Prepress & Print Design Technician III

Iowa State University•Ames, IA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Printing Services at Iowa State University is seeking an experienced and highly skilled Prepress & Print Design Technician III. This role serves as a senior technical resource, supporting the prepress and production preparation workflow within the print environment. The position focuses on advanced prepress operations, including evaluating, preparing, and optimizing files for production, resolving complex or non-standard issues, and ensuring files meet quality, accessibility, and production requirements across both print and digital projects. The technician operates with a high degree of independence and judgment, acting as an escalation point for higher-risk or atypical prepress challenges. The role supports efficient production by balancing print quality, schedules, and technical constraints. Additionally, the technician will mentor staff and student employees, contribute to workflow and webstore improvements, and collaborate with clients and production teams to ensure production-ready outcomes. The department plays a critical role in supporting the university’s academic, research, and outreach missions by providing high-quality print and design services, aiming to efficiently meet Iowa State’s core printing needs with reliable, cost-effective solutions, prompt turnaround times, and top-quality results. Printing Services combines technical expertise in prepress, production, and finishing with a strong focus on accuracy, accessibility, and consistency, supporting both traditional print and emerging digital solutions to translate the university's knowledge and messaging into effective visual communications. Team members work closely with production staff, customer-facing colleagues, and clients in a collaborative, service-oriented environment that values precision, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent and 5 years of related experience

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a printing services or production print environment.
Experience working in a higher education setting.
Experience using prepress software to prepare digital and wide-format print files.
Experience supporting promotional or marketing materials, including design or production work.
Experience with web design or managing/supporting web storefront functionality, including familiarity with mail processing software or variable-data/mailing list workflows.

Responsibilities

Serve as a senior technical resource supporting the prepress and production preparation workflow within the print environment.
Evaluate, prepare, and optimize files for production.
Resolve complex or non-standard issues.
Ensure files meet quality, accessibility, and production requirements across print and digital projects.
Operate with a high degree of independence and judgment.
Serve as an escalation point for higher-risk or atypical prepress challenges.
Support efficient production by balancing print quality, schedules, and technical constraints.
Mentor staff and student employees.
Contribute to workflow and webstore improvements.
Collaborate with clients and production teams to ensure production-ready outcomes.