Occupations/51-5111.00
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.
Usually a certificate, vocational program, or associate degree — not a bachelor’s.
AI automation risk
81%
Higher automation risk
Human characteristics
25%
Fewer uniquely human demands
Task orientation
76%
Higher automation risk
A day in this job
- Mostly routine
Perform "preflight" check of required font, graphic, text and image files to ensure completeness prior to delivery to printer.
- Mostly routine
Operate and maintain laser plate-making equipment that converts electronic data to plates without the use of film.
- Task
Generate prepress proofs in digital or other format to approximate the appearance of the final printed piece.
The tasks we can read here lean routine. That sits next to the AI risk rank — it is not a forecast that the job disappears.
Core tasks
- 01Generate prepress proofs in digital or other format to approximate the appearance of the final printed piece.
- 02Proofread and perform quality control of text and images.
- 03Enter, position, and alter text size, using computers, to make up and arrange pages so that printed materials can be produced.
- 04Perform "preflight" check of required font, graphic, text and image files to ensure completeness prior to delivery to printer.
- 05Operate and maintain laser plate-making equipment that converts electronic data to plates without the use of film.
- 06Enter, store, and retrieve information on computer-aided equipment.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks3.72
- Degree of automation3.08
- Time sitting4.21
- Originality (ability)2.62
- Conflict situations2.56
- Hands-on objects/tools3.55
- Outdoors / weather1.18
- Disease exposure1.00
- Decision freedom3.95
Top abilities
- Near Vision3.75
- Visualization3.25
- Visual Color Discrimination3.25
- Problem Sensitivity3.25
- Inductive Reasoning3.25
- Written Comprehension3.12
- Oral Expression3.12
- Oral Comprehension3.12
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension3.00
- Active Listening3.12
- Writing2.88
- Speaking3.12
- Mathematics2.00
- Science1.62
- Critical Thinking3.12
- Active Learning2.88
- Learning Strategies2.38
- Monitoring3.12
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 13 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $14,800 | 11% | 93% | 1 yr $53,894 2 yr $52,385 Bachelor's · CIP 10.03 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $12,000 | 90% | 69% | 1 yr $39,467 2 yr $36,368 Bachelor's · CIP 10.03 |
North Dakota State University Fargo, ND · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $10,900 | 96% | 68% | 1 yr $37,568 2 yr — Bachelor's · CIP 10.03 |
University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $14,100 | 81% | 71% | 1 yr $35,416 2 yr $40,896 Bachelor's · CIP 10.03 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $15,200 | 57% | 86% | 1 yr $31,670 2 yr $33,993 Bachelor's · CIP 10.03 |
Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids, MN · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $5,800 | 100% | 33% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Certificate · CIP 10.03 |
Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis, MN · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $5,900 | 100% | 28% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Associate · CIP 10.03 |
Saint Paul College St. Paul, MN · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $6,100 | 100% | 29% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Associate · CIP 10.03 |
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $11,700 | 31% | 88% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Certificate · CIP 10.03 |
New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $60,400 | 12% | 88% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Bachelor's · CIP 10.03 |
Miami Dade College Miami, FL · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $2,900 | 100% | 41% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Associate · CIP 10.03 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public | Graphic Communications, General 10.0301 | $12,800 | 53% | 83% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Master's · CIP 10.03 |