Occupation Details
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.
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Interests
Realistic
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Work Values
Relationships
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Salary & Job Outlook
Starting Salary
$38,150.00
New York StateMedian Salary
$49,540.00
New York StateExperienced Salary
$60,400.00
New York StateNational Average for Comparison
New York State Job Market Outlook
Jobs Right Now (2018)
1,320
professionals in NYFuture Job Growth (2030)
1,330
+1 jobs/yearNew Jobs Every Year
178
new opportunities yearlyGrowth Rate
0.0%
projected increasePreparation: Experience, Training, and Education
The list below outlines the prior educational experience required to perform in this occupation.
College Helps - Some college classes or training
Experience Requirements
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.
Education Requirements
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Training Details
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.
Transferrable Skills and Experience
These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, desktop publishers, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters and simultaneous captioners, and medical assistants.
School Programs
The following lists school programs which are applicable to this occupation.
Licensing & Certification
State License and Certifications Requirements are not currently associated with this occupation.
Apprenticeship
Contact your regional representative to learn more about apprenticeships available in your area by visiting Apprenticeship Contacts.
Skills
The list below includes the skills required by workers in this occupation; skills are what allow you to learn more quickly and improve your performance.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Skill level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Knowledge
The list below includes knowledge items, the principles and facts required by this occupation.
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Design
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Administrative
Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Knowledge level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Work Environment
The list below includes the physical and social factors that influence the nature of work in this occupation.
Hover over or tap each factor to see its description.
Work Styles
Included in the list below are the personal work style characteristics that can affect how well a worker is likely to perform in this occupation.
Achievement/Effort
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Adaptability/Flexibility
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Cooperation
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Persistence
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Self-Control
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Tools & Technology
This list below describes the machines, equipment, tools, software, and information technology that workers in this occupation will use.
Tools
- Automated film processors
- Commercial digital plotters
- Commercial digital printers
- Compact disk CD duplicators
- Desktop computers
- Digital printing presses
- Digital still cameras
- Digital video disk DVD duplicators
- Flat bed scanners
- Flexographic plate processors
- Gravure cylinder engravers
- Lithographic plate processors
- Newspaper platesetters
- Plate stackers
- Printing densitometers
Technology
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Systems Adobe Director
- Adobe Systems Adobe FrameMaker
- Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Systems Adobe LifeCycle Enterprise Suite
- Adobe Systems Adobe PageMaker
- Corel Painter
- Esko ArtPro
- File transfer protocol FTP software
- Global Graphics Software Harlequin
- Hamrick Software VueScan
- LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast Ai Studio
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- ProjectSend
Duties
Duties are job behaviors describing activities that occur on multiple jobs. The generalized and detailed work activities described in the list below apply to this occupation.
- adjust production equipment/machinery setup
- set up production equipment or machinery
- maintain or repair industrial or related equipment/machinery
- clean equipment or machinery
- install equipment or attachments on machinery or related structures
- develop film or other photographic medium
- mix paint, ingredients, or chemicals, according to specifications
- process photographic prints
- paste up materials to be printed
- fabricate, assemble, or disassemble manufactured products by hand
- arrange galley setups of type
- strip negatives
- load or unload material or workpiece into machinery
- proofread printed or written material
- assure quality control in printing processes
- maintain production or work records
- compute production, construction, or installation specifications
- measure, weigh, or count products or materials
- fabricate printing plates
- operate printing equipment/machinery
- operate cameras
- use precision measuring tools or equipment
- operate scanner
- use densitometer
- operate video recorders
- use color analyzer
- use hand or power tools
- operate graphic reproduction equipment
- maintain consistent production quality
- perform safety inspections in manufacturing or industrial setting
- examine products or work to verify conformance to specifications
- determine film exposure settings
- distinguish colors
- distinguish details in graphic arts material
- identify color or balance
- understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
- monitor production machinery/equipment operation to detect problems
- set page layout or composition
- prepare artwork for camera or press
- determine specifications
- make independent judgment in assembly procedures
- use drafting or mechanical drawing techniques
- read blueprints
- read specifications
- read production layouts
- read technical drawings
- read work order, instructions, formulas, or processing charts
- use computer graphics design software
- use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
Tasks
The list below outlines specific tasks that a worker in this occupation is called upon to do regularly.
- 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.
- 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.
- Punch holes in light-sensitive plates and insert pins in holes to prepare plates for contact with positive or negative film.
- Examine unexposed photographic plates to detect flaws or foreign particles prior to printing.
- Inspect developed film for specified results and quality, using magnifying glasses and scopes, forwarding acceptable negatives or positives to other workers or to customers.
- Examine photographic images for obvious imperfections prior to plate making.
- Arrange and mount typeset material and illustrations into paste-ups for printing reproduction, based on artists' or editors' layouts.
- Maintain, adjust, and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs.
- Operate and maintain a variety of cameras and equipment, such as process, line, halftone, and color separation cameras, enlargers, electronic scanners, and contact equipment.
- Scale copy for reductions and enlargements, using proportion wheels.
- Perform close alignment or registration of double and single flats to sensitized plates prior to exposure to produce composite images.
- Perform tests to determine lengths of exposures, by exposing plates, scanning line copy, and comparing exposures to tone range scales.
- Mix solutions such as developing solutions and colored coating solutions.
- Analyze originals to evaluate color density, gradation highlights, middle tones, and shadows, using densitometers and knowledge of light and color.
- Activate scanners to produce positive or negative films for the black-and-white, cyan, yellow, and magenta separations from each original copy.
- Set scanners to specific color densities, sizes, screen rulings, and exposure adjustments, using scanner keyboards or computers.
- Perform minor deletions, additions, or corrections to completed plates, on or off printing presses, using tusche, printing ink, erasers, and needles.
- Mount negatives and plates in cameras, set exposure controls, and expose plates to light through negatives to transfer images onto plates.
Learning Resources
More information on this occupation may be found in the links provided below.
Prepress technicians and workers
Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.
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