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Prepress Technicians
Overview » Industry Pathways » Printing Technologies 
Prepress technicians and provide important tasks that eventually result in a wide variety of printing industry products ranging from newspapers, magazines, and books to brochures, labels, newsletters, postcards, memo pads, business order forms, checks, maps, t-shirts, and packaging. To understand what these workers do, it is helpful to briefly discuss the actual printing process.
The printing process has three stages—prepress, press, and binding or post-press. In most printing firms, however, each of the stages is the responsibility of a specialized group of workers. Prepress technicians and workers are responsible for the first stage, preparing the material for printing presses. They perform a variety of tasks involved with transforming text and pictures into finished pages and making printing plates of the pages.
In small print shops, there is another job title for those persons who may be responsible for all three stages. Learn more about job printers.
The printing industry has been greatly affected by technological advances over the years, such as computerized digital imaging technology, and advances in computer software and printing technology continue to change prepress work. Using a process called “ desktop publishing,” customers are increasingly using their own computers to do much of the typesetting and page layout work formerly done by prepress technicians. Customers today are able to provide printers with pages of material that look like the desired finished product they want printed. It is increasingly common for job printers to receive files from the customer on a computer disk or submitted by email, containing typeset material already laid out in pages
Prepress technicians held about 92,000 jobs in 2002. Most prepress jobs are found in the printing industry, while newspaper publishing employs the second largest number of prepress technicians and workers.
Prepress jobs are found throughout the country because many small towns have local newspapers and their residents have a need for a variety of printing jobs. However, many jobs are concentrated in large metropolitan cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C, and Dallas.
It is important to note that while these occupations may seem to match some of your interests, there is going to be a decline in some of them and an increase in others. The increased use of computers in desktop publishing will contribute to the elimination of many jobs for prepress technicians. Overall, the number of workers is expected to decline through 2016.
Job prospects will also vary by industry. Changes in technology have shifted many prepress functions away from the traditional printing plants into advertising and public relations agencies, graphic design firms, and large corporations. Many companies are turning to in-house desktop publishing as page layout and graphic design capabilities of computer software have improved and become less expensive and more user-friendly. Some firms are finding it more profitable to prepare their own newsletters and other reports than to send them out to trade shops. At newspapers, writers and editors also are doing more composition using publishing software.
Some new jobs for prepress technicians and workers are expected to emerge in commercial printing establishments. New equipment should reduce the time needed to complete a printing job, and allow commercial printers into new markets that require a fast turnaround. Because there are many small establishments in the printing industry, commercial printing should provide the best opportunities for inexperienced workers who want to gain a good background in all areas of printing.
Employers in the printing industry prefer to hire workers experienced in all facets of printing. Among persons without experience, however, opportunities should be best for those with computer backgrounds who have completed postsecondary programs in printing technology or graphic communications. Many employers prefer graduates of these programs because the comprehensive training that they receive helps them learn the printing process and to adapt more rapidly to new processes and techniques.
Traditionally, prepress technicians started as helpers and were trained on-the-job. Some jobs required years of experience performing the detailed handwork to become skillful enough to perform even difficult tasks quickly. Today’s prepress technicians increasingly use computer software skills to electronically modify and lay out the material; in some cases, the first time the material appears on paper is when the final product rolls off the printing press. As this digital imaging technology increasingly replaces outdated print technology, persons seeking to enter prepress technician jobs will require formal graphic communications training in the various types of computer software used in digital imaging.
Postsecondary graphic communications programs are available from a variety of sources. For beginners, two-year associate degree programs offered by community and junior colleges and technical schools, and some four-year bachelor’s degree programs in graphic design colleges teach the latest prepress skills. However, bachelor’s programs are usually intended for students who may eventually move into management positions in printing or design jobs.
Many employers view individuals with a combination of experience in the printing industry and formal training in the new digital technology as the best candidates for prepress jobs. The experience of these applicants in printing press operator or other jobs provides them with an understanding of how printing plants operate, familiarizes them with basic prepress functions, and demonstrates their reliability and interest in advancing in the industry.
Wage rates for prepress technicians and workers vary according to occupation, level of experience, training, location, size of firm, and union membership status. Typical hourly earnings of prepress technicians and workers were $16.34 in 2006
If you are interested in this occupation or are wondering about related occupations, use the links below to continue your exploration. Always remember, the more effort you put into exploring possible careers, the easier it will be for you to discover the best career choices for you!
For career information and links to employment resources contact:
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Occupational Information Network, O*NET Online: http://online.onetcenter.org/
Details about training programs may be obtained from local employers such as newspapers and printing shops, or from local offices of the state employment service.
For information on careers and training in printing and the graphic arts, write to:
Printing Industries of America: http://www.gain.net
Graphic Communications Council: http://www.teched.vt.edu/gcc
Graphic Communications International Union: http://www.gciu.org
Graphic Arts Technical Foundation: http://www.gatf.org
For information about planning and paying for college, visit Junior Achievement’s Financial Aid Center.
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