Careers / Prepress Technicians and Workers
Prepress Technicians and Workers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$48,690
United States, 2025
Employment
23,840
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 51-5111.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Enter, position, and alter text size, using computers, to make up and arrange pages so that printed materials can be produced.
- Perform "preflight" check of required font, graphic, text and image files to ensure completeness prior to delivery to printer.
- Operate and maintain laser plate-making equipment that converts electronic data to plates without the use of film.
- Enter, store, and retrieve information on computer-aided equipment.
- Maintain, adjust, and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs.
- Operate presses to print proofs of plates, monitoring printing quality to ensure that it is adequate.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$35,810
25th percentile
$40,930
75th percentile
$58,580
90th percentile
$66,080
Most important skills
- Time Management3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Active Listening3.1
- Operations Monitoring3.0
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
- Persuasion2.9
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 10 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
10
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaking | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Prepress Technicians and WorkersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC | $100,980 | 180 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $70,670 | 490 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $66,670 | 80 | 2025 |
| MD | $60,770 | 480 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $59,970 | 200 | 2025 |
| Fayetteville, AR | $59,540 | 60 | 2025 |
| Oshkosh, WI | $58,430 | 180 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $58,360 | 290 | 2025 |
| Little Rock, AR | $58,200 | 40 | 2025 |
| Durham, NC | $57,850 | 30 | 2025 |
| MA | $57,250 | 460 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $56,930 | 190 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $56,850 | 200 | 2025 |
| Hickory, NC | $56,850 | 30 | 2025 |
| NJ | $56,840 | 880 | 2025 |
| Reno, NV | $56,740 | 30 | 2025 |
| VT | $55,880 | 40 | 2025 |
| NV | $55,680 | 130 | 2025 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $55,680 | 100 | 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $55,680 | 410 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Prepress Technicians and Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.