to their needs means everything. And while some people might think that is near impossible, we don’t. By listening, communicating and intrinsically focusing on the job at hand, we are able to capture the essence of what our customers want and need.
That takes an even different bent in today’s post-pandemic landscape, where the fallout and changes are still evolving. With more and more individuals going the self-employed or small business route, the demand for smaller runs and custom jobs is on the rise. This has afforded us the opportunity to help a number of new companies and entrepreneurs. By guiding them through this part of their journey, we help deliver the products and services that enable their voices to be heard.
Having partners you can trust Being able to adapt to these new times has made us better, faster and more efficient. Whatever the project—business cards, packaging and banners, etc.—everyone, everywhere is looking for rapid turnaround times.
Our success is two-fold. It starts with an experienced cohesive team, which includes everyone from our prepress operators to our bindery crew and customer service personnel. Driven by their expertise and professional acumen, we can deliver on our promises.
Our goal with each customer we work with is to print jobs that allow them to tell the story of their products via the resources we have. We guide them through choosing the embellishments such as raised spot UV, foil stamping, lamination, etc., all of which help make their printed pieces stand out.
The second part of our success is the allies we have in our corner. Partnering with industry stalwarts like Fujifilm has given us the accessibility to some of the industry’s best products and UV inks. Producing top quality products while providing short turnaround times using UV inks is our standard. This is why teaming with Fujifilm on its Acuity Prime 30 was a no brainer. The quality and speed in which the Acuity Prime 30 prints our large-format jobs keeps us in line with our promise to our clients.
Our relationship with Fujifilm started in 1999, when we originally contact-
ed them to learn more about their industry-leading film emulsion. Later, we purchased their plates, which still hold the highest regard in the industry. And after we moved into UV inks, we started using Fujifilm’s UV plates.
Since our mission is to provide the best in print quality for our customers, it only makes sense to work with the industry’s leading suppliers. When you partner with the best, you can give your best. The strategy is the best path forward.
Looking ahead, we see a number of exciting opportunities to grow, for both the members of the Envision Graphics team and the company as
a whole. We are in the process of revamping our website, which will showcase a number of new products at affordable prices. We also plan to expand the custom products we offer, a direction that the Fujifilm Acuity Prime 30 has helped us take.
The opportunities are endless. Within the last couple of years, we have seen exponential business growth at Envision Graphics. Next up? We are setting our sights on the packaging world. And who’s helping us move the needle? Fujifilm’s J Press with Inline UV.
As we let all of our customers know, “Yes, we’re open.”
Our goal with each customer we work with is to print jobs that allow them to tell the story of their products via the resources we have. ”
Dr. Chip Tonkin is the Chair of the Department of Graphic Communications and Director of the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design & Graphics. With degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Graphic Communications, and Computer Science from Clemson University, he spent nearly 15 years in the packaging and printing industry at International Paper. Joining Clemson University to establish the Sonoco Institute, he seized the opportunity to foster collaboration between academic disciplines and industry partners. This endeavor aimed to drive innovative packaging development, expand student and faculty opportunities, and facilitate practical research in printed electronics, color management, and packaging workflow. His unique perspective stems from extensive practical experience and exposure to diverse markets and customer voices.
What challenges do companies face in finding talented individuals for graphic arts careers, and how can they be addressed?
The biggest challenge is convincing students that this industry can offer vibrant and exciting careers. In general, they already have it in their heads that it is old, stodgy, boring, and probably won’t be relevant for long anyway. Of course, the promise of high salaries can help with that perception, but it is more impactful if they can see and talk to people who have interesting and challenging
roles. They also need clear potential career paths laid out and how roles could lead to opportunities in other parts of the supply chain.
The most effective tool in attracting college graduates is to have amazing internship programs—make it incredibly easy for them to say yes (housing has to be part of the package), and put together a dynamite experience that really exposes them to your business. And not just shadowing someone or attending meetings, but give them real duties and accountability, along with some ability to see how things work across departments.
What are the current industry trends and in-demand skills in graphic arts? How can educational institutions like Clemson University adapt their programs to meet these needs?
The best thing we can do is build problem-solving skills and adaptability. So, we need to instill a lot of the basics (color theory, print processes, software tools like Adobe and MS Office, and now probably effective AI utilization), but those are all just means to an end as technology will continue to develop at a rapid pace. Ideally, we need to help them understand how things used to work, get them comfortable trying new things, and teach them to evaluate impact and make good decisions.
What initiatives or strategies have you implemented to nurture young talent for the graphic arts field?
It is a never-ending battle for us to stay relevant, attract new students, and keep our industry partners highly engaged. We require our students to
take two semesters away from school to do paid internships at companies all over the country, bring students to approximately 8-10 industry conferences and trade shows per year, and make great efforts to keep laboratory equipment and projects relevant and interesting to the students. We also bring in our alumni, who are young and relatable, to expose them to different career paths.
How do you balance teaching traditional graphic arts skills with emerging technologies amidst the prevalence of digital media?
It’s a challenge—there is so much new out there, and over time, we may have brought in too much. Students are spread too thin so it is hard to understand a particular process well enough so they can effectively develop problem-solving skills.
Our strategy for the last few years has been to narrow down the focus and technology utilization within our core classes so that problem-solving and critical thinking happen in those areas. And then we have an additional 18 credit hours in which they can specialize in a given area, so if there is a particular interest (social media, brand strategy, etc.), then they can pursue that.
What steps are taken to facilitate industry connections for students and notable partnerships that benefit students’ career development?
We believe this is one of the most important aspects of our program, and we facilitate (sometimes force) networking with the following activities:
» Intern Employer Day: We have approximately 50 companies set up tabletops on campus twice a year
and meet with students. We mandate that our younger students go and talk with the companies, even if they are not looking for an internship yet. This event is much more valuable for our students than just getting them a job. The company representatives serve as ambassadors to this industry. (Link: https://www.clemson.edu/ business/departments/graphics/ internship-program/index.html)
» Senior Networking Event: The night before the internship fair, we have a casual social networking event with beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres for our graduating seniors and potential employers. It is another great way to expose them to a variety of potential careers in a setting that is much more comfortable and conducive to conversation.
» Numerous trips for students: conferences, trade shows, and other field trips to companies that give students a much broader view of the opportunities that are out there. This is becoming increasingly challenging to fund, and I think for us to get back to the pre-COVID level of engagement, we will need some assistance from companies to sponsor student travel.
What role does interdisciplinary education play in preparing students for rapid technological advancements?
I think having a broad view is incredibly important, and probably the biggest opportunities in the industry are related
to making processes and projects work across all different parts of the supply chain. And certainly, we try to provide some foundation for this in our curriculum, with ¼ of the classes being general education, ¼ being business foundations (accounting, management, marketing, economics...), ¼ core graphic communications, and ¼ being largely self-directed with electives and specialty areas. In addition to subject matter, we also put them in group work situations frequently where they have to work together with creative, technical, and business-minded students. I do think we can do more here—I think it would be really interesting to have industry-driven/sponsored projects that are assigned to diverse groups of students (Clemson’s packaging science program does this, and it is very successful).
The best thing we can do is build problem-solving skills and adaptability.”
Six stations, ten colors.
Unlimited potential.
The Fujifilm Revoria Press™ PC1120 Digital Press: Redefining expectations.
Learn more at print-us.fujifilm.com.
