Production
Prepress Technicians and Workers
Also called: Desktop Operator, Electronic Prepress Operator (EPP Operator), Electronic Prepress Technician (EPP Tech), Plate Maker
US median pay
$48,690
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
-15.3%
declining
Openings a year (US)
2,100
24,700 employed
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
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.
What they do day to 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.
- 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.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Time Management3.1/5
- Operations Monitoring3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.9/5
- Persuasion2.9/5
- Quality Control Analysis2.8/5
Knowledge
- Computers and Electronics4.0/5
- English Language3.6/5
- Design3.5/5
- Mathematics3.4/5
- Production and Processing3.3/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.2/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): Postsecondary nondegree award.
Highest education of people in this job:
- High school diploma39%
- Associate's degree23%
- Some college21%
Who this job suits
Mostly Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Artistic
Creating, designing and self-expression
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.