iLEARNING+ Spring 2024 Courses Now Released

I’m thrilled to announce our spring 2024 courses, a mix of brand-new and updated offerings. We’re particularly excited about our first completely translated (and highly popular) certification, which is part of this release. These courses are designed to provide you with the latest industry knowledge and skills, and we can't wait to see how they will benefit your professional growth.

I’ll start with new courses: Expanded Color Gamut Printing and Hazard Communication. Expanded Color Gamut Printing will give the learner a comprehensive understanding of expanded gamut printing. Covering traditional ECG and digital print applications, the training is jam-packed with information to help you understand how ECG works. You’ll learn the theory behind ECG by following instructor-led demonstrations and gaining an understanding of ECG applications. The instructor for this course is Ron Ellis. Ron is a consultant specializing in color management, automation, and workflow integration. He is chair of the Print Properties Committee and works with brands. Ron is a G7 Expert and trainer who has performed hundreds of trainings and calibrations. He has also developed the Print Packaging Essentials course and the Color Management Professional: Offset Certification.

The next new course is Hazard Communication. This is part of our safety offerings and complements our Machine Guarding and Lockout/Tagout courses. Hazard Communication is a course that prioritizes your safety. It provides comprehensive training on working safely with hazardous chemicals within a printing facility, ensuring you and your coworkers are protected. Designed to help facilities achieve compliance with OSHA safety standards, including the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), this course equips you with the skills to prevent harm to yourself and others and to avoid chronic or acute exposure to hazardous chemicals, fire, and explosions. The instructor of this course is Gary Jones. Gary is the VP of Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) affairs at PRINTING United Alliance and is a trusted expert in his field. He monitors and analyzes EHS regulatory activities at all domestic and international government levels, ensuring comprehensive compliance. Gary's close collaboration with federal and state agencies, such as EPA, OSHA, DOT, and others, underscores his commitment to maintaining the highest standards. He provides membership assistance on EHS compliance through various approaches, including responding to inquiries, giving presentations, and providing consulting services, offering a comprehensive solution for all compliance needs.

The updated courses include our most popular course, Orientation to the Graphic Arts, which is being rebranded as Print 101: Introduction to the Printing Industry, along with Creating PDFs for Print Production. Print 101: Introduction to the Printing Industry is a course designed to be accessible to everyone, whether you're new to the industry or looking to update your knowledge. With a blend of eLearning courses, video demonstrations, and learning assessments, this course breaks down the print production workflow into manageable, easy-to-understand modules. By the end of the course, you'll be able to communicate more effectively on production-related topics, armed with a solid understanding of printing industry terminology and lingo.

Creating PDFs for Print Production (updated content). PDF is the cornerstone file format for prepress and print production workflow. With so many settings to choose from when creating PDFs, how do you know which options to select for your workflow or printing process? Are the Adobe CC "canned" PDF presets good enough? In this course, you will learn about the various presets and settings, understand each setting, and how it affects PDF creation and output.

Joe Marin, a Senior VP at PRINTING United Alliance, advocates learning, advancement, and growth. With a career deeply rooted in the printing industry, he has emerged as a leading authority on digital technologies. Joe's passion for sharing knowledge is evident in his engaging talks on succeeding in a digital print environment. His contributions extend to authoring several courses on iLEARNING+, including the highly acclaimed Print 101: Introduction to the Printing Industry and Creating PDFs for Print Production.

Last but certainly not least is our Spanish translation of the Color Management Professional: Fundamentals. Learning a new concept in your native language means you are that much more likely to retain the information, and our goal is to continue translating courses into other languages.

Color management produces more reliable, consistent color across multiple devices and allows everyone to see color more accurately. Color Management Professional: Fundamentals (Spanish) offers the latest in color theory and applications in color, providing a robust educational foundation for color managing print production workflow. This certification will cover the fundamentals of color management, requirements, and processes while providing a solid understanding of terminology and workflow. This course has been updated and is entirely in Spanish, from the course's text to the instructor's audio. The instructor and translator for this course is Fabian Ruiz. A US citizen, Fabian is a Chemical Engineer from the University del Valle in his native Colombian city of Cali. He holds a Master's degree in Printing Technology. With a passion for education, Fabian has taught at institutions such as the University of Los Andes, GATF, Printing Industries of America (now PRINTING United Alliance), and most recently, the Color Education Center Latin America. Additionally, he has served as President of the Printing Association of Colombia (Andigraf).

I’m excited about the new offerings and hope you are as well. Go to ilearningplus.org and check them out. See the diversity of courses as we work to include something for all communities in this incredibly diverse industry that we are so proud to be a part of. iLEARNING+ is THE place for printing professionals to grow, stay relevant, and adapt to evolving industry demands.