Occupations · Production
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-5111.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 30% between 2010 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $49,080 | 1,040 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $46,050 | 980 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $56,160 | 950 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $56,410 | 910 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $43,460 | 710 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $48,380 | 470 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $64,320 | 440 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $58,340 | 380 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | $47,640 | 330 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | $47,720 | 330 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $46,160 | 330 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $52,290 | 330 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Postsecondary nondegree award · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- 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.
- Examine unexposed photographic plates to detect flaws or foreign particles prior to printing.
- Examine photographic images for obvious imperfections prior to plate making.
- Maintain, adjust, and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2016-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2016-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Correct color in photographs or digital images.
O*NET 30.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 16
No longer listed 9
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| imagesetter | 7321.1.1 | broader |
| prepress operator | 7321.1.3 | broader |
| typesetter | 7321.1.6 | broader |
| prepress technician | 7321.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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