Prepress Technicians and Workers
Also called Electronic Prepress Operator (EPP Operator), Plate Maker, Prepress Operator, or Prepress Technician
What Prepress Technicians and Workers do
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.
Who tends to enjoy it
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Creative
People who like making things, design, writing, music, and self-expression.
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.
- Maintain, adjust, and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Time Management
- Reading Comprehension
What you'll need to know
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Design
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Prepress / Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design 113 colleges
- Graphic Communications 43 colleges
- Graphic and Printing Equipment Operator, General Production 41 colleges
- Graphic Communications, Other 11 colleges
- Printing Management 4 colleges
- Printing Press Operator 3 colleges
- Platemaker / Imager 4 colleges
- Computer Typography and Composition Equipment Operator 1 colleges
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 51-5111.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.