Prepress Technicians and Workers earn a median of $48,690 per year ($23.41/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 15.3% through 2035, with about 2,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award.
- SOC 51-5111
- Production
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Prepress Technician and Worker in four numbers
- Median pay
- $48,690a year, or $23.41/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $36KTop 10% $66K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- -15.3%DecliningBLS EP, 2025–2035This career−15.3%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career −15.3% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 2,10024,700 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202524.7K
- Projected 203520.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 24.7K Projected 2035 20.9K - Typical education
- Certificateneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school2.1%
- High school39.3%
- Certificate9.5%
- Some college20.7%
- Associate's23.2%
- Bachelor's5.2%
Highest education held by prepress technicians and workers Segment Value Less than high school 2.1% High school 39.3% Certificate 9.5% Some college 20.7% Associate's 23.2% Bachelor's 5.2%
Also advertised as: Desktop Operator, Electronic Prepress Operator (EPP Operator), Electronic Prepress Technician (EPP Tech), Plate Maker, Plate Mounter, Pre-Press Proofer.
Pay
How much do Prepress Technicians and Workers make?
Every prepress technician and worker in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$48,690
Middle half earn $40,930 to $58,580
- 10th
- $35,810
- 25th
- $40,930
- 75th
- $58,580
- 90th
- $66,080
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $35,810 |
| 25th | $40,930 |
| Median | $48,690 |
| 75th | $58,580 |
| 90th | $66,080 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $48,690
- Median hourly wage
- $23.41/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $50,800
- People employed
- 23,840
Versus all US occupations
At $48,690, Prepress Technicians and Workers earn 4% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $2,290 a year.
Versus production occupations
The median is typical for the Production group, where the middle occupation pays $48,030.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $66,080 or more while the bottom 10% earn $35,810, a gap of 1.8×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 19% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $100,980, and still leads at $91,883 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Prepress Technicians and Workers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $100,980 | $91,883 | 180 |
| 2Maryland | $60,770 | $57,899 | 480 |
| 3Massachusetts | $57,250 | $54,134 | 460 |
| 4New Jersey | $56,840 | $52,240 | 880 |
| 5Vermont | $55,880 | $57,045 | 40 |
| 6Nevada | $55,680 | $55,692 | 130 |
| 7Oregon | $54,360 | $52,592 | 230 |
| 8California | $53,860 | $48,645 | 2,020 |
| 9Washington | $53,770 | $50,246 | 380 |
| 10Arkansas | $52,800 | $60,734 | 160 |
Job outlook
Is Prepress Technician and Worker a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Declining. -15.3% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Prepress Technicians and Workers | −15.3% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Declining
BLS projects employment of Prepress Technicians and Workers to change -15.3% over 2025–2035, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.5%. That is 3,800 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 2,100 openings are projected each year, 8.5% of the 24,700 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Prepress Technician and Worker
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Postsecondary nondegree award
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as prepress technicians and workers.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)39.3%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree23.2%
- Some College Courses20.7%
- Post-Secondary Certificate9.5%
- Bachelor's Degree5.2%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 39.3% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 23.2% |
| Some College Courses | 20.7% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 9.5% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 5.2% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Prepress Technician and Worker do?
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.
Day-to-day tasks
- Generate prepress proofs in digital or other format to approximate the appearance of the final printed piece.
- Enter, store, and retrieve information on computer-aided equipment.
- 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.
- Maintain, adjust, and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs.
- Operate and maintain laser plate-making equipment that converts electronic data to plates without the use of film.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Writing2.9
- Active Learning2.9
- Learning Strategies2.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.1 |
| Speaking | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 |
| Writing | 2.9 |
| Active Learning | 2.9 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Time Management3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Operations Monitoring3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
- Persuasion2.9
- Instructing2.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Time Management | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 |
| Persuasion | 2.9 |
| Instructing | 2.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Internet browser software
- Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
- Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
- Video creation and editing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Prepress Technician and Worker?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Prepress Technician and Worker |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 3 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 1 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Conventional5.8
- Realistic5.0
- Artistic3.1
- Investigative2.0
- Social1.6
- Enterprising1.4
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Prepress Technician and Worker
O*NET related occupations
- Production
Photographic Process Worker and Processing Machine Operator
$40,610median a year
Most earn $30K to $69K
−5.6%High school - Production
- Production
- Office and Administrative Support
- Production
- Production
More production careers
Median annual pay, with prepress technicians and workers highlighted
- Power Plant Operator$102,040
- Tool and Die Maker$64,050
- Machinist$58,750
- Welder$53,750
- Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter$51,330
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator$50,690
- Prepress Technician and Worker$48,690
- Butcher and Meat Cutter$40,140
- Baker$37,160
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Power Plant Operator | $102,040 |
| Tool and Die Maker | $64,050 |
| Machinist | $58,750 |
| Welder | $53,750 |
| Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter | $51,330 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator | $50,690 |
| Prepress Technician and Worker | $48,690 |
| Butcher and Meat Cutter | $40,140 |
| Baker | $37,160 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Prepress Technician and Worker appears on
Questions
Prepress Technician and Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Prepress Technicians and Workers make?
Prepress Technicians and Workers earn a median of $48,690 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 4% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $23.41/hr. The middle half earn between $40,930 and $58,580. The top 10% earn $66,080 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Prepress Technician and Worker?
Not a degree, but you do need credentialed training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or license program) as the typical entry route for Prepress Technicians and Workers. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 39.3% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Prepress Technician and Worker a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 15.3% over 2025–2035, a loss of 3,800 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 2,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Prepress Technician and Worker do?
Format and proof text and images submitted by designers and clients into finished pages that can be printed. A core O*NET task: generate prepress proofs in digital or other format to approximate the appearance of the final printed piece. Employers most often ask for Desktop publishing software, Document management software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Prepress Technicians and Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Prepress Technicians and Workers are District of Columbia ($100,980), Maryland ($60,770), Massachusetts ($57,250) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Prepress Technician and Worker?
O*NET scores Prepress Technicians and Workers highest on the Conventional, Realistic and Artistic interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.