BOONE—Sunny Turner, a graphic arts and imaging technology undergraduate at Appalachian State University, has advanced into the final round of the North American Printing Skills Competition. The final round of competition will occur July 8 and be based at California Poly Technic Institute.

Turner, a senior from New Bern, will compete with a student from Ryerson University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada for the North American title.

The printing skills competition is sponsored by Sinapse Print Simulators of Saint Aubin, France, and the Printing Industries of America. Student teams from 21 schools across North America participated in the competition using a cloud-based simulator software to solve common printing press related problems, such as color misregistration, causes of wrinkled paper, settings or environment-related conditions that affect the quality of the printed job. Scoring was based on producing the most cost-efficient printed job.

Appalachian’s first round team was comprised of Turner and Appalachian students Grant Murray and Murphy Swancy. Turner advanced into the final round of North American Print Skills Competition after completing three qualifying rounds.

“Her ability to go into the cloud-based printing simulator and solve problems to reduce production costs is an incredible feat given the complexity of the realistic scenarios,” said Dr. John Craft, a professor in the graphic arts and imaging technology program, now part of the Appalachian’s Department of Art. Craft is the team’s faculty advisor.

Turner’s interest in graphic communications began in a high school print graphics class she took when she was a sophomore. During her junior year, she enrolled in additional print graphics courses to complete graduation requirements. From the experience, she discovered that she enjoys the hands-on work as well as layout and illustration software.

Turner completed her associate degree at Lenoir Community College, prior to enrolling at Appalachian. She is pursuing a career in the printing industry because, “You get to do art as well as technology. It encompasses everything from design to production. Possibilities are endless.”

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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