Camera, platemaking and other prepress occupations
Career Overview
This group includes prepress technicians who operate various computer controlled systems to perform prepress activities and workers who operate graphic arts cameras and scanners, assemble film and negatives and prepare, engrave and etch printing plates or cylinders for various types of printing presses. They are employed in firms that specialize in colour graphics or platemaking and cylinder preparation, commercial publishing and printing companies, newspapers, magazines, and in various establishments in the public and private sectors that have in-house printing departments.
Job Titles
Duties
Graphic arts camera operators:
- Set up and adjust black and white or colour separation process cameras to convert graphic art and photographs into film for printing plates or cylinders
Cylinder preparers
- Grind and polish press cylinders
- Expose and lay down carbon tissue
- Etch or engrave cylinders using various tools to produce cylinders for gravure presses
Film strippers and assemblers:
- Assemble and position pieces of film for printing plates or cylinders
Platemakers:
- Operate vacuum frames, plate processors and step and repeat machines to produce printing plates for various types of presses
Pre-press technicians:
- Use various computer-controlled studio systems to perform colour separation, retouching and editing that allow changes to be made to a colour negative for printing purposes
- Plan page layouts and electronically alter shape, size and positions of illustrations and text
Scanner operators:
- Operate computerized scanning machines or digital cameras to make colour separations and corrections from colour copy or transparencies for use in preparing film, digital files, printing plates or cylinders
Proofmakers:
- Operate computerized equipment to prepare proofs for quality control purposes or for customers' review
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
155% Employed Full Time
74%Key aspects of work in this occupation:
- Workers in this unit group usually work in a typical indoor work environment
- Work may involve chemicals that are harmful to skin or eyes, dangerous if inhaled or may cause a fire or explosion
- Work may be performed with equipment, machinery or power/hand tools that could cause an injury
- Workers may be exposed to metal particles generated by grinding of materials
- Workers may be exposed to non-poisonous airborne materials such as dust in the work environment
Career Pathways
Career path information is currently not available.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
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For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
- Completion of secondary school is required
- Completion of a college program in graphic arts technology or A combination of on-the-job training and specialized college, industry or other courses is required
- Trade certification for some occupations in this group is available, but voluntary, in Ontario, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Graphic Design
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Watching gauges, dials or other indicators to make sure that a machine is working properly.
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
155Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 10 | 6.5% |
| Kootenay | 0 | 0.0% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 145 | 93.5% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 0 | 0.0% |
| Northeast | 0 | 0.0% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 0 | 0.0% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 0 | 0.0% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
50Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | Not available | Not available |
| Kootenay | Not available | Not available |
| Mainland/Southwest | 50 | 1.0% |
| North Coast and Nechako | Not available | Not available |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | Not available | Not available |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | Not available | Not available |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 50 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 10 |
Resources
Resource information is currently not available.