Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 1 Prepress Operator What is it like to work as a prepress operator? Before computers, a tremendous amount of work was done by hand Setting type was a tedious task completely done by hand… Imagine that!
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 2 Prepress Operator How is typesetting handled these days? Typesetting is mainly handled by graphic designers on computers from start to finish, and then it’s incorporated into their final design as an integral element. Today, the prepress operator is mainly in charge of checking to see that the graphic designer has not made any errors before the job goes to press. More than any other job in printing, the prepress operator’s job responsibilities stand in sharp contrast to the prepress operator of years ago.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 3 Prepress Operator What other prepress jobs have changed from the past? Preparation of “mechanicals” and “paste-ups” are also handled differently now. It used to be a time consuming, painstaking process that has now evolved into another digital process done on the computer. Many prepress operators and technicians receive computer files from desktop operators and direct them to the various high-tech machinery that will set the image, set a printing plate, and provide digital proofs of the piece to be printed.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 4 Prepress Operator It sounds like the job of prepress operator is actually changing into many different job descriptions with the advent of higher technology… Do you think this is this true?
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 5 Prepress Operator Is it a fact that some prepress operators are actually graphic designers and desktop publishers? Yes, they have learned to not only design and do layout, but follow the entire process through until a document reaches the printing press.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 6 Prepress Operator Do other prepress operators specialize in one technical process along the way? Yes, for example, a color specialist may do color correction and touch-ups. They use scanners, proofers, and color correction devices.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 7 Prepress Operator Are there other specializations? Preflight technicians streamline and reformat documents received from a graphic designer. Output technicians send documents to imagesetting, platesetting, and digital proofing equipment. Color proofers make analog or digital color proofs for the purposes of verifying image quality and/or to check positioning of elements to layout specification.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 8 Prepress Operator So is it true that the traditional prepress techniques are now nearly extinct? Some occupations within this category have vanished with the digital age. Film strippers, platemakers, lithographic dot etchers, photoengravers, and camera operators are some examples. However, as jobs are lost, new opportunities are likely to arise with emerging new technologies.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 9 Prepress Operator What might be some examples of new opportunities in prepress? More businesses are considering creation of in-house printing/publishing departments to develop their own advertisements and publications. The job is now getting more closely tied to the desktop publisher.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 10 Prepress Operator What kinds of daily responsibilities would one have in a job like this? Developing visual concepts Preparing layouts and choosing type size and style, line width, and illustrations and photographs Manipulating images and type to meet production and design requirements using a variety of computer hardware and software Producing and processing photographic images
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 11 Prepress Operator What kinds of daily responsibilities would one have in a job like this? Electronically scanning, separating, and correcting color images Preparing a variety of printing mediums, including letterpress, offset lithographic plates, gravure cylinders, and flexographic plates or blocks Inputting, transferring, and manipulating electronic data for a variety of devices, including typesetting systems, scanners, and multimedia systems
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 12 Prepress Operator So it seems like the job isn’t going away, it is evolving!