Riverside City College (RCC) has expanded its capabilities with Zünd digital cutting technology. For more than a century, RCC has been preparing students for careers in graphics, print, and visual communication.
First launched in 1922, the Printing Programme recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary with a transformative upgrade made possible through the extraordinary generosity of long-time industry champion and RCCD Foundation Board Member Jan Steiner. Her personal donation of more than R16 million ($1 million) funded a complete remodel of the print shop, ensuring RCC students can obtain professional training using the most advanced technology available.
The Applied Digital Media and Printing Programme offers hands-on education across large format, offset, digital, and apparel printing. Students pursue associate degrees and certificates in graphic design and communications, commercial printing, and related fields, gaining real production experience in a fully equipped print facility.
A cornerstone of RCC’s recent expansion is the addition of a Zünd S3M-800 Digital Cutting System, a gift made possible through Steiner’s continued support. This advanced cutting system opened the door to launching a brand-new Packaging Design Course led by Professor Alda Escobar. Using Zünd technology for the cutting/finishing portion of the process, students can now take their packaging concepts from screen to shelf, from creating the design to cutting, finishing, and assembly. This enables them to develop professional-quality prototypes of boxes, labels, and custom shapes.
‘In our Packaging Design course, they’re able to transform their ideas into real, functional prototypes. Watching students design, problem-solve, and then cut their projects with such precision has been incredibly inspiring,’ said Patrick Scullin, director of Printing Graphics Programmes, Professor of Applied Digital Media and Print.
Besides being an essential teaching tool, the cutter has also become indispensable to the in-house RCC Printing Services, which functions as in-plant print provider to the three schools in the Riverside Community College District. Student workers use it to produce signage, stickers, display materials, and other creative printed pieces for departments across all three campuses. These are all skills they will take with them into the workforce.
‘The Zünd has transformed our large format workflow. Projects that used to take hours of manual trimming are now finished with incredible precision and in a fraction of time. When the district needs hundreds of pieces turned around quickly, the Zünd is the reason we can say yes with confidence,’ said Daniel Gregory, Printing Services Coordinator.
With the addition of Zünd digital cutting and workflow technologies, RCC is strengthening the connection between design, technology, and real-world production. It ensures the next generation of graphic communication and packaging professionals enter the industry with the skills, experience, and confidence to succeed.
|
LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR |
