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Camera, Platemaking and Other Prepress Occupations  (NOC 9472)
Avalon Peninsula Region
Description |  Titles |  Duties |   Related Occupations

This unit group includes prepress technicians who operate various computer controlled systems to perform prepress activities and workers who operate graphic arts cameras and scanners, assemble film and negatives and prepare, engrave and etch printing plates or cylinders for various types of printing presses. They are employed in firms that specialize in colour graphics or platemaking and cylinder preparation, commercial publishing and printing companies, newspapers, magazines, and in various establishments in the public and private sectors that have in-house printing departments.

camera operator – graphic arts, cylinder preparer – printing, dot etcher, film stripper-assembler, platemaker, printing plate engraver, proofmaker, scanner operator, screenmaker, studio-image-processing system operator.

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The following is a summary of main duties for some occupations in this group:
  • Graphic arts camera operators set up and adjust black and white or colour separation process cameras to convert graphic art and photographs into film for assembly and exposure onto printing plates or cylinders.
  • Cylinder preparers grind and polish press cylinders; expose and lay down carbon tissue; and etch or engrave cylinders using hand tools, etching machines, photogravure or laser processes to produce cylinders for gravure presses.
  • Film strippers and assemblers assemble and position, either using automated equipment or by hand, pieces of film containing all parts of a printing job to produce flats or composite negatives for preparing printing plates or cylinders.
  • Platemakers operate vacuum frames, plate processors and step and repeat machines to produce printing plates for various types of presses.
  • Prepress technicians operate various computer-controlled studio systems to perform colour separation, retouching and editing that allow changes to be made to a colour negative for printing purposes, plan page layouts and electronically alter shape, size and positions of illustrations and text.
  • Scanner operators operate computerized scanning machines or digital cameras to make colour separations and corrections from colour copy or transparencies for use in preparing film, digital files, printing plates or cylinders.
  • Proofmakers operate computerized equipment to prepare film, laser or dylux proofs for quality control purposes or for customers' review.
Included Cities in Region | Service Canada Offices

St. John's, Mount Pearl, Arnold's Cove, Bay Roberts, Bishop's Cove, Carbonear, Conception Bay South, Gulch, Gull Island, Harbour Grace, North River, Spaniard's Bay, Torbay, Upper Island Cove, Wabana, Birchy Nap, Chamberlains, Codner, Doyles, Foxtrap, Goulds, Greeleytown, Kelligrews, Lance Cove, Lawrence Pond, Manuels, Newton, North Pond Heights, Peachytown, Riverdale, Talcville, Topsail, Upper Gullies

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View a list of Service Canada offices in this area.

Outlook & Prospects for Camera, Platemaking and Other Prepress Occupations in Avalon Peninsula Region

The future forecast and current conditions for an occupation can vary based on location or due to changes in the economy, technology, or demand for a product or service.

National Outlook – 10-Year Projection (2011-2020)

This section provides labour demand and labour supply projections for this occupation over the 2011-2020 period.

Note: The tables, graphs and middle paragraph shown under this section display updated 2011-2020 projection results. The remaining narrative text (2009-2018 projections) will be updated shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The data in the following table are derived from HRSDC’s Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS). COPS uses a variety of models to produce a detailed 10-year labour market projection per broad skill level and per occupation at the national level, which focuses on the trends of labour supply and labour demand over the next ten years.

This occupation (Camera, Platemaking and Other Prepress Occupations) is part of a larger occupational group called Printing Machine Operators and Related Occupations (NOC 947).

Table on the demographic profile for your chosen occupation at the national level.
Occupations in this group Printing Machine Operators (9471) 
Camera, Platemaking and Other Prepress Occupations (9472) 
Binding and Finishing Machine Operators (9473) 
Photographic and Film Processors (9474) 
Employment (non-student) in 2010 22,958
Median Age of workers in 2010 41
Average Retirement Age in 2010 63

Occupation Projection for Canada

Over the 2008-2010 period, this occupation experienced a sharp drop in employment and an increase in the unemployment rate. However, the unemployment rate was similar to the average for all occupations in 2010. The average hourly wage remained relatively unchanged. This indicates a slight surplus in labour supply for this occupation. In other words, the number of job seekers exceeded the number of job openings.

Over the 2011-2020 period, an occupation will be in excess demand (a shortage of workers) if the projected number of job openings is significantly greater than the projected number of job seekers. An occupation will be in excess supply (a surplus of workers) if the projected number of job openings is smaller than the projected number of job seekers. For Printing Machine Operators And Related Occupations, over the 2011-2020 period, job openings (arising from expansion demand and replacement demand) are expected to total 8,732 and 9,515 job seekers (arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility) are expected to be available to fill the job openings.

Based on projections and considering the surplus supply for this occupation, it is expected that there will continue to be a surplus in this occupation. In other words, the number of job seekers will be more than sufficient to fill job openings over the 2011-2020 period. Employment growth in this occupation is expected to be modest, given the low growth prospects in the printing industry. However, the impact of this sector on the occupation will be counterbalanced in part by the retail sales sector, which is expected to rebound in the coming years. In addition, the number of retirements is expected to double in relation to the 2001-2010 period, given that workers in this occupation tend to be older. The retirement rate will be higher than the average for all occupations. With regard to the labour supply, school leavers will be the main source of job seekers (mostly high school and college graduates) while immigrants will account for a smaller (but relatively high in comparison to other occupations) proportion of job seekers.

This Chart contains data for Projection of Job Openings vs. Job Seekers for Canada. Information is available in the following tables.

This Chart contains data for Projection of Job Openings vs. Job Seekers for Canada. Information is available in the following tables.
Table of job opening projections for the occupational group containing your chosen occupation.
Category Openings %
Expansion Demand 542 6%
Retirements 6,919 79%
Other Replacement Demand 784 9%
Emigration 487 6%
Projected Job Openings 8,732 100%
Table of job seeker projections for the occupational group containing your chosen occupation.
Category Seekers %
School Leavers 5,766 61%
Immigration 3,328 35%
Other 421 4%
Projected Job Seekers 9,515 100%
[ Source: Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) ]

In which industry or sector do people in this occupation find jobs in Canada?

This table shows the industry and sectors employing the highest number of people in this occupation.

This table shows the industry sectors employing the highest number of people in this occupation.
Industry / Sector %
Manufacturing 74.00
Information and cultural industries 10.10
Professional, scientific and technical services 5.20
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services 2.80
[ Source: 2006 Census - Statistics Canada | Legal note ]

What percentage of people in this occupation are self-employed?

The graph displays the percentage of people in this occupation who are “self-employed”, according to the 2006 Census, in comparison to the Canadian average across all occupations.

As shown in the graph, according to the 2006 Census, 5% of people in this occupation were self-employed, while the average for all occupations was 12%.

The data from the Labour Force Survey (2009) regarding self-employment for this group are not sufficiently reliable to be published.

[ Source: Labour Force Survey - Statistics Canada | Legal note ]

What percentage of people in this occupation are members of a union?

This occupation (Camera, Platemaking and Other Prepress Occupations) is part of a larger group called Printing Machine Operators and Related Occupations (NOC 947). According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), the unionization rate for this group was 17%, while the unionization rate for all occupations was 31%.

[ Source: Labour Force Survey - Statistics Canada | Legal note ]
Please consult the Avalon Peninsula Region and Newfoundland and Labrador tabs for more useful information related to outlook.