Desktop Publishers
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 43-9031.00United States
Format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material.
- Median annual earnings
- $54,131
- Projected change
- −7%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 4.52K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
44.3% of the workforce
Growing to 4.2K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What desktop publishers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy.
- Position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of type styles and size and layout patterns.
- View monitors for visual representation of work in progress and for instructions and feedback throughout process, making modifications as necessary.
- Enter text into computer keyboard and select the size and style of type, column width, and appropriate spacing for printed materials.
- Check preliminary and final proofs for errors and make necessary corrections.
- Prepare sample layouts for approval, using computer software.
- Import text and art elements, such as electronic clip art or electronic files from photographs that have been scanned or produced with a digital camera, using computer software.
- Study layout or other design instructions to determine work to be done and sequence of operations.
- Select number of colors and determine color separations.
- Enter digitized data into electronic prepress system computer memory, using scanner, camera, keyboard, or mouse.
- Convert various types of files for printing or for the Internet, using computer software.
- Edit graphics and photos, using pixel or bitmap editing, airbrushing, masking, or image retouching.
- Enter data, such as coordinates of images and color specifications, into system to retouch and make color corrections.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $28,266
- 25th percentile
- $38,508
- 50th percentile
- $54,131
- 75th percentile
- $84,114
- 90th percentile
- $140,971
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $54,131 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−7%projected to decline
20254,516 jobs
2035 projected4,202 jobs
314 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 44.3%
- Bachelor's degree
- 38.7%
- Associate degree
- 11.1%
- Certificate
- 4.9%
- Some college
- 1%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Desktop Publishing Specialists15 postings
- 02Electronic Publishing Specialists6 postings
- 03Graphic Designers/Desktop Publishers5 postings
- 04Computer Graphics Artists4 postings
- 05Graphic Designers/Typesetters4 postings
- 06Typesetters3 postings
- 07Compositors2 postings
- 08Editors/Graphic Designers2 postings
- 09Data Migration Specialists1 postings
- 10Graphic Arts Designers1 postings
- 11Operators1 postings
- 12Page Designers1 postings
- 13Power Business Intelligence Developers1 postings
Top employers
- 01Department Of Human Services5 postings
- 02Champion Media4 postings
- 03Globo Language Solutions2 postings
- 04Gw Agency2 postings
- 05Northbound Executive Search2 postings
- 06Sma2 postings
- 07Cae Solutions Co., Ltd.1 postings
- 08Cosa Vfx1 postings
- 09Eyeline1 postings
- 10Fluor1 postings
- 11Foryourparty.Com1 postings
- 12Fritzen Publishing1 postings
- 13Hanna Interpreting Services1 postings
- 14High Plains News North1 postings
- 15Hsk Technologies1 postings
- 16IST Management Services1 postings
- 17JMP Statistical Discovery1 postings
- 18Jobgether1 postings
- 19Kwik Kopy Printing1 postings
- 20Languageusa1 postings
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