Prepress Technicians and Workers
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 51-5111.00United States
Format and proof text and images submitted by designers and clients into finished pages that can be printed. Includes digital and photo typesetting.
- Median annual earnings
- $48,693
- Projected change
- −11.5%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 24.03K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
41.5% of the workforce
Growing to 21.27K by 2035
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The work
What prepress technicians and workers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Generate prepress proofs in digital or other format to approximate the appearance of the final printed piece.
- Proofread and perform quality control of text and images.
- Enter, position, and alter text size, using computers, to make up and arrange pages so that printed materials can be produced.
- Perform "preflight" check of required font, graphic, text and image files to ensure completeness prior to delivery to printer.
- Operate and maintain laser plate-making equipment that converts electronic data to plates without the use of film.
- Enter, store, and retrieve information on computer-aided equipment.
- Maintain, adjust, and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $35,818
- 25th percentile
- $40,934
- 50th percentile
- $48,693
- 75th percentile
- $58,573
- 90th percentile
- $66,082
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $48,693 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−11.5%projected to decline
202524,032 jobs
2035 projected21,272 jobs
2,760 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
- 41.5%
- Associate degree
- 23.2%
- Some college
- 20.7%
- Certificate
- 9.5%
- Bachelor's degree
- 5.2%
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.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- 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.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- 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
- 01Camera Operators600 postings
- 02Print Technicians261 postings
- 03Certified Technicians131 postings
- 04Prepress Technicians123 postings
- 05Press Operators114 postings
- 063D Printing Technicians98 postings
- 07First Assistants Camera97 postings
- 08Press Technicians79 postings
- 09Print Operators68 postings
- 10Digital Press Operators57 postings
- 11Copier Technicians56 postings
- 12Flexographic Press Operators55 postings
- 13Surface Mount Operators55 postings
- 14Digital Print Operators54 postings
- 15Operators53 postings
- 16Scanner Operators44 postings
- 17Pre-Press Specialists39 postings
- 18Digital Print Technicians38 postings
- 19Directors of Photography38 postings
- 20Water/Sewer Operators35 postings
Top employers
- 01Velocity A Managed Services Company131 postings
- 02Ricoh Electronics64 postings
- 03Online Corporation Limited60 postings
- 04W.Y.N. Consultants60 postings
- 05Multi-Color Corporation59 postings
- 06Canon44 postings
- 07YouTube41 postings
- 08Mcc32 postings
- 09The Sheridan Group24 postings
- 10Tlc24 postings
- 11BCforward23 postings
- 12Revolution Technologies18 postings
- 13AppleOne17 postings
- 14Fox News Network16 postings
- 15Kelly Services16 postings
- 16R.R. Donnelley & Sons16 postings
- 17Computer Task Group15 postings
- 18ManpowerGroup15 postings
- 19inSync Staffing12 postings
- 20Fortis Solutions Group11 postings
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