New equipment in Adobe Studio and Makerspace

Clemson students, faculty and staff now have access to multiple new amenities at the Adobe Studio and Makerspace, located on the fifth floor of Cooper Library. All Adobe Studio and Makerspace equipment is available to anyone with a valid CUID.

The newest technology includes a Roland sticker printer, which allows users to perform full color printing on a variety of different types of vinyl, including white, matte, holographic or clear. The printer also comes with  a heat transfer vinyl that can press designs onto shirts or other materials.

“We have thoroughly enjoyed getting a new (sticker printer) that goes faster and works much better,” said Cath Bruhnke, emerging technologies librarian and director of the Adobe Studio and Makerspace.

Additionally, the Makerspace is now home to the Cricut Maker 3, a vinyl cutting machine with the ability to cut over 300 types of materials.

“With the Cricut Maker 3, we have access to their smart vinyl, which automatically reads itself and knows exactly what you put in there, so you get much better cuts,” Bruhnke said. “And it allows us to use our other new equipment that came with it, (including) our mug press, which allows you to press vinyl onto mugs of all kinds of shapes and sizes, and then our hat press, which has a specific type of iron that’s just for hats.”

Students, faculty and staff also have access to a fully computerized Brother embroidery machine alongside embroidery digitizing software. Users can embroider their own design or select from the machine’s preprogrammed fonts and patterns.

Rounding out the list of new equipment are 16 Prusa Mark 4 3D printers, which allow for more high quality prints in a variety of filament colors.

“These printers are meant for more detailed work…(and) after you take your print off the printer, you don’t have to do quite as much sanding and things like that to get the surface quality ready for paint,” Bruhnke said. “That’s been really exciting to have those, and they give us a lot more choices for students to print out different colors, like pink, purple, greens and blues.”

Anyone interested in using the Makerspace equipment must log onto their website and complete a digital training tutorial. Student interns will also be available on-site to provide more training and assistance during the creative process.

“It’s all free to use, it’s all here on campus, and you don’t have to know anything yourself. We will work alongside you to make a project that you’re proud to show off,” Bruhnke said. “Clemson has put all this money and expertise into making a really awesome welcoming space for students, where you can just come in and create and play and do.”