Prepress operator vs plate maker

The differences between prepress operators and plate makers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a prepress operator and a plate maker. Additionally, a prepress operator has an average salary of $41,006, which is higher than the $40,483 average annual salary of a plate maker.

The top three skills for a prepress operator include mac, graphic design and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a plate maker are creo, flexo, and quality plates.

Prepress operator vs plate maker overview

	Prepress Operator	Plate Maker
Yearly salary	$41,006	$40,483
Hourly rate	$19.71	$19.46
Growth rate	-14%	-
Number of jobs	25,849	7,031
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Prepress operator vs plate maker salary

Prepress operators and plate makers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Prepress Operator	Plate Maker
Average salary	$41,006	$40,483
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $57,000	Between $22,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between prepress operator and plate maker education

There are a few differences between a prepress operator and a plate maker in terms of educational background:

	Prepress Operator	Plate Maker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Graphic Design
Most common college	University of Texas at Austin	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Prepress operator vs plate maker demographics

Here are the differences between prepress operators' and plate makers' demographics:

	Prepress Operator	Plate Maker
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 66.9% Female, 33.1%	Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 8.4% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between prepress operator and plate maker duties and responsibilities

Prepress operator example responsibilities.

Make PDF files manages fonts, scans using flat bed scanners and download PDF files and import them into page layout.
Perform G7 color certification Epson inkjet proofing systems.
Provide customers with troubleshooting assistance and procedures on postscript, imposition, trapping, color management and PDF issues.
Work in Macintosh and PC environment.
Output printing plates using Creo Trendsetter.
Work perform on Macintosh and PC computers.

Plate maker example responsibilities.

Operate and maintain laser plate-making equipment such as Creo Trendsetters and Kodak Magnus VLF.
Retain records for ISO audit.
Retrieve files from CTP server.
Set up jobs and run jobs on Autologic platemaker.
Monitor completion of plates for quality control distribution to the pressroom.
Pack lids on production line and make plates on plate-maker for flexo printing.

Prepress operator vs plate maker skills

Common prepress operator skills

Mac, 8%
Graphic Design, 8%
Adobe Creative Suite, 7%
PC, 6%
BARS, 6%
Desktop, 5%

Common plate maker skills

Creo, 15%
Flexo, 9%
Quality Plates, 9%
Plate Material, 8%
ISO, 7%
Routine Maintenance, 6%