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Prepress Technicians and Workers

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)	Projected Growth (2023-2033)
National Statistics	$47,300	2200	-18.5%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$47,300

Median Wage (USD, 2023)

2200

Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)

-18.5%

Projected Growth (2023-2033)

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.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Related Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

On-the-Job Training: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months

Detailed Work Activities

Enter commands, instructions, or specifications into equipment.
Enter commands, instructions, or specifications into equipment.
Program equipment to perform production tasks.
Clean production equipment.
Maintain production or processing equipment.
Repair production equipment or tools.
Operate photographic developing or print production equipment.
Maintain production or processing equipment.
Inspected printed materials or other images to verify quality.
Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
Operate photographic developing or print production equipment.
Examine condition of property or products.
Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
Select production equipment according to product specifications.
Inspected printed materials or other images to verify quality.
Operate digital imaging equipment.
Operate photographic developing or print production equipment.
Operate photographic developing or print production equipment.
Inspected printed materials or other images to verify quality.
Operate photographic developing or print production equipment.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

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.
Operate presses to print proofs of plates, monitoring printing quality to ensure that it is adequate.
Select proper types of plates according to press run lengths.
Examine finished plates to detect flaws, verify conformity with master plates, and measure dot sizes and centers, using light boxes and microscopes.
Examine unexposed photographic plates to detect flaws or foreign particles prior to printing.
Examine photographic images for obvious imperfections prior to plate making.
Scale copy for reductions and enlargements, using proportion wheels.
Analyze originals to evaluate color density, gradation highlights, middle tones, and shadows, using densitometers and knowledge of light and color.
Set scanners to specific color densities, sizes, screen rulings, and exposure adjustments, using scanner keyboards or computers.

Work Styles

Persistence

Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Achievement/Effort

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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