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Prepress Technicians and Workers Occupation Detailed Description

Prepress Technicians and Workers career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Prepress Technicians and Workers

The main tasks and work activities of Prepress Technicians and Workers are to enter commands, instructions, or specifications into equipment, program equipment to perform production tasks, repair production equipment or tools, maintain production or processing equipment. In general, for the Prepress Technicians and Workers, monitoring, critical Thinking, speaking, active Listening and other 7 skills are required.
Prepress Technicians and Workers Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Prepress Technicians and Workers jobs. 39.34% of Prepress Technicians and Workers have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 9.47% of Prepress Technicians and Workers have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
2.14%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
39.34%
Post-Secondary Certificate
9.47%
Some College Courses
20.65%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
23.19%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
5.21%

Tasks and Work Activities of Prepress Technicians and Workers

  • Enter, store, and retrieve information on computer-aided equipment.
  • Enter, position, and alter text size, using computers, to make up and arrange pages so that printed materials can be produced.
  • 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.
  • Examine photographic images for obvious imperfections prior to plate making.
  • Operate presses to print proofs of plates, monitoring printing quality to ensure that it is adequate.
  • Examine unexposed photographic plates to detect flaws or foreign particles prior to printing.
  • Examine finished plates to detect flaws, verify conformity with master plates, and measure dot sizes and centers, using light boxes and microscopes.
  • Perform close alignment or registration of double and single flats to sensitized plates prior to exposure to produce composite images.
  • Inspect developed film for specified results and quality, using magnifying glasses and scopes, forwarding acceptable negatives or positives to other workers or to customers.
  • Punch holes in light-sensitive plates and insert pins in holes to prepare plates for contact with positive or negative film.
  • Mount negatives and plates in cameras, set exposure controls, and expose plates to light through negatives to transfer images onto plates.
  • Operate and maintain a variety of cameras and equipment, such as process, line, halftone, and color separation cameras, enlargers, electronic scanners, and contact equipment.
  • Perform tests to determine lengths of exposures, by exposing plates, scanning line copy, and comparing exposures to tone range scales.
  • Mix solutions such as developing solutions and colored coating solutions.
  • Activate scanners to produce positive or negative films for the black-and-white, cyan, yellow, and magenta separations from each original copy.
  • Select proper types of plates according to press run lengths.
  • Analyze originals to evaluate color density, gradation highlights, middle tones, and shadows, using densitometers and knowledge of light and color.
  • Set scanners to specific color densities, sizes, screen rulings, and exposure adjustments, using scanner keyboards or computers.
  • Perform minor deletions, additions, or corrections to completed plates, on or off printing presses, using tusche, printing ink, erasers, and needles.
  • Interacting With ComputersUsing computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Thinking CreativelyDeveloping, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Monitor Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsMonitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Scheduling Work and ActivitiesScheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
  • Enter commands, instructions, or specifications into equipment.
  • Program equipment to perform production tasks.
  • Repair production equipment or tools.
  • Maintain production or processing equipment.
  • Clean production equipment.
  • Operate photographic developing or print production equipment.
  • Inspected printed materials or other images to verify quality.
  • Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
  • Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
  • Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
  • Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
  • Mix substances to create chemical solutions.
  • Mix ingredients to create specific finishes.
  • Select production equipment according to product specifications.
  • Operate digital imaging equipment.

Skills and Abilities for Prepress Technicians and Workers

  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Operation MonitoringWatching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Visual Color DiscriminationThe ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Control PrecisionThe ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Perceptual SpeedThe ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Automated film processore.g. Automated film processors
  • Plotter printerse.g. Commercial digital plotters
  • Digital image printerse.g. Commercial digital printers
  • Electronic media or data duplicating equipmente.g. Compact disk CD duplicators
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Printing pressese.g. Digital printing presses
  • Digital camerase.g. Digital still cameras
  • Electronic media or data duplicating equipmente.g. Digital video disk DVD duplicators
  • Scannerse.g. Drum scanners
  • Scannerse.g. Flat bed scanners
  • Flexographic printere.g. Flexographic plate processors
  • Photogravure printing machinese.g. Gravure cylinder engravers
  • Lithographic equipmente.g. Lithographic plate processors
  • Thermal transfer printer for commercial printing applicationse.g. Newspaper platesetters
  • Stackerse.g. Plate stackers
  • Densitometerse.g. Printing densitometers
  • Thermal transfer printer for commercial printing applicationse.g. Thermal platesetters
  • Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • DesignKnowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Production and ProcessingKnowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.