PrintED®, administered by the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF®) is a national accreditation and certification program, based on industry standards, for graphic communications courses of study at the secondary and post-secondary levels.
Upon receipt of the Accreditation Application, a program is allowed up to eighteen months to complete the accreditation process.
PrintED has identified six standardsthat encompass the elements of a solid training program. In order for a program to become accredited, it must meet these standards in at least two areas of accreditation, one of which must be Introduction to Graphic Communications.
The nine accreditation areas include:- Introduction to Graphic Communications
- Advertising & Design
- Digital File Preparation
- Offset Press Operations
- Binding & Finishing
- Digital File Output
- Digital Production Printing
- Advanced Offset Press Operations
- Advanced Digital File Preparation
Competencies have been identified for each area of accreditation to determine whether the PrintED standards have been met. These competencies, developed by educators and members of industry, form the basis for instruction.
Although PrintED does not provide its own curriculum, there are curriculums available that are aligned with the PrintED competencies.
Students in PrintED accredited programs are eligible to take standardized certification examinations. Those students who achieve passing scores on the online examinations are awarded certifications. Examination information are available in three of the eight accreditation areas: Introduction to Graphic Communications, Offset Press Operations, and Digital File Preparation. Examinations for the other areas of accreditation will be added at a later date. Pre-assessment tests are available in these same accreditation areas.
Many PrintED accredited programs have established articulation agreements with institutions of higher learning.
PrintED was developed in 1986 by the Printing Industries of Georgia (PIAG) at the request of the Georgia Department of Education. In 1990, Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) adopted the Georgia program as a national industry-approved accreditation program. GAERF assumed managed of PrintED in 2000.