Prepress Workers
Overview
Introduction
Prepress workers handle the first stage in the printing process. This initial phase of production involves multiple steps, including creating pages from text and graphics and making printing plates, or managing digital files submitted by customers. With the introduction of desktop publishing and other computer technology, the prepress process has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Computerized processes have replaced many of the traditional processes, eliminating a number of prepress jobs but opening up new opportunitie...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Pay rates vary for prepress workers, depending on their level of experience and responsibility, type of company, where they live, and whether or not they are union members. Prepress technicians and workers had median annual earnings of $45,070 in May 2023. Salaries ranged from $31,330 to $63,440 or more. Mean earnings in commercial printing, the industry employing the largest number of prepress...
Work Environment
Generally, prepress workers work in clean, quiet settings away from the noise and activity of the pressroom. Prepress areas are usually air-conditioned and roomy. Desktop publishers and others who work in front of computer terminals can risk straining their eyes, as well as their backs and necks. Film stripping and other detail-oriented work can also be tiring to the eyes. The chemicals used in...
Outlook
Employment for prepress workers is expected to decline by 18 percent from 2023 through 2033, according to the U.S. Department of Labor While there will be continued demand for printed materials, new innovations and technology allows prepress workers to do their jobs more efficiently, and for workers at publishing companies, graphic design companies, and advertising firms to design and format pu...