Will AI replace prepress technicians and workers?

Some tasks are already handled by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 23m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots largely take over. The breakdown: 1h 15m that AI mostly does alone, 1h 8m that robots have done in real workplaces. The other 5h 37m (70%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 15.3% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 15 tasks, about 1h 15m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Enter, position, and alter text size, using computers, to make up and arrange pages so that printed materials can be produced. (1h 15m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 2 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 1h 8m of a typical shift. 3 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Generate prepress proofs in digital or other format to approximate the appearance of the final printed piece. (1h 2m a shift; e.g. GMG ColorProof with ProofControl Inline and ILS30 inline measuring device, in use)
• Operate presses to print proofs of plates, monitoring printing quality to ensure that it is adequate. (6m a shift; e.g. Koenig & Bauer plate logistics + DriveTronic SPC on Rapida 106 X / 145, in use)

5h 37m of a typical shift, or 70%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Proofread and perform quality control of text and images. (1h 15m a shift)
• Perform "preflight" check of required font, graphic, text and image files to ensure completeness prior to delivery to printer. (1h 15m a shift)
• Operate and maintain laser plate-making equipment that converts electronic data to plates without the use of film. (1h 2m a shift)
• Enter, store, and retrieve information on computer-aided equipment. (37m a shift)
• Maintain, adjust, and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs. (25m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 82% talk face to face with others every day
• 61% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time

On Indeed, job postings in the Production & Manufacturing sector are at 124% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 12.6% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 2,100 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $48,690 a year ($23.41 an hour), 4% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $35,810 and $66,080 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects a decline of 15.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 21,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 2,100 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 24,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.02% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 513th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 21,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 39% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 37m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Correct color in photographs or digital images.

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Etchers and Engravers (14m touched, $43k median pay)
• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic (0m touched, $58k median pay)
• Office Machine Operators (1h 22m touched, $41k median pay)
• Print Binding and Finishing Workers (1h 12m touched, $42k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 2 with robots in real deployments, 12 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.