Prepress person in a Digital Printing Shop or a Signage Company?

[EmreC]

This is a technical question about the job specification and workplaces of Prepress technicians/ operators.

To my knowledge, Prepress operators are mainly associated with Commercial (Offset) Printers but can they also be employed by Digital Printing Shops or (small to medium) Signage Companies? Are these examples common in U.S? If so, what tasks can they perform in these places?

I would like to redefine workplaces and the limitations of these workplaces for Prepress workers.
Thank you for your kind replies, your comments might resolve a skill related immigration tangle here in Australia, thanks again...

[minutemanjon]

Professional prepress can be a skill set adaptable to many industries beyond traditional commercial offset printing. These skills are also used in copy shops, signage, packaging, promotional products, labeling, marketing, advertising, and other industries where graphics or print related activities happen. I know of several former prepress folks moving to semi-marketing and other jobs in companies with a core business unrelated to commercial print, but a similar skill set is necessary or useful. The common theme seems to be working with graphic images without necessarily being a "graphic designer".

[Stephen Marsh]

Originally Posted by EmreC

I would like to redefine workplaces and the limitations of these workplaces for Prepress workers.
Thank you for your kind replies, your comments might resolve a skill related immigration tangle here in Australia, thanks again...

EmreC - are you working with/for an ISC or other body involved with formulating competency based skills standards under the Australian federal vocational education system for use in RTO's as governed by the AQF?

Or is this simply for "internal use" within your company?


Sincerely,

Stephen Marsh

[Stephen Marsh]

On this general topic of pre-press working in digital print, a study paper from RIT in the USA on standards:

"Bridging Traditional and Digital Printing Standards"

http://cias.rit.edu/~gravure/tt/pdf/...Rees_Chung.pdf

TestTargets Homepage


Regards,

Stephen Marsh

[John Clifford]

Probably the only differences between prepress for offset and prepress for digital would be that in digital you don't actually make the plates.

The prepress person would still be responsible for ensuring production viability, preflighting, imposition, and in the case of digital it might even include data connection and ensuring that data files are correct and working as anticipated.

[werdgot3]

We are the very shop you've described.
We do signage, CTP PLATES, Film, Digital printing, Variable Data.
I am in the roll you have described.
My roll mainly is taking designer's files and create a Top quality PDF for all aspects of the chain down the line. Glorified Prepress/PDF productions I suppose. Then imposition, poster production, or CTP/Film.
I am in charge of all the variable data linking as well.

[Stephen Marsh]

Originally Posted by werdgot3

We are the very shop you've described.
We do signage, CTP PLATES, Film, Digital printing, Variable Data.
I am in the roll you have described.
My roll mainly is taking designer's files and create a Top quality PDF for all aspects of the chain down the line. Glorified Prepress/PDF productions I suppose. Then imposition, poster production, or CTP/Film.
I am in charge of all the variable data linking as well.

As you note, the skills of a modern prepress operator cross over to a few different areas, one may not be involved in "press work" anymore, however the background of a prepress operator covers digital print and other areas.

Stephen Marsh

[EmreC]

Originally Posted by Stephen Marsh

EmreC - are you working with/for an ISC or other body involved with formulating competency based skills standards under the Australian federal vocational education system for use in RTO's as governed by the AQF?

Or is this simply for "internal use" within your company?


Sincerely,

Stephen Marsh

Stephen Marsh, sorry for late reply... This information is needed for "personal use", i wanted to clarify certain working areas of Prepress in order to avoid a mistake, irrelevant employment period which doesn't meet criteria of skill assessment and satisfy immigration Department here, thanks for your interest to the subject...