AICC: The Art & Science of Flexographic Printing

AICC, The Independent Packaging Association, is hosting Best Practices for Flexographic Printing: Raising the Standard, Wednesday, January 29 – Thursday, January 30, 2020, at the PrintCon Center at Clemson University in Clemson, SC. This course takes the challenges out of high-quality flexographic printing on corrugated substrates and combines classroom training with time on press. 

AICC is currently offering a special rate of $895, a savings of $500, for those registering on or before Friday, October 4, 2019. 

Jose Saad, Production Supervisor, IC Industries, said, “this class was very important for me to improve processes as a supervisor in production.”

Over two days, participants receive intensive training on producing clean solids and line work as well as halftones and spot colors. Using classroom learning and time on press attendees tackle many typical troubleshooting issues, including dot gain, die-cutting, and proper graphic design for corrugated. One Point Lessons and checklists will codify the best practices and help participants learn the concepts more deeply, gain experience building standard works, and return to their plants with tangible plans to put what they learned into action. Participants will take these processes back to their home plants by creating Standard Operation Procedures.

“I really enjoyed the hands-on work time on the machine. The information was broken down and explained clearly with assistance in developing our own operating procedures,” said Matthew Van Fossen, Production Manager, Jet Container.

Printing is an art and a science. The focus of seminar facilitators, Kern Cox, a lecturer at Clemson University and Dr. Scott Ellis, Ed.D., Principal, Working Well LLC, is two-fold, taking the “art process,” the process of putting artwork on corrugated, and helping participants make it into science, with repeatable outcomes; and expanding attendees’ horizons and showing them what else is possible in their field.

Kern is a lecturer in Clemson University’s Department of Graphic Communications, teaching undergraduate-level courses in all major printing processes, electronic pre-press, package printing technologies, and color management. Kern brings with him ten years of experience in professional education development, where he provided various training and R&D services through Clemson University’s Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics. Kern has served the post print corrugated, narrow web and wide web flexographic market segments as well as the offset lithography market segment. His professional and research interests span flexography, corrugated, color management, and technical training and human development in the packaging and printing fields.

Scott is a leadership and process improvement specialist who serves on AICC’s faculty to assist in building The Packaging School curriculum. Scott has served as a resource for the development of individuals, teams, and organizations as a consultant, teacher, psychotherapist, coach, and general manager in the packaging industry for two decades. His pragmatic approach focuses on making it easy to do the right things right.

Attendees are encouraged to make their hotel reservations at The Conference Center & James Martin Inn at Clemson University before the group rate deadline, Thursday, November 28, 2019.

More information about this seminar can be found at www.aiccbox.org/calendar. Questions about seminars or webinars and the value a well-trained workforce brings to a company can be directed to Taryn Pyle, Director of Education & Leadership Development, tpyle@aiccbox.org, or Chelsea May, Education and Training Manager, cmay@aiccbox.org or 703.836.2422.