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Camera, Platemaking and Other Prepress Occupations (9472)

Job titles

  • alignment examiner - printing
  • assembler, flexographic printing cylinders
  • assistant newspaper make-up man/woman
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Nature of work

This unit 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.

Fields of interest

  • Making or building things, constructing, doing repairs, and performing installations
  • Working with your hands

Main duties

  • The following is a summary of main duties for some occupations in this group:
  • - 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 assembly and exposure onto printing plates or cylinders.
  • - Cylinder preparers grind and polish press cylinders; expose and lay down carbon tissue; and etch or engrave cylinders using hand tools, etching machines, photogravure or laser processes to produce cylinders for gravure presses.
  • - Film strippers and assemblers assemble and position, either using automated equipment or by hand, pieces of film containing all parts of a printing job to produce flats or composite negatives for preparing printing plates or cylinders.
  • - Platemakers operate vacuum frames, plate processors and step and repeat machines to produce printing plates for various types of presses.
  • - Prepress technicians operate 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 film, laser or dylux proofs for quality control purposes or for customers' review.

Main characteristics of the occupation

These headings are provided for the following occupation(s) :

Employment requirements

  • * Completion of secondary school is required.
  • * Completion of a college program in graphic arts technology
  • or
  • A four- to five-year apprenticeship program in printing and graphic arts
  • 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 not compulsory, in Ontario, Alberta, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

Skill type

  • Occupations unique to processing, manufacturing and utilities

Skill level

  • Intermediate

Job titles - Classified elsewhere

Professional associations