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  5. Prepress Staff

Exploring Trades and Occupations

Prepress Staff

On this page

  • Job description
  • Hourly wage
  • Job prospects for 2021-2025
  • Sectors of activity
  • Training and requirements
  • Main skills and characteristics
  • Personality profiles (RIASEC)
  • Additional information

Job description

These individuals perform tasks to prepare the files and equipment necessary for printing (plate preparation, conformity checks, proof production, etc.).

Environment

  • Controlled ambient temperature
  • Equipment, machinery, tools
  • Hazardous chemical
  • Nontoxic dust
  • Falling objects

Main tasks

Graphic Arts Framers

  • Install and adjust scanners.
  • Convert graphic reproductions and photographs to film.
  • Assemble and expose films on printing plates or cylinders.

Cylinder Preparers

  • Grind and polish cylinders.
  • Install carbon fabric.
  • Print or engrave cylinders for photographic presses.

Film Strippers and Assemblers

  • Assemble and position films containing all the elements of a print job.
  • Produce layered mounts or negatives to prepare printing plates or cylinders.

Platemakers

  • Produce plates for various types of presses.

Prepress Technicians

  • Process images before printing.
  • Plan the layout.
  • Modify the shape, size, and position of illustrations and text as required.

Scanner Operators

  • Make colour corrections to files.

Prepress Work Equipment Operators

  • Evaluate printing details.
  • Ensure that the files provided match the specifications before printing.

File Preparation Operators

  • Convert data to hard copy.

Photographic Printers

  • Prepare proofs (print simulation) to ensure product compliance with requirements.

Hourly wage

Not available.

Job prospects for 2021-2025

sr.comparaison-region.titre

Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.

Job prospects for 2021-2025

Job prospects

All of Québec

Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available

All of Québec

Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available

Total jobs for 2020

All of Québec

400

All of Québec

na

Gender distribution

All of Québec

Not available.
27.4% Female
72.6% Male

Not available.
  • 27.4% Female
  • 72.6% Male

Job types

All of Québec

Not available.
Full time
Part time

Not available.
  • Full time
  • Part time

Yearly wage

All of Québec

Not available.

All of Québec

Other characteristics

All of Québec

  • Non traditional for women
  • None

All of Québec

  • Non traditional for women
  • None

Sectors of activity

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. Printing and Related Support Activities
    NAICS 323
    49% of jobs
  2. Business, building and other support services
    NAICS 55, 56
    6% of jobs
  3. Information and Cultural Industries
    NAICS 51
    5% of jobs
  4. Paper Manufacturing
    NAICS 322
    5% of jobs
  5. Plastics and Rubber Product Manufacturing
    NAICS 326
    4% of jobs
  6. Others
    31% of jobs

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. Printing and Related Support Activities
    NAICS 323
    49% of jobs
  2. Business, building and other support services
    NAICS 55, 56
    6% of jobs
  3. Information and Cultural Industries
    NAICS 51
    5% of jobs
  4. Paper Manufacturing
    NAICS 322
    5% of jobs
  5. Plastics and Rubber Product Manufacturing
    NAICS 326
    4% of jobs
  6. Others
    31% of jobs

Training and requirements

Formation

Most training programs are offered in French only.

Secondary

DVS in computer Graphics This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 5844

Placement rate: 68.3%

6.5% of graduates pursue further studies

More on graduates’ employment situation
DVS in infographie This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 5344

Placement rate: 70.5%

14.7% of graduates pursue further studies

More on graduates’ employment situation

College

DCS in infographie en prémédia This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 581D0

Placement rate: 92.3%

More on graduates’ employment situation

Sometimes required

  • Knowledge of the existing computerized system is often required.

Main skills and characteristics

Skills

  • Data collection
  • Information processing
  • Active listening
  • Result evaluation
  • Oral expression
  • Time management
  • Critical thought
  • Reading comprehension
  • Coordination
  • Judgment and decision-making
  • Solving complex problems
  • Monitoring operations
More Less skills

Abilities

  • Near vision
  • Colour perception and distinction
  • Inductive reasoning
  • Awareness of issues
  • Visualization
  • Classification
  • Written comprehension
  • Oral comprehension
  • Verbal skills
  • Information organization
  • Selective attention
  • Speech clarity
  • Control accuracy
  • Deductive reasoning
  • Perception speed
  • Speech recognition
  • Processing flexibility
More Less abilities

Knowledge and attributes

  • Autonomy
  • Spoken and written bilingualism (French and English)
  • Capacity to work in a team
  • Rigour
  • Attention to detail
  • Knowledge of computer science, digital and electronics
  • Assiduity and punctuality
  • Commitment to quality
  • Timeliness
  • Knowledge of design

Interests

  • Make, build, install
  • Work manually

Personality profiles (RIASEC)

Realistic
People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
Investigative
People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
Conventional
People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
Additional information

Official name of the NOC 9472

Camera, platemaking and other prepress occupations

Job titles

  • Digital Printing Technicians
  • Platemaker - printing
  • Plate processor operator - printing
  • Photoengraver - printing
  • Screenmaker
  • Prepress technician
  • Etcher - printing
  • Assistant newspaper make-up man
  • Film assembler
  • Negative merger
  • Colour separation assistant - scanning
  • Camera operator - graphic arts
  • Camera operator - printing
  • Photogravure camera operator - printing
  • Colour separation camera operator
  • Colour separation camera operator - printing
  • Offset platemaker
  • Paper-plate maker
  • Photopolymer platemaker
  • Lithographic platemaker
  • Photoengraving platemaker
  • Electrotyper and platemaker
  • Etching corrector
  • Plate processor - printing
  • Silkscreen assembler - printing
  • Lineup examiner - printing
  • Flexible-plate hand engraver
  • Film sizer
  • Electrotyper - printing
  • Platemaking etcher
  • Pantographer - printing
  • Printing plate engraver
  • Flexible plate engraver
  • Roller engraver - printing
  • Printing cylinder engraver
  • Template engraver
  • Picture engraver - printing
  • Siderographer - printing
  • Copper engraver - camera and platemaking
  • Automated letterer-engraver
  • Engraver-letterer
  • Engraver-transferrer
  • Gravure printer - prepress
  • Contact printer
  • Flexible printing plate mounter
  • Flexographic printing cylinder assembler
  • Flexographic mounter-proofer
  • Printing plate moulder
  • File preparation operator
  • Colour separation operator
  • Image processing operator
  • Electrostatic camera operator
  • Halftone camera operator - printing
  • Graphic arts camera operator
  • Image setter operator
  • Cylinder-impresser operator
  • Opticopy machine operator - printing
  • Colour separation electronic scanning machine operator
  • Scanner operator - printing
  • Colour scanner operator - printing
  • Laser beam colour scanner operator
  • Colour correction scanning machine operator
  • Opticopy keypunch operator - printing
  • Step and repeat camera operator
  • Image reproduction machine operator
  • Image-processing system operator
  • Studio-image-processing system operator
  • Colour-editing terminal operator - printing
  • Pre-flight operator - printing
  • Preprint-coating machine tender
  • Electronic engraver
  • Plate-graining machine tender
  • Clamper - camera and platemaking
  • Electroplating tank tender
  • Plate grainer - printing
  • Printing plate presensitizer tender
  • Processor - printing
  • Film stripper
  • Monochrome plate film stripper
  • Film stripper-assembler - printing
  • Film stripper-assembler
  • Film stripper and layout specialist - printing
  • Photoengraving etcher - printing
  • Copperplate photoengraver
  • Copper photoengraver
  • Opticopy program tape preparer - printing
  • Lithographic plate preparer
  • Cylinder preparer - printing
  • Carbon tissue cylinder preparer - printing
  • Offset plate preparer
  • Stencil preparer
  • Colour edition preparer - printing
  • Opticopy offline programmer - printing
  • Pantograph setter
  • Print roller repairwoman
  • Print transferrer - printing
  • Transferrer
  • Plate finisher - printing
  • Photoengraving finisher
  • Negative spotter - printing
  • Photoengraving retoucher - printing
  • Dot etcher - printing
  • Film stripper specialist - printing
  • Stereotyper
  • Stripper - printing
  • Stripper-image assembler - printing
  • Stripper-layout specialist - printing
  • Rotogravure cylinder technician
  • Electronic prepress technician
  • Rotogravure press technician
  • Colour printer-technician - photographic processing
  • Bright type processor
  • Proofmaker
  • Tracer-transferrer
  • Stager - printing
  • Cylinder painter - printing
More Less job titles

Skill type

Manufacturing and utilities

Related occupations

  • Desktop publishing operators and related occupations
  • Graphic arts technicians
  • Graphic designers and illustrators
  • Photographic and film processors
  • Supervisors, printing and related occupations

See also

  • Glossary (PDF 229 Kb)
  • Québec emploi This hyperlink will open in a new window.

See also

Non traditional

Hats Off to You!

Last update: May 5, 2022

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