Course Title: Finishing: Thinking Backwards About Managing Print
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Finishing: Thinking Backwards About Managing Print
Credit Points: 12.00
Course Coordinator: John Magnik
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 9462
Course Coordinator Email: john.magnik@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: 515.1.02B
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None
Course Description
The course shows you how to plan for successful print finishing, requiring in-depth analysis of the production phases from design through pre-press planning, press, bindery and distribution. It emphasizes cost-effective planning and management in areas such as demographics, data base management, direct marketing and robotics. Factors such as the mechanical limitations involved in print production and in contemporary and futuristic print finishing workflows are considered.
The course will engender an awareness of the complexity of the management decisions involved in print finishing, and of the need for clear communication from design to distribution, for cost effective planning and for good management in traditional, contemporary and future print finishing environments.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
Capabilities developed in this course include, but are not limited to:
• Conceptual Capabilities
- Understanding how automation can be applied to finishing.
- Recognising the position of finishing in both the production and customer supply chains.
- Recognising how demographics can be applied to publishing through the finishing process.
• Technical capabilities
- Understanding the behaviour of substrates and binders in the finishing step (including recycled substrates)
- Knowing how to integrate e-publishing and e-printing.
- Understand the variants of runs of many versus runs of one.
- Understanding the implications of JDF for the finishing step.
• Adaptive capability
- Anticipating emerging binding techniques and interpreting how changes may affect the entire production process
• Interpersonal skills capability
- Analysing process problems and communicating them up to production chain
• Ability to research analysis and interpret
- New finishing techniques.
- Global trends in finishing.
- Organisational best practices in finishing (by sector).
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
• Apply problem-solving techniques to finishing problems.
• Advise designers about product layout and design for optional finishing productivity.
• Describe emerging finishing techniques for newspaper, book, magazine/catalogue, carton, e-print products and direct mail.
• Layout a high volume finishing plant for optimal throughput at lowest cost.
• Advise on disposal of waste product.
• Implement finishing quality control processes.
Overview of Learning Activities
• Plant visits and related assignments in key high-volume production operations for:
- Newspaper
- Book production
- Carton making
- Magazine production
- Direct mail
- Paper/board production
• Research and reprint on finishing applications
- Internet
- Direct contact with suppliers
- Visits (local)
- Literature search
• Team approach to problem solving
• Lectures
Overview of Learning Resources
Resources and Course materials will be provided to students during the course.
Overview of Assessment
Knowledge components by:
• Periodic tests (multiple choice)
• Written reports (visits)
• Class presentations
• Examination
Attitude component by:
• Approach to research
• Teamwork activity (problem solving)