What Do Prepress Technicians Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Prepress Technicians 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. They also generate prepress proofs in digital or other format to approximate the appearance of the final printed piece.

Other tasks include:

• 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.

We asked Prepress Technicians how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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51% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 25% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Prepress Technicians punch holes in light-sensitive plates and insert pins in holes to prepare plates for contact with positive or negative film. They enter, store, and retrieve information on computer-aided equipment.

A typical day for a Prepress Technician and Worker will also include:

• Enter, position, and alter text size, using computers, to make up and arrange pages so that printed materials can be produced.
• Operate presses to print proofs of plates, monitoring printing quality to ensure that it is adequate.
• Perform close alignment or registration of double and single flats to sensitized plates prior to exposure to produce composite images.
• Examine photographic images for obvious imperfections prior to plate making.
• Generate prepress proofs in digital or other format to approximate the appearance of the final printed piece.

We asked some Prepress Technicians a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	29% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	27% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	85% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	10% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	6% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	68% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Prepress Technicians also operate and maintain a variety of cameras and equipment, such as process, line, halftone, and color separation cameras, enlargers, electronic scanners, and contact equipment. They may also perform minor deletions, additions, or corrections to completed plates, on or off printing presses, using tusche, printing ink, erasers, and needles.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Prepress Technicians Mix solutions such as developing solutions and colored coating solutions. They might also Perform close alignment or registration of double and single flats to sensitized plates prior to exposure to produce composite images.

In addition, they Perform tests to determine lengths of exposures, by exposing plates, scanning line copy, and comparing exposures to tone range scales.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Maintain, adjust, and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs.

To some Prepress Technicians, it is also their responsibility to Scale copy for reductions and enlargements, using proportion wheels.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Prepress Technician and Worker, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

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