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Desktop Publishers

Format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material.

Median pay
$55,290

a year

Doing it now
4,600

across the country

By 2035
Down 14.5%

300 openings a year

Usually needs
Associate's degree

to get in

What the work involves

  • Check preliminary and final proofs for errors and make necessary corrections.
  • Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy.
  • View monitors for visual representation of work in progress and for instructions and feedback throughout process, making modifications as necessary.
  • Enter text into computer keyboard and select the size and style of type, column width, and appropriate spacing for printed materials.
  • Position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of type styles and size and layout patterns.
  • Enter digitized data into electronic prepress system computer memory, using scanner, camera, keyboard, or mouse.
  • Edit graphics and photos, using pixel or bitmap editing, airbrushing, masking, or image retouching.

What to study

The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.

Who it suits

O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.

  • Organised and precise

  • Creative and expressive

  • Hands-on and practical

Answer 24 questions and see whether this is a fit for you

Careers like this one

Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $55,290 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.