From screen to shelf: LCAD brings packaging concepts to life with the TrueVis LG-640

A professional print lab for real-world learning

LCAD is developing a new 22,000-square-foot Innovation Center at its Big Bend campus, with the Roland DG Print Lab forming a core part of the facility. The lab will give students access to professional production technology for packaging, prototyping and digital media. Ahead of the Center opening, the LG-640 is already being used across the college by Graphic Design, Marketing, Illustration and Entertainment Design students and staff.

“What makes this partnership most attractive is that it transcends typical equipment sponsorship. Roland DGA has committed not just hardware, but a complete ecosystem: training, ongoing technical support, consumables, and collaborative curriculum integration.” Mark Saville, Interim President + CEO, LCAD

Turning ideas into functional prototypes

The LG-640 has been integrated into Graphic Design courses for package and product prototyping. Students can test designs on actual production media, including SBS board, create double-sided prints, and use cutting and scoring to build functional packaging prototypes. This lets them assess colour, structure and finishing on a physical piece rather than relying only on what they see on screen.

“It’s great to be able to create functional, accurate prototypes on-site. The students enjoy having the ability to create both the surface texture and the color. The vibrancy of the UV inks has surprised them.” Dana Herkelrath, Chair, Graphic Design + Digital Media, LCAD

Vibrant colour, premium effects and integrated cutting

For competition projects, students have used the LG-640’s UV gloss varnish capabilities to create premium gold and black effects, as well as colour and texture that make packaging more engaging. Integrated cutting adds further flexibility, supporting applications from kiss-cut stickers to intricate die-cut packaging and interactive structures - without moving the job to a separate cutting device.

“The integrated cutting capability is another feature we appreciate about the printer – we’ve done everything from kiss cuts for stickers to complex die cuts for packaging. Having cutting capability available in one seamless workflow is helpful for getting students’ projects produced and prototyped.” Dana Herkelrath

Versatility beyond packaging

The LG-640 is also supporting a wide range of creative work. For a national surfing competition, LCAD students used the printer to produce thousands of square feet of banners, graphics for wooden trophies and an event entrance arch. Across campus it is being used for posters, stickers, internal content, events and presentations, giving students hands-on experience with professional production workflows and different substrates.

A tangible connection between design and production.

For LCAD, the key benefit is the ability to move quickly from digital design to a finished physical piece. Students can see and touch their work, judge colour saturation on real packaging materials, check cutting accuracy and refine the design through repeated iterations. The result is a more practical understanding of production - and prototypes that closely resemble professionally produced samples.

“Overall, having the LG-640 available helps students develop a tangible reflection of their design. They can see and touch their product, see what the color saturation looks like on real packaging materials, and whether the die cutting is where they need it. From there, they can modify their process to achieve the optimal design.” Dana Herkelrath

Product featured: Roland DG TrueVIS LG-640 UV printer/cutter
Applications shown: packaging prototypes and printer with output.