Prepress Technicians and Workers
Format and proof text and images submitted by designers and clients into finished pages that can be printed. Includes digital and photo typesetting. May produce printing plates.
What it pays
Prepress Technicians and Workers earn a median of $23.41/hr — about $48,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.22/hr; the top 10% earn $31.77/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Prepress Technicians and Workers earn a median of $23.41/hr — about $48,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.22/hr; the top 10% earn $31.77/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; time pressure is a real part of the job; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 12.9% of prepress technicians and workers are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, hands-on and creative.
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Quick questions
- How much does a prepress technicians and worker make?
- The median pay is $23.41 per hour — roughly $48,500 a year, with the real range running from about $17.22/hr (10th percentile) to $31.77/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a prepress technicians and worker?
- The typical entry-level education is: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
- What does a prepress technicians and worker actually do all day?
- 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.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.