Prepress Technicians and Workers
SOC Code: 51-5111 Job Zone 3: Medium Preparation Needed
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.
Advertisement
Prevailing Wage Levels (National)
DOL/OFLC prevailing wage thresholds for Prepress Technicians and Workers. Hourly rates x 2,080 = annual.
FY2027 Weighted Lottery Impact
| Level | Lottery Entries | Est. Selection Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Level I (Entry) | 1 entry | ~16% |
| Level II (Qualified) | 2 entries | ~31% |
| Level III (Experienced) | 3 entries | ~45% |
| Level IV (Expert) | 4 entries | ~61% |
Prevailing Wages by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $47,112 | $60,050 | $72,987 | $85,925 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | $45,781 | $58,614 | $71,427 | $84,261 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $50,066 | $59,634 | $69,202 | $78,770 |
| Lexington Park, MD | $41,870 | $54,080 | $66,290 | $78,499 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $46,301 | $55,515 | $64,730 | $73,944 |
| Salinas, CA | $44,782 | $53,997 | $63,232 | $72,446 |
| Merced, CA | $45,053 | $53,955 | $62,878 | $71,781 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $42,578 | $51,397 | $60,195 | $69,014 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $44,866 | $52,707 | $60,528 | $68,370 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $46,696 | $53,810 | $60,923 | $68,037 |
Key Skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | |
| Time Management | 3.1 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.0 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 |
Knowledge Areas
| Knowledge | Importance |
|---|---|
| Computers and Electronics | 4.0 |
| English Language | 3.6 |
| Design | 3.5 |
| Mathematics | 3.4 |
| Production and Processing | 3.3 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.2 |
| Administrative | 2.9 |
| Communications and Media | 2.7 |
Education Requirements
| Education Level | % of Workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma | 39.3% |
| Associate's degree | 23.2% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 20.6% |
| Some college | 9.5% |
| Bachelor's degree | 5.2% |
| Less than high school | 2.1% |
Typical Tasks
- 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.
- 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.
- Perform "preflight" check of required font, graphic, text and image files to ensure completeness prior to delivery to printer.
Technology Skills
Green = Hot Technology in demand
Adobe Acrobat Adobe Creative Cloud software Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word Adobe Director Adobe FrameMaker Adobe FreeHand MX Adobe LifeCycle Enterprise Suite Adobe PageMaker
Calculate your wage level for Prepress Technicians and Workers →
Advertisement
H-1B Guides & Resources
Looking for an H-1B immigration attorney?
Find experienced immigration lawyers in our attorney directory.