Prepress Technicians and Workers Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for prepress technicians and workers in the U.S. is $48,690 ($23.41 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $48,690
- Mean annual wage
- $50,800
- Median hourly wage
- $23.41
- Employment
- 23,840
23,840 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,810 | $17.22 |
| 25th percentile | $40,930 | $19.68 |
| Median (50th) | $48,690 | $23.41 |
| 75th percentile | $58,580 | $28.16 |
| 90th percentile | $66,080 | $31.77 |
Highest-paying states for prepress technicians and workers
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $100,980 | 180 |
| Maryland | $60,770 | 480 |
| Massachusetts | $57,250 | 460 |
| New Jersey | $56,840 | 880 |
| Vermont | $55,880 | 40 |
| Nevada | $55,680 | 130 |
| Oregon | $54,360 | 230 |
| California | $53,860 | 2,020 |
| Washington | $53,770 | 380 |
| Arkansas | $52,800 | 160 |
Lowest-paying states
- Alabama: $35,020 median annual wage
- West Virginia: $35,320 median annual wage
- Louisiana: $38,060 median annual wage
- Texas: $38,410 median annual wage
- Arizona: $38,830 median annual wage
About this occupation
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.
Typical tasks
- Examine photographic images for obvious imperfections prior to plate making.
- Maintain, adjust, and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs.
- Analyze originals to evaluate color density, gradation highlights, middle tones, and shadows, using densitometers and knowledge of light and color.
- Set scanners to specific color densities, sizes, screen rulings, and exposure adjustments, using scanner keyboards or computers.
- Operate and maintain laser plate-making equipment that converts electronic data to plates without the use of film.
- Operate presses to print proofs of plates, monitoring printing quality to ensure that it is adequate.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: Postsecondary certificate
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 5.3% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 27.9% |
| Some college, no degree | 25.6% |
| Associate's degree | 14.4% |
| Bachelor's degree | 22.2% |
| Master's degree | 2.9% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 1.7% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,650
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,450
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,570
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,220
- Machinists$58,750
- Production Workers, All Other$40,110
- Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,850
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.