Skilled Trades
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.
Median salary
$47,300
Typical range
$34k – $66k
Job outlook
See national outlook
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Plan a path to Prepress Technicians and Workers
Education
Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Prepress Technicians and Workers
Entry / Junior
$34,270
~2 yrs to advance
Prepress Technicians and Workers
Established
$47,300
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Prepress Technicians and Workers
Senior
$56,415
Key skills
A typical 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.
- •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.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.