The National Council offers two separate study guides to assist you in preparing to take the tests. They are:
- The NCPIC Study Guide for Flexographic Certification
- The NCPIC Study Guide for Sheetfed Offset Certification
- The NCPIC Study Guide for Web Offset Certification
- The NCPIC Study Guide for Stitching Certification
We suggest that you discuss the topics and terms on the preceding pages—along with the sample questions below—with others in your pressroom, double-checking your knowledge on the variety of subjects you will encounter in the examination. You can also prepare by reviewing the following books, which contain over 80% of the information covered in the certification test. Both books are available for purchase from Printing Industries of America, the webpage links below, or by calling 1-800-910-4283 x770.
Sheetfed Offset Resources:
- Sheetfed Offset Press Operating (Third Ed.), Lloyd DeJidas and Thomas Destree, Printing Industries Press, 2005.
- Guide to Troubleshooting for the Sheetfed Offset PressThomas M. Destree, editor, Printing Industries Press, 2005.
Web Offset Resources:
- Web Offset Press Operating (Fifth Ed.), Daniel Wilson and Printing Industries of America Staff, Printing Industries Press, 2003.
- Guide to Troubleshooting for the Web Offset Press, Peter Oresick, editor, Printing Industries Press, 2004.
[Note: If many of your co-workers are also seeking certification, your company may want to conduct a series of review classes. A good resource for this is Printing Industries Press’s Web Offset Press Training Curriculum.]
Your use of the Printing Industries of America materials is, of course, not a requirement for taking the examination. Another way of preparing for the examination is to discuss the terms, topics, and sample questions with your co-workers. And, you may indeed wish to take the examination based only upon your years of experience in producing process color work, reviewing the topics, terms, and sample questions on your own.