Prepress Operator

Position Summary

The purpose of this position is to provide high quality preparation of production-ready packaging computer files for the final stages of prepress, and to provide SGS customers with the highest quality of technical workmanship.

Essential Responsibilities, Accountabilities, and Results

Trapping & Assembly

• Receives product definitions from sales/CSR's and reviews required trapping, stepping of file, colour, special marks, etc.
• Applies required traps, holdbacks, overprints, knockouts, minimum type and line thickness accordingly
• Creates traps based on experiential trapping knowledge for different types of printing to ensure customer jobs print properly
• Manipulates files to match customer specs
• Places proper marks, colour bars, distortion gauges, and scale boxes on jobs
• Accesses server volumes where jobs are located and resaves them to the proper volumes
• Accesses typefaces for each particular job to ensure quality of work
• Steps, repeats, and applies distortion and cutbacks when applicable

Completed Job Quality Control Check

• Checks job to ensure basic mark positions, correct including centres, corner trims, screen scales, punch marks, job name, colour designations, and SGS logo, if applicable
• Measures job trim to trim to calculate length and width and any distortion
• Completes a Quality Control Checklist

Pre-flight and Organization of Incoming Jobs

• Checks customer's supplied file when starting a new job, and compares it to the supplied hard copy for any differences and size conformity
• Ensures that all necessary typefaces and placed art are present in-house
• Verifies colours used and checks the resolution of any CT's

Competency Requirements

• Must be able to work with various graphic design and layout software applications (Illustrator, InDesign, Esko PackEdge, Photoshop), commonly used on MACs and PCs
• Good understanding of digital file formats (pdf, tiff, eps) from different operating systems (Mac and PC) is required
• Basic color management skills and the ability to work with different digital formats are required
• Must have the ability to output digital files to various output devices
• Must have the ability to continue to learn and use new graphics software on an ongoing basis
• Must have an understanding of the offset printing process and how one color affects another
• Must have an understanding of both Flexographic and Gravure printing process's as they relate to packaging prepress.
• Good communication skills as you will be expected to be on Preproduction meetings with printers, customers and some third parties and have to at times be an advocate for not only SGS but our customers too.
• Comfortable in documenting new procedures into SOP's.
• Knowledge of Flexo and Gravure printing processes as it applies to setting up for prepress for packaging

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

• Completion of high school or college with a focus on graphics or computers
• Excellent MAC computer skills, including knowledge of MAC stripping
• Proven experience using MAC software including Illustrator and Photoshop
• Understanding of traps including size and application
• Reliable team player
• Strong interpersonal skills and customer service focus
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Ability to work and problem solve independently
• Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The following physical requirements are commonly performed in this job. There are times, on occasion, when the employee may be asked or expected to perform duties with physical requirements that are different from those listed here. It is the employee's duty to notify the management of any physical limitations or inability to perform a certain task.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear
• This position requires periodic standing, walking, bending
• The employee may occasionally lift or move items up to 25 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus

Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

This is a remote position in the US. We are open to candidates in various states, with the exception of those residing in the following: AK, DC, DE, ME, NH, NM, OK, HI, MS, MT, NV, NE, ND, SD, VT, WY, WV

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $45,292 - $56,615 annually. Ultimately, in determining pay, we will consider the successful candidate's location, experience, and other job-related factors.

Group benefits currently include a selection of health care plans with prescription drug coverage, dental plan, vision plan, basic and supplemental life insurance, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care expenses or a health savings account based on plan selection, short/long term disability and 401(k) Savings Plan.

Associates (preferred)
Some college (preferred)
High School (required)

Must be able to work with various graphic design and layout software applications (Illustrator, InDesign, Esko PackEdge, Photoshop), commonly used on MACs and PCs (required)
Basic color management skills and the ability to work with different digital formats are required (required)
Knowledge of Flexo and Gravure printing processes as it applies to setting up for prepress for packaging (required)
Understanding of traps including size and application (required)
Proven experience using MAC software including Illustrator and Photoshop (required)
Excellent MAC computer skills, including knowledge of MAC stripping (required)