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
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 Sheeted Offset Press, Thomas 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.
