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Prepress Technicians and Workers: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
23 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Prepress Technicians and Workers, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for STEREOTYPER (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| COMPOSITOR (Alternate Title: Keyboarder/Proofreader [Gov]) | 0087 | Competency-Based: 5,571 hours Hybrid: 5,571 to 6,964 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 5,571 hours |
| DOT ETCHER | 0679 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| ELECTROTYPER | 0172 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| ETCHER, HAND (Prt & Pub) | 0175 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| ETCHER, PHOTOENGRAVING | 0182 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| LINOTYPE OPERATOR (Prt & Pub) | 0286 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| LITHOGRAPHIC PLATEMAKER | 0063 | Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V3): 5,567 hours |
| MONOTYPE-KEYBOARD OPERATOR | 0367 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| PASTE-UP ARTIST | 0392 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| PHOTOENGRAVER | 0399 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| PHOTOENGRAVING FINISHER | 0400 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| PHOTOENGRAVING PRINTER | 0401 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| PHOTOENGRAVING PROOFER | 0402 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| PHOTOGRAPHER, LITHOGRAPHIC | 0685 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| PHOTOGRAPHER, PHOTOENGRAV C923 | 0405 | Competency-Based: 12,000 hours Hybrid: 12,000 to 15,000 hours Time-Based: 12,000 hours |
| PHOTOGRAPHIC-PLATE MAKER | 0407 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| PLATE FINISHER (Print & Pub) | 0427 | Competency-Based: 12,000 hours Hybrid: 12,000 to 15,000 hours Time-Based: 12,000 hours |
| PROOFSHEET CORRECTOR (Prt) | 0415 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| RETOUCHER, PHOTOENGRAVING | 0472 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| SCANNER OPERATOR | 0855 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| STEREOTYPER | 0538 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| STRIPPER (Print & Pub) | 0726 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| STRIPPER, LITHOGRAPHIC II | 0064 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What prepress technicians and workers earn, by state
District of Columbia has the highest state median for prepress technicians and workers ($100,980) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($33,030), across the 46 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $100,980 | $48.55 | 180 |
| Maryland | $60,770 | $29.22 | 480 |
| Massachusetts | $57,250 | $27.53 | 460 |
| New Jersey | $56,840 | $27.33 | 880 |
| Vermont | $55,880 | $26.86 | 40 |
| Nevada | $55,680 | $26.77 | 130 |
| Oregon | $54,360 | $26.14 | 230 |
| California | $53,860 | $25.89 | 2,020 |
| Washington | $53,770 | $25.85 | 380 |
| Arkansas | $52,800 | $25.39 | 160 |
| New York | $52,420 | $25.20 | 1,110 |
| Montana | $51,910 | $24.96 | 40 |
| Colorado | $51,730 | $24.87 | 150 |
| Georgia | $50,280 | $24.17 | 320 |
| North Carolina | $49,760 | $23.92 | 600 |
| Illinois | $49,450 | $23.78 | 680 |
| Minnesota | $49,130 | $23.62 | 2,880 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,100 | $23.61 | 910 |
| Virginia | $49,100 | $23.61 | 330 |
| Indiana | $49,050 | $23.58 | 670 |
| Connecticut | $48,780 | $23.45 | 430 |
| New Hampshire | $48,580 | $23.36 | 120 |
| Wisconsin | $48,410 | $23.28 | 1,160 |
| Ohio | $47,810 | $22.99 | 1,070 |
| Tennessee | $47,790 | $22.97 | 640 |
| Iowa | $47,770 | $22.97 | 210 |
| Maine | $47,350 | $22.76 | 50 |
| Idaho | $47,220 | $22.70 | 50 |
| Michigan | $46,960 | $22.58 | 540 |
| South Dakota | $46,370 | $22.29 | 50 |
| Rhode Island | $45,930 | $22.08 | Not published |
| South Carolina | $45,900 | $22.07 | 200 |
| Missouri | $45,860 | $22.05 | 510 |
| Kentucky | $45,830 | $22.03 | 1,130 |
| Oklahoma | $45,730 | $21.99 | 80 |
| Florida | $45,660 | $21.95 | 840 |
| Kansas | $45,290 | $21.77 | 520 |
| Utah | $44,230 | $21.27 | 210 |
| Nebraska | $40,930 | $19.68 | 400 |
| New Mexico | $39,830 | $19.15 | 30 |
| Arizona | $38,830 | $18.67 | 210 |
| Texas | $38,410 | $18.47 | 2,320 |
| Louisiana | $38,060 | $18.30 | 90 |
| West Virginia | $35,320 | $16.98 | 50 |
| Alabama | $35,020 | $16.84 | 130 |
| Puerto Rico | $33,030 | $15.88 | 120 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).