Pre Press Technician

Midstate Group•Aberdeen, SD

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Midstates Printing is seeking a detail-oriented Prepress Technician to prepare customer files for accurate, efficient, and high-quality print production. This position reviews incoming artwork, identifies and corrects potential production issues, and prepares files for digital and offset printing. The ideal candidate has strong graphic-production skills, a solid understanding of commercial printing, and the ability to manage multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent required.
Proficiency with Adobe Acrobat Pro, InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
Knowledge of PDF workflows, preflight procedures, imposition, color separation, trapping, and print production.
Understanding of CMYK, spot colors, bleeds, crop marks, image resolution, fonts, and file packaging.
Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
Effective written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to organize work, prioritize assignments, and meet deadlines.
Ability to work independently and as part of a production team.
Willingness to learn new software, equipment, and production processes

Nice To Haves

Associate degree or technical training in graphic communications, printing, graphic design, or a related field preferred.
Previous commercial printing or prepress experience preferred.
Experience with prepress workflow or imposition software is preferred.
Familiarity with both offset and digital printing processes is beneficial.
Commercial printing or publication-production experience.
Variable-data printing and mailing-file preparation.
Color management and proofing systems.
CTP plate production.
Automated PDF workflow systems.
Experience preparing catalogs, books, magazines, direct-mail pieces, or other multi-page publications

Responsibilities

Review and preflight customer-supplied files for accuracy and print readiness.
Identify and resolve issues involving fonts, images, bleeds, color spaces, transparency, page size, and resolution.
Prepare, impose, and process files for digital and offset printing.
Make necessary file corrections while maintaining the customer’s intended design.
Create print-ready PDFs and output proofs for customer or internal approval.
Apply trapping, color conversions, overprint settings, and other production requirements.
Prepare files for plates, digital presses, and finishing equipment.
Verify job specifications, including page counts, dimensions, paper, inks, coatings, binding, and finishing requirements.
Communicate file concerns and production requirements with customer service representatives, sales staff, customers, and production departments.
Perform quality-control checks throughout the prepress process.
Maintain organized electronic job files and follow established naming and archiving procedures.
Troubleshoot workflow, software, and file-processing issues.
Help maintain color consistency and established color-management standards.
Meet production schedules while managing multiple jobs and changing priorities.
Follow company safety, quality, and confidentiality procedures.
Perform other duties as assigned