Transitioning from pre-press

[cbucheli]

Hey guys, I’m a pre-press tech / graphic designer, I really love printing and pre-press, no so much graphic design but I get it done too, but I think I’m going backwards some times with this industry, so far I’ve managed not to get laid off by working hard, learning new things and doing more, last year was pretty bad, two other pre-press techs got the boot and the graphic designer, I’ve been doing the work alone for several months now and not changing any time soon, any way my question is what other industries our pre-press skills can be applied to? I’m been in printing for over 10 years and now looking at more options.

Maybe I’m just having a bad Monday

 

[herbert]

Jesus, you are having a bad Monday

Jesus, you are having a bad Monday

Not sure I can help.but if was you Id be looking to try and learn more about the Account Manager role, because in my opinion (if its worth anything) the role of prepress / account manager with merge in the future and its easier to pickup that role than vice versa.

Just imagine you could get the file from the customer, then process, speak to them about the Job, liase with production, create ticket from estimate....great customer service and second hand info from the account manager.

Prepress will become more automated and thats a fact. The customer compared to 10 years ago is lot more educated (and they will get more educated) and will just be supplying files print ready. They will even drop files in via the web (this happen now).

Good luck and keep learning....

PreProduction Manager (Prepress and Account Managers merged together)

 

[wildcatt]

Sort of did that.

Got an opportunity to become "GM/estimator/PP tech/ Inside sales/ with some design on the side.

The transition was pretty good - as I knew the front end so well. Just needed to learn the quoting part.

I can more or less do everything but run the press - if needed

 

[William Campbell]

Just imagine you could get the file from the customer, then process, speak to them about the Job, liase with production, create ticket from estimate....great customer service and [no?] second hand info from the account manager.

That's how we've done it at Revere for years. We are customer service and the operators who process the job. Besides more effective at getting the job done right the first time, it saves the overhead of an administrative staff that has no hand in producing our ultimate product. All employees create product and fill the gaps with administrative tasks. And in this way, no employee is ever more important than any other. The lack of office politics is worth it alone.

 

[Jnsic]

I'd love to agree with everyone here, but you all seem a bit more optimistic than I am with this industry. My dept has been severely cut, due to the recession, and I find myself in the same situation as cebucheli. Since I think that printing is going to be taken over by the Web anyway...I've decided to go back to school for Web Development or a Computer Science degree. With a good prepress skillset, this seemed like a natural transition. Yes, it will take some time to get going, but I can have a future in 4 years with a degree, or I can be scraping by and praying NOT to be laid off in those same 4 years.
I've been doing high end prepress for almost 20 years now. I've seen automation take over, and I've watched customers become more "computer savvy".
So, I say..change career direction.

 

[cbucheli]

Great ideas, I need to learn the estimating part and shape up on my extrovert skills lol, I know what it takes to process the job. We do have pretty much an automated workflow system and web ordering system for current clients, but someone still have to push the go button lol (that's me, for now). I don't think printing is going away, it is shifting just no sure where. Keep the ideas coming and hang in there

 

[redram2500]

I started in this industry in 88. My world started changing quickly. Within 5 years I went from cutting film to working on a Mac. 5 years after that I was running a press. I voluntarily switched companies in Y2K and now I'm a prepress manager at a large web printer. I don't know what to tell you. I certainly don't expect to be retiring from either the company I'm with or the industry I'm in.

As much as your versatility is your job security, which is the only thing that's kept my bacon out of the fire through 5 or 6 mass culls, there will come a day when the scale of the operation that employs me simply will no longer be a going concern. I currently oversee a department that's gone from 22 to 10 in 5 years and will likely go down to 6-8 in the next few months. It's the nature of the beast, I'm afraid.

I was thinking of opening a flower shop or becomming a hair dresser.

 

[prep]

Hi,

I have been thinking that maybe I should become a medial imaging tech. If I can run a scanner how hard could a ct scanner be? or an X-ray machine. I think there will be large demand in this field in the future.

Mike

 

[prepressguru]

Nope you are not having a "Monday". The industry is in a decline. It will not die or go away but it certainly is not growing. I would find an industry which is growing and adapt yourself. Since we all have great computer skill it would be natural to apply them to some other computer related field. I personally started to take internet development. The medical field is also a good option. I was suggested the option of becoming a medical techincian who services the equipment.

Good luck!

 

[bprint_tampabay]

At what point/age do you become unemployable? I have thought about changing direction, but...
I am almost 55, with 35 years in the industry.
Don't people want "youngsters" even if they don't have a clue?
How much of an advantage is all my experience if they just write me off 'cause I'm too old?
Just a thought...

 

[JJLong]

Where have all the prepress techs gone...

Where have all the prepress techs gone...

I have been in the printing industry for 23 years and got laid off November of 2009.
For unemployment you need to contact at least 2 jobs a week....let me tell you this is slim to none in the prepress field. I have looked at crossing over to the customer service side but no one wants to take a chance with you without prior experience, even though I did work with customers directly on projects and larger files, etc. (cut out the middleman)

So where do we go when we have been put out to pasture...Finding another career is great if you are young, but if you are among those that have been in the workforce for quite a few years, you end up fighting for the jobs with the younger set again. (This time with student loans, etc.)

Any other ideas on what to do?

 

[cbucheli]

Hey guys, great news I started a new job about 3 weeks ago, so far so good, I'm still doing pre-press, a lot of newbies can't handle pre-press , this is a bigger shop than the one I left.

 

[almaink]

I'm in the same boat as most of you but like bprint_tampabay I'm scared about being to old. I'm 52 been doing prepress since 82. I started as a stripper/cameraman, worked in the bindery and ran a small press.
I moved to a large shop that did museum quality work and seemed to be on the forefront of technology. I learned there to run a Crossfield scanner. That place folded because of bad business management, a real shame too because I thought I'd retire from that place. Next is where I'm at now a small shop with two two color 40" presses. Started here with 30 employees doing stripping and camerawork moved on to be Prepress Manager. When computer files became 75% of or work we bought A small rip and a few Macs. I learned all this on my own reading books, and after a few years it was down to a two man department. I did all the computer and film work, the other guy did the stripping and proofing. That worked well until 9/11 rocked our world and things started going downhill. The last year has been the worst and I'm seeing the writing on the wall. We haven't had a good month yet this year and it looks like this place will soon fold as well. If that happens since we are one of the last printing shops left in the area, I will need to relocate or travel long distances to work. Since I've been doing prepress most of my life my skills are also limited. Being only 10 or 12 years from retirement also scares the hell out of me.
My wife and I have been living paycheck to paycheck for years now and unemployment, or working at Home Depot won't cover the bills...

 

[Mark H]

The only security any of us have is what sits between our ears, and how we choose to use it. That being said, a rule my father instilled in me years ago was to find a job that no one wanted to do and become the best at it.

This has served me well for over 30-years now. While some jobs and even industries will come and go (making those jobs obsolete) there's always something else out there you can apply yourself to. You just have to be willing to head into it full boar and not take no for an answer.

As for age, sell it as experience. As long as you're just as strong with the know how as the "young kid out of college" your experience and positive attitude will take you farther than their youthfulness. And if you get passed over for the young kid, keep that hiring manager on your contact list and have lunch with him in 60 or 90-days to see how the kid is doing. Many times, your perseverance will say more about your abilities than the original interview did.

Mark H

 

[blkczar217]

I am In the same boat and I am looking into starting my own prepress services company also I have tossed around the idea of starting a wide format banner business. My union went on strike june 30th and we have been out every since. The company was trying to get rid of all the high salary prepress and press guys so the could higher cheaper labor. We took a 15% pay cut for a year and a half before going on strike and unfortunately it looks like we are done since the company has gotten scabs to do our jobs. It seems like all of the higher paying prepress jobs have gone by the way side.