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Prepress/Desktop Publishing

Types of Degrees Prepress/Desktop Publishing Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Prepress/Desktop Publishing have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	221
Associate’s Degree	485
Master’s Degree	462

What Prepress/Desktop Publishing Majors Need to Know

Programs in Prepress/Desktop Publishing develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Prepress/Desktop Publishing graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Prepress/Desktop Publishing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Design — Importance 2.9 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Prepress/Desktop Publishing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Prepress/Desktop Publishing careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Visualization — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Prepress/Desktop Publishing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.5 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.5 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Prepress/Desktop Publishing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe PageMaker	Desktop publishing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe FrameMaker	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Adobe FreeHand MX	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Prepress/Desktop Publishing graduates include:

• Desktop Operator
• Computer Typesetter
• Compositor
• DTP Operator (Desktop Publishing Operator)
• Electronic Publishing Specialist
• Electronic Imager
• Document Design Specialist
• Advertising Associate
• Publisher
• Electronic Console Display Operator
• Design Editor
• Paginator
• Desktop Support Engineer
• Computer Compositor
• Electronic Publisher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Prepress/Desktop Publishing graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	42.4%
Bachelor’s degree	25.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	15.8%
Some college courses	8.6%
Postsecondary certificate	6.7%
Less than a high school diploma	0.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Prepress/Desktop Publishing?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 54.9% women and 45.1% men among Prepress/Desktop Publishing graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	643	54.9%
Men	528	45.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Prepress/Desktop Publishing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	467	39.9%
Asian	96	8.2%
Hispanic or Latino	394	33.6%
Black or African American	109	9.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	13	1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.3%
Two or More Races	35	3.0%
Race Unknown	30	2.6%
International Students	24	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Prepress/Desktop Publishing Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Prepress/Desktop Publishing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$28,061
4 years	$41,119
5 years	$47,590

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,590 — roughly 70% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Prepress/Desktop Publishing Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Prepress/Desktop Publishing. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Prepress/Desktop Publishing Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Prepress/Desktop Publishing graduates earn a median of $41,119 four years after completion — roughly 8% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Graphic Communications	10.03
Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects	10.0304
Computer Typography and Composition Equipment Operator	10.0308
Graphic and Printing Equipment Operator, General Production	10.0305
Graphic Communications, General	10.0301
Graphic Communications, Other	10.0399
Platemaker/Imager	10.0306
Printing Management	10.0302
Printing Press Operator	10.0307

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.