Explore by Career/Office and Administrative Support
Desktop Publishers
Format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material.
- Median pay
- $53,620
- per year
- 10-year outlook
- -12.4%
- Declining
- Typical entry
- Associate's degree
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Complex Problem Solving
- Time Management
What they do
- Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy.
- 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.
- Check preliminary and final proofs for errors and make necessary corrections.
- 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.
- Prepare sample layouts for approval, using computer software.
- Import text and art elements, such as electronic clip art or electronic files from photographs that have been scanned or produced with a digital camera, using computer software.
- Study layout or other design instructions to determine work to be done and sequence of operations.
- Select number of colors and determine color separations.
- Convert various types of files for printing or for the Internet, using computer software.
Majors that lead here
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.