---
title: "Desktop Publisher"
description: "Format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/desktop-publisher"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Desktop Publisher

**Category:** Office and Administrative Support · **SOC code:** 43-9031 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 43-9031.00

Format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material.

Also advertised as: Advertising Associate; Compositor; Computer Typesetter; Design Editor; Desktop Operator; Desktop Publishing Specialist; Electronic Console Display Operator; Electronic Imager.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $55,290 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $26.58/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $35,680 to $96,170, with the middle half between $43,730 and $73,840
- **Total US employment:** 3,350
- **Typical entry education:** Associate's
- **Preparation required:** Some preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** -14.5% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 300 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 25/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 3,350 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $35,680 |
| 25th | $43,730 |
| 50th (median) | $55,290 |
| 75th | $73,840 |
| 90th | $96,170 |
| Mean (average) | $61,970 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CO | $77,750 | $75,447 | Not published by BLS |
| CA | $71,930 | $64,966 | 320 |
| MD | $69,820 | $66,521 | 140 |
| NJ | $63,020 | $57,920 | 100 |
| SC | $62,320 | $66,475 | 40 |
| IL | $61,350 | $61,376 | 150 |
| MA | $61,170 | $57,840 | 80 |
| TX | $57,760 | $59,511 | 270 |
| NY | $56,660 | $52,501 | 350 |
| MN | $54,930 | $55,698 | 90 |
| VT | $53,550 | $54,666 | 50 |
| OH | $53,380 | $57,538 | 60 |
| FL | $52,720 | $50,980 | 150 |
| AZ | $52,000 | $51,650 | 30 |
| OR | $50,650 | $49,003 | 90 |

12 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 27 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/desktop-publisher/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/desktop-publisher.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 4,600 in the 2025–2035 base year to 4,000 by the end of the cycle — a loss of 700 jobs, or -14.5%. Declining: -14.5% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 300 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** Associate's degree (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Some preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Short-term on-the-job training.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 44.3% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 38.7% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 11.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.9% |
| Some College Courses | 1.0% |

## What the work involves

- Convert various types of files for printing or for the Internet, using computer software.
- Edit graphics and photos, using pixel or bitmap editing, airbrushing, masking, or image retouching.
- Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy.
- Check preliminary and final proofs for errors and make necessary corrections.
- Prepare sample layouts for approval, using computer software.
- View monitors for visual representation of work in progress and for instructions and feedback throughout process, making modifications as necessary.
- Enter data, such as coordinates of images and color specifications, into system to retouch and make color corrections.
- Position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of type styles and size and layout patterns.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Reading Comprehension — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Social Perceptiveness — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Service Orientation — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operations Analysis — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Management of Personnel Resources — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Computers and Electronics — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Communications and Media — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Administrative — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Production and Processing — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Design — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Near Vision — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Information Ordering — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Originality — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Visualization — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Comprehension — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Fluency of Ideas — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Conventional (C), Artistic (A), Realistic (R).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| C — Conventional | 5.70 |
| A — Artistic | 4.24 |
| R — Realistic | 3.38 |
| I — Investigative | 2.84 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.71 |
| S — Social | 1.69 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 75.4 |
| INTJ | 69.7 |
| ISFJ | 68.7 |
| ISTP | 62.1 |
| ESTJ | 58.0 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Prepress Technician and Worker](https://nuecareer.com/careers/prepress-technician-and-worker) — median $48,690
- [Graphic Designer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/graphic-designer) — median $62,960
- [Proofreader and Copy Marker](https://nuecareer.com/careers/proofreader-and-copy-marker) — median $51,120
- [Web Designer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/web-designer) — median $104,000
- [Special Effects Artist and Animator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/special-effects-artist-and-animator) — median $102,030
- [Film and Video Editor](https://nuecareer.com/careers/film-and-video-editor) — median $75,420
- [Office Machine Operator, Except Computer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/office-machine-operator) — median $40,960
- [Web Developer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/web-developer) — median $92,650
- [Editor](https://nuecareer.com/careers/editor) — median $77,920
- [Web Administrator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/web-administrator) — median $116,580

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/desktop-publisher