Canon Solutions America Expands University Inkjet Program to RIT

Building on the success of its University Inkjet Program with Clemson University, Canon Solutions America Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., expands its efforts in supporting higher education to now include a print curriculum for Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) typography and page design program.

The University Inkjet Program, first established in 2019 with Clemson University, educates students about print industry trends and Canon’s inkjet technology. This new RIT curriculum helps to further establish a model for future programs.

To start the course curriculum for the program, RIT students from the typography and page design program participated in a virtual 30-minute scavenger hunt to learn about Canon Solutions America, inkjet technology, a wide range of printing devices, and workflow automation software. Following the activity, students received a virtual tour of the Canon Americas Customer Innovation Center in Boca Raton, Florida.

Participants were educated about brand and content marketing and designing for inkjet and heard from members of the executive board of the thINK organization, an independent user community of Canon production inkjet customers. In the Q&A panel that followed, students asked questions about the presenters’ earlier careers, choices that lead them to where they are now, career advice, and what they look for when hiring a candidate for their company.

To conclude, RIT students applied the concepts they learned to a project where they developed a booklet printed on one of Canon’s inkjet presses. The students had to create a brand for an imaginary high-end company and design a magalog (a promotional catalog or sales brochure designed to resemble a high-quality magazine) booklet application that shows the company’s products. Students were encouraged to incorporate augmented reality elements into the design and create a basic single-page storefront site.

“It is our duty as an organization to invest in future generations of industry leaders as well as provide opportunities to create a better and brighter future for the next generation,” says Peter P. Kowalczuk, president of Canon Solutions America. “By working alongside our customers, Clemson University and Rochester Institute of Technology, to expand the classroom walls and introduce hands-on opportunities for students to learn, we underscore the immense pride we take in investing in education. This combined initiative paves the way for aspiring content creators and designers to take up the mantle and push the graphic communications industry forward.”