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Occupational Employment Statistics


DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-5111 Prepress Technician and Workers



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.

Geography Click link for Career Profile EmploymentEmp SE*Percentiles
Mean10th25thMedian75th90th
Southeast Minnesota 12019$21.18/hr$14.89/hr$19.21/hr$21.57/hr$22.38/hr$25.44/hr


IndustryOES Employment (Statewide)OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing1,380$21.88/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities20$19.34/hr
Information80$23.18/hr
Professional and Business Services540$22.57/hr
Education and Health ServicesN/AN/A
Public AdministrationN/AN/A
 
Geography Click link for details EmploymentMedian WageProjections
% Change 2020-2030
Fargo ND-MN MSA N/AN/AN/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA N/AN/AN/A
Rochester MN MSA N/AN/AN/A
Northeast Balance of State 10$19.33/hrN/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA 20$18.76/hrN/A
Northeast Minnesota 30$18.76/hrN/A
Southwest Balance of State 50$18.24/hrN/A
St Cloud MN MSA 60$18.13/hrN/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA 70$18.46/hrN/A
Northwest Balance of State 100$19.81/hrN/A
Northwest Minnesota 100$19.81/hr-22.0%
Southeast Balance of State 110$20.50/hrN/A
Central Minnesota 110$18.24/hr-15.3%
Southeast Minnesota 120$21.57/hr-4.1%
Southwest Minnesota 160$18.24/hr-19.0%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN 1,480$22.58/hr-17.4%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA 1,510$22.58/hrN/A
Minnesota 2,030$22.38/hr-16.4%


Occupations Click link for details EmploymentMedian WageProjections
% Change 2020-2030
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other 980$27.62/hr9.4%
Desktop Publishers 330$24.19/hr-16.7%
Etchers and Engravers 250$18.86/hr7.0%


  • Punch holes in light-sensitive plates and insert pins in holes to prepare plates for contact with positive or negative film.
  • 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.
  • Operate presses to print proofs of plates, monitoring printing quality to ensure that it is adequate.
  • Perform close alignment or registration of double and single flats to sensitized plates prior to exposure to produce composite images.
  • Examine photographic images for obvious imperfections prior to plate making.
  • Operate and maintain a variety of cameras and equipment, such as process, line, halftone, and color separation cameras, enlargers, electronic scanners, and contact equipment.
  • 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.
  • Activate scanners to produce positive or negative films for the black-and-white, cyan, yellow, and magenta separations from each original copy.