Mark Andy hosts annual Student Open House in Warsaw

The annual Student Open House, organized by Mark Andy at its Technology Center in Warsaw, Poland, has attracted a record number of participants, with over 170 students from print-focused high schools and technical universities, alongside faculty representatives. 

Five institutions were represented: the Department of Printing Technology at the Institute of Mechanics and Printing at Warsaw University of Technology, the Armia Krajowa Printing and Mechanical School Complex in Katowice, the Center for Vocational and Continuing Education in Pionki, the Ignacy Moscicki School Complex in Zielonk and Technical School No. 11 named after Piotr Wysocki in Warsaw.

‘Events devoted to young people entering the world of print are always special to us,’  said Lena Chmielewska-Bontron, European marketing manager at Mark Andy, who welcomed guests to the Technology Center. ‘We’re thrilled to announce that this year’s event exceeded our greatest expectations. We enjoyed record-breaking attendance, with more than 170 students and pupils visiting us in a single day. That’s 50 percent more than we hosted last year in two separate events.’

Chmielewska-Bontron added that the attendance reflects the growing appeal of the printing and labeling industry and an increasing awareness among educational institutions that practical experience is as important as theoretical knowledge.

Mark Andy prepared live demos for two narrow-web printing presses installed at its Technology Center. The presentations, led by sales manager Lukasz Chruśliński, introduced students to the unique features of each press. The demos included Mark Andy’s Digital Series HD HighSpeed 1200 and Mark Andy’s ProSeries flexo model. DuPont, a partner for the event, supplied the flexo printing plates for the ProSeries demos.

Lukasz Chruslinski explained the construction of each press, their target markets and applications, and how these impact Mark Andy’s diverse product portfolio. In his introduction, he also referred to the current trends in the label industry. 

‘Our personal and business lives are driven by constant change. We’re bombarded with stimuli and factors beyond our control. This naturally affects our behavior as consumers responding to packaging and labels. Ultimately, technological change affects production for printers and converters. That’s why we’re seeing the growing popularity of linerless labels, fueled by increased demand for food-to-go/ready-to-eat meals, and RFID tags, which are becoming standard in a wide range of retail stores,’ said Chruśliński.

He mentioned that Mark Andy, as one of the leading manufacturers of narrow-web presses and complementary technologies, is dedicated to staying ahead of these changes, in line with its belief that ‘Your Growth is Our Growth’.  

Mark Andy sales, printing, and service specialists were available for several hours to engage with students.

‘To see so many students and pupils actively engaged, asking questions, joining discussions, and looking closely at the presses made for a great day,’ added Chmielewska-Bontron.’ 

The samples of various printed label designs, substrates and finishing/embellishment options also attracted significant interest. One of the highlights was real-time label printing on the Digital Series HD HighSpeed 1200 hybrid press, with plenty of photos taken during the event. 

Przemyslaw Polkowski, general manager at Mark Andy Europe, concluded: ‘We’d like to thank all the students, pupils and faculty staff for their attendance. Their interest, enthusiasm and engagement were of a truly high level this year. This fills us with pride and gives us hope for the future development of our industry. Training and education are key factors in this process, and we are committed to playing an ongoing role, which means we are already looking forward to welcoming print-oriented schools and universities to the next Students Open House in 2026 – so, see you then.’

You can watch a video of the event on Mark Andy's LinkedIn profile.