Post job

Prepress digital technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a prepress digital technician. Prepress digital technicians usually study graphic design, graphic communications, or fine arts. 42% of prepress digital technicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 38% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,281 real prepress digital technician resumes to see exactly what prepress digital technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for prepress digital technicians are the The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and the The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

There are also many online prepress digital technician courses to help get the education required to be a prepress digital technician.

There are certain prepress digital technician certifications that you should consider. These prepress digital technician certifications include PrePress Operator Certification and Certified Digital Designer (CDD).

What education do you need to become a prepress digital technician?

What degree do you need to be a prepress digital technician?

The most common degree for prepress digital technicians is bachelor's degree, with 42% of prepress digital technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 38% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 42%
  • Associate, 38%
  • High School Diploma, 10%
  • Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a prepress digital technician?

You should major in graphic design to become a prepress digital technician. 42% of prepress digital technicians major in graphic design. Other common majors for a prepress digital technician include graphic communications and fine arts.

Most common colleges for prepress digital technicians

Prepress digital technicians often get their degrees at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburg State University, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Here are the most common colleges for prepress digital technicians in the US based on their resumes.
Prepress digital technician common collegePercentages
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh7.32%
Pittsburg State University7.32%
Rochester Institute of Technology7.32%
Ball State University7.32%
Illinois State University4.88%

Best majors for prepress digital technicians

Best colleges for prepress digital technicians

The best colleges for prepress digital technicians are Northeastern University, New York University, and Southern Methodist University.

A prepress digital technician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for prepress digital technicians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become prepress digital technicians.

1. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

2. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Enrollment

23,708

5. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,620

Enrollment

27,730

6. New Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark, NJ • Private

In-state tuition

$17,338

Enrollment

7,820

7. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Enrollment

7,938

8. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$54,492

Enrollment

6,448

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Enrollment

31,441

10. Daemen College

Amherst, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$28,580

Enrollment

1,712

20 best online courses for prepress digital technicians

Advertising disclosure

1. Photoshop and Photography Digital Art Compositing Course

udemy
4.5
(478)

Learn Adobe Photoshop CC and photography by designing levitation digital art composites from four photoshoots...

2. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

udemy
4.5
(3,956)

Used by ChaseĀ®, IntelĀ®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

3. Digital Design Masterclass For Graphic Designers

udemy
4.7
(1,245)

Icon Set Design, E-book cover, Digitizing Sketches, Social Media Design, Wordpress Web Design, Adobe Xd, GIFS and more!...

4. Digital Painting in Photoshop: Create Amazing Concept Art

udemy
4.7
(410)

Create stunning concept art with Adobe Photoshop and learn the features to aid in that process...

5. Digital Landscapes: Painting Environments with Photoshop

udemy
4.7
(1,623)

A step by step guide to create amazing digital environment paintings using adobe photoshop...

6. Surviving Digital Forensics: Link Files

udemy
4
(263)

A computer forensic guide for understanding LINK file evidence on Windows computer systems...

7. Photoshop for Digital Art: The Complete Course

udemy
4.2
(523)

Learn how to use Photoshop to draw and paint, understand the software and the tools you need to create today...

8. Customer Service Foundation

udemy
4.5
(290)

An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

9. Start Improving Customer Service

udemy
4.8
(2,040)

Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...

10. Customer Service

udemy
4.6
(11,267)

How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

11. Digital Creations

udemy
4.8
(408)

Concept Art & Effects with Photoshop...

12. How To Use Photoshop To Make Digital Design Paper Fast, Easy

udemy
4.5
(318)

Learn how to create digital design paper using Adobe Photoshop, for creative projects or art backgrounds...

13. The Beginner's Guide to Digital Art with Procreate on iPad!

udemy
4.6
(2,550)

Learn the basics of digital art on your i Pad with these step-by-step lessons for Procreate, a powerful digital art app!...

14. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

15. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

udemy
4.7
(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

16. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

udemy
4.6
(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

17. Photoshop Beginner Class Digital Painting

udemy
4.4
(541)

Your First Digital Painting...

18. Premiere Pro Lumetri: Color Correct like a Pro

udemy
4.5
(1,245)

Learn the essentials of color philosophy and perform technical color correction and grading tasks...

19. Master Graphic Design & Software with Practical Projects

udemy
4.5
(737)

Conquer Popular Graphic Design Projects: Logo, Package, Magazine, Book Cover Design, Branding, Digital Graphics & More!...

20. Adobe Lightroom Masterclass - Beginner to Expert

udemy
4.3
(2,229)

Learn to Sort, Filter, Organize and Edit photos like a pro in this comprehensive guide to Adobe Lightroom...

Top 10 most affordable universities for prepress digital technicians

The most affordable schools for prepress digital technicians are Brigham Young University, fashion institute of technology, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for prepress digital technicians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for prepress digital technicians.

1. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

2. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

6. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Cost of attendance

23,600

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Cost of attendance

25,228

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for prepress digital technicians

The hardest universities for prepress digital technicians to get into are Northeastern University, New York University, and Southern Methodist University.

Some great schools for prepress digital technicians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for prepress digital technicians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

7. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,465

8. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,336

9. Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,321

10. Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

66%

SAT average

1,319

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for prepress digital technicians

The easiest schools for prepress digital technicians to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, notre dame de namur university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a prepress digital technician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for prepress digital technicians.

1. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

10. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

Average prepress digital technician salary by education level

Prepress digital technician education levelPrepress digital technician salary
High School Diploma or Less$42,328

Prepress digital technician education FAQs

Search for prepress digital technician jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse production and manufacturing jobs