Professors Versus Teachers
-----There are a couple of profound differences between Professor and Teacher, or professing and teaching.
-----First, while being a "professor" sounds very collegiate, I would rather be known As a teacher. The definition of a professor is "a scholar, one who lectures or professes" while the definition of a teacher is "a counselor, or mentor; one who causes students to learn."
-----Do you see the difference? Causing students to learn requires the key ingredient of personal communication. Professors present their material and expect their students to be on the right page at all times.
-----I consider myself a teacher. My teaching style is metaphorical. I use examples from everyday life to illustrate technical issues. My desire is to assist others in the learning of technical issues. Technology moves at such a fast pace that trainer/teachers must be willing (and able) to teach serious science in an easy-to-digest manor.
-----As mentioned earlier, the lithographic (printing) experts of two decades ago have been replaced by DeskTop Publishing's new breed of Graphic Designers. Unfortunately, this means that people who have (little or) no real printing experience are making critical prepress decisions. Whether or not this is a wise move is not the issue here. What is at issue is that now an enormous amount of lithographic information must be taught to these designers.
-----This represents a huge challenge in and of itself. But even before the training begins there is actually a large uphill battle to convince the creative community that traditional litho knowledge is actually relevant, let alone necessary. There has existed for years the assumption that all necessary expertise is "built-in" to the (largely Adobe Systems) publishing software.
-----In truth, a single default profile (U.S. Web Coated SWOP v.2) continues to be used for the vast majority of all the CMYK conversions, whether the printing method is heat-set web press and the stock is coated, (as this profile assumes) or not! The simplistic assumption that all CMYK conversions are alike is simply wrong. Using the appropriate separation profile for the paper and press is the only way to assure that images will print accurately.
It Takes One to Be One...
-----Excellent Photoshop trainers are easy to find. A simple search on the Adobe site will locate a healthy number of "Certified Adobe Trainers." Unfortunately, with the shifting focus at Adobe toward web-based media, it can be challenging to find a certified "litho" trainer. A rare breed indeed! While there are a number of consultants and trainers who can teach tricks and techniques, there are precious few consultants or trainers who personally understand the issues from a printing trade perspective.
The Irreducible Minimum
----- I ascribe to a philosophy of teaching that limits the agenda to meaningful issues, and does so in the most succinct manor possible. No fluff, no pontificating, and no wasted words. There is so much pertinent information to be taught that my training is strictly limited to print production issues.
-----My intent is to equip students to produce the very best printed materials possible, and to do so effectively and efficiently.
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