Prepress professionals play a vital role in the graphic communication industry, acting as the bridge between graphic design and marketing teams and the reality of professional print manufacturing. Yet, the path to becoming a prepress operator – along with the opportunities, salaries, and skills employers seek for these roles – has not always been well understood. This report looks to fill that gap, offering a detailed examination of prepress job postings collected during 2024. 

Our findings reveal key insights about what employers are currently seeking in this specialized field: From hybrid skill sets (such as graphic design skills in addition to traditional prepress skills) to advanced knowledge of software tools uniquely utilized by print manufacturing operations. The salaries for the reviewed prepress roles averaged around $57,000 CAD annually, or approximately $27.40 per hour. This is less than the average hourly wage of the Ontario workforce as a whole, which was $37.10 per hour in the same time period ($77,168 per year based on a 40 hour work week), per the Ontario Government Labour Market Report. These salary comparisons do not include the impact of overtime payment, which is an option in many Prepress roles. Many Prepress positions being offered requested three or more years of direct previous experience. A small percentage of postings call for managerial skills, often in “working manager” capacities where supervisors still undertake hands-on production duties.

While the print industry’s scope in Ontario remains significant – at $3.8 billion in market size and over 2,400 businesses – factors such as workflow automation, web-to-print portals, and the influx of files produced by “user-friendly design tools” (e.g., Canva) contribute to ongoing changes in the demand for prepress labour. This whitepaper concludes with a set of actionable recommendations for employers, educators, and job seekers