RIT School of Printing samples

According to The School of Printing, Rochester Institute of Technology: The First Half-Century, 1937-1987" by Alexander S. Lawson, RIT's School of Printing was founded in 1937 from the Empire State School of Printing in Ithaca, New York originally founded in 1922. The school was established by the New York State Publishers Association (NYSPA). In order to address the needs of the industry, the association had formed an education committee chaired by John W. Baker in 192. The education committee decided that NYSPA would provide sponsorship for the school. In February 1922, Frank E. Gannett, President of NYSPA, announced that the school would be opened that spring. Both men and women were trained at the Empire School of Printing to help ensure that printers in New York State would be able to keep up with the changing technologies of the field.

On May 1, 1922, the Empire State School of Printing opened its doors to its first three students under the direction of Ross William Kellogg. At this time, the program was six months and its curriculum included English, history of printing, elementary composition, management, and advertising typography. Students within the program focused on composition rather than presswork. Course offerings expanded to include linotype and interyper operations programs, as well as an engraving section. Class size for the program did not rise to more than 20 per year; as a result of this and the economic depression, the Empire State School of Printing faced decline and the potential loss of sponsorship.

Frank Gannett reached out to Dr. Mark Ellingson, the President of Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (now Rochester Institute of Technology), and they reached an agreement that the Institute would absorb the printing school. The School of Printing was transferred to RAMI with its first class starting in the Fall of 1937. The program at RAMI would provide broader training and would follow a two year format. After World War II, the School of Printing expanded in size; as a result, updated and larger facilities were necessary. By 1947, the Printing program at RIT became widely respected to the extent that Editor and Publisher Magazine described it as "one of the world's outstanding school's of printing." Over the course of time, the program has adapted to changing technology and the needs of society. Today the School of Media Sciences houses programs that emerged from the School of Printing. These include a Bachelor of Science in Media Arts and Sciences and a Master of Science in Print Media.