Clemson GC at the 2018 TAGA Conference

March 30, 2018

While many students were preparing to enjoy the first few days of their Spring break,
eight members of Clemson’s student chapter of TAGA were headed up to Baltimore, Maryland
for the 70 th Annual Technical Association of the Graphic Arts Conference. The yearly conference
is intended to “provide a worldwide forum for sharing and disseminating theoretical,
functional, and practical information on current and emerging technologies for graphic arts
print production and related processes.”The conference featured three days of exciting
technical talks with some of the biggest industry leaders from across the globe. Topics this year
ranged from color management and faithful art reproduction to smart packaging and printed
electronics. New to the conference this year was a Student Industry Focus Session, giving
students the opportunity to interact and discuss their future in the industry with leaders from
numerous well known firms.

From left to right: Dr. Liam O’Hara, Taylor Alexander, Vincent Wolfgram, Alyssa Marion, Emily Algary, Walker Knight, Himanshu Rana, and Dariah Brown

The primary reason for the student chapters to attend, however, was to participate in
the Student Publication Competitions. Beginning in the Fall semester, Clemson’s TAGA team
began designing a journal to showcase research conducted in the GC program during the
previous year. Production began in the Spring once design and editing had been completed. The
team can be proud of the ambitious project they manufactured this year featuring expanded
gamut CMYK printing, vivid cold foil splash pages, a three-dimensional thermoform cover, and a
custom corrugate case. Clemson’s journal went head-to- head with journals from four other
universities to compete for the Kipphan Cup, awarded to a publication that “excels in technical
content, print quality, and design.” This year the award went to our friends from Ryerson
University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. But Clemson’s team did not leave empty handed; they
gained a wealth of new knowledge, close friendships, and excellent networking opportunities!