What does a prepress digital technician do?
Prepress digital technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real prepress digital technician resumes:
- Administer and troubleshoot all computer systems, applications and networks.
- Scan images on a desktop scanner and manipulate images using Photoshop.
- Operate desktop publishing hardware and software to design and typeset forms, newsletters and other graphics.
- Edit type and images according to mark-up copy usign photoshop, quark, illustrator and Indesign.
- Update and troubleshoot prepress software to continue productivity.
- Assemble and output advertisement using macintosh and windows workstations.
- Maintain maintenance and system operability for manufacturing printers, steamers and washers.
- Set type using Pagemaker application for local news stories, obituaries and death notices, public notices and ads.
- Cut vinyl using on the Graphtec and Summa plotters.
- Assist sales representatives with document specifications.
- Operate and maintain Konica Minolta and Ricoh digital presses.
Prepress digital technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Prepress Digital Technicians are proficient in Mac, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Prepress Digital Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Mac, 11%
Traveled with the Sales Staff to customers on site for training on the Mac software and our printing capabilities.
- Adobe Illustrator, 8%
Utilized Adobe Illustrator CS6 & CC, Adobe Photoshop CS6, CorelDRAW x7, and PrintShop Mail.
- Adobe Photoshop, 7%
Downloaded an average of 35 photos per day from News Edit Pro for size and color correction in Adobe Photoshop CS6.
- Adobe Indesign, 7%
Create CSV files for Data Merge within Adobe Indesign.
- Adobe Creative Suite, 5%
Reviewed and prepared customer files for production on Macintosh computers using Adobe Creative Suite and Quark Xpress.
- Quark, 5%
Worked with both InDesign (primarily) and Quark 7 in a Mac-based environment.
"mac," "adobe illustrator," and "adobe photoshop" are among the most common skills that prepress digital technicians use at work. You can find even more prepress digital technician responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a prepress digital technician to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "desktop publishers must collaborate with others, such as writers, editors, and graphic designers, and communicate ideas effectively." Prepress digital technicians often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "clear communication was essential throughout the entire print production process. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling prepress digital technician duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "desktop publishers must pay attention to details such as margins, font sizes, and the overall appearance and accuracy of their work." According to a prepress digital technician resume, here's how prepress digital technicians can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "provided detailed customer service to ensure the successful completion of all projects. "
Organizational skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of prepress digital technicians is organizational skills. This skill is critical to many everyday prepress digital technician duties, as "desktop publishers often work under strict deadlines and must be good at scheduling and prioritizing tasks in order to have documents ready in time for publication." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "established new standards, guidelines and organizational structure after software upgrades and industry changes. "
The three companies that hire the most prepress digital technicians are:
- WestRock7 prepress digital technicians jobs
- Ashton Construction2 prepress digital technicians jobs
- The Bernard Group1 prepress digital technicians jobs
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Compare different prepress digital technicians
Prepress digital technician vs. Type setter
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between prepress digital technicians and type setter. For instance, prepress digital technician responsibilities require skills such as "adobe illustrator," "adobe photoshop," "adobe indesign," and "adobe creative suite." Whereas a type setter is skilled in "proofread," "graphic design," "photoshop," and "html." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Type setters tend to reach similar levels of education than prepress digital technicians. In fact, type setters are 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.3% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Prepress digital technician vs. Mounter
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that prepress digital technician responsibilities requires skills like "mac," "adobe illustrator," "adobe photoshop," and "adobe indesign." But a mounter might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "hand tools," "semi trailers," "quality products," and "assembly line."
Mounters earn similar levels of education than prepress digital technicians in general. They're 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Prepress digital technician vs. Plate mounter
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, prepress digital technicians are more likely to have skills like "mac," "adobe illustrator," "adobe photoshop," and "adobe indesign." But a plate mounter is more likely to have skills like "quality products," "flexo," "tape measure," and "lean manufacturing."
When it comes to education, plate mounters tend to earn similar degree levels compared to prepress digital technicians. In fact, they're 2.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Prepress digital technician vs. Plate maker
Types of prepress digital technician
Updated January 8, 2025
