Prepressforums.com - WORRIED! What will the future be for Prepress?

LadIndy · #1 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 08:57 AM

HELP! The more I read and hear about our industry the more worried I get about our future in the prepress/printing industry. Where do we poor prepress slaves go? What should we learn next? I don't know if I want to move to India or China to stay in the business. I want to stay here and make a decent living doing what I've been doing for the past 20+ years. Does anyone out there have any ideas? I'm currently working but I keep wondering if I'll have a job next week, let alone next year. I feel like I'm stuck in a black hole with no end in sight. :cry:

Having a bad day, week, month and year! Sorry, just need to get some feedback that I'm not alone in this dark place.

almaink · #2 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 09:09 AM

Join the club, we are all in the same boat. Just hope my shop stays open long enough for me to retire.

LadIndy · #3 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 09:23 AM

You're lucky to be able to retire. I've got too many years to go before I can even think of retiring (if ever, the way our country is going). I'm going to need to find a way to pay the bills for a long time to come and I don't want to waste all the good knowledge I've learned. I'm trying to find some way to leverage that knowledge into somewhere else in the communications field but that is where I'm having a problem trying to figure out which way to go. (I would need to invest in more formal education to do this but I don't want to spend a lot of time and money only to find out that it was useless. I already have a BA degree but I hear that not even college graduates are getting paid as well as they hoped).
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY!!!

Just having a VERY BAD DAY!!!

LadIndy · #4 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 10:09 AM

What's even worse for me is that we just installed a CTP system with a Xenith Xitron Workflow and Dimension 400 Platesetter and I LOVE IT! I've been up and running almost immediately after installation and I want to see it make money. However, it seems in this economy it's tough to sell printing of any kind, especially the type that makes good use of this workflow. Now that I've got my hands on this type of workflow I want to make it fly and that's just not happening right now. :cry:

Joe · #5 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 11:03 AM

Traditionally this is the slow time of the year for printing. Now is the time to get your training in before the onslaught of the late spring and summer printing rush.

If you want a career that is secure then I would look into the medical field. People will always be sick. Large hospitals even sometimes do their own printing of materials. If you can get into a department like that I'd say that is as secure as your ever going to be in the printing industry. Now become a nurse and you will have a job for life.

LadIndy · #6 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 11:19 AM

Funny you should suggest that. I have an RN. Then I went back to college to do what I really like best, Graphic Arts and Communications and since everything went digital, I really love working with the computers. I have not practiced as an RN since school and I don't really like that profession. Talk about stress and dealing with cranky, sick customers.
My husband works in a hospital (not MD or RN) and that hospital has outsourced its printing (it used to do it inhouse). Now they have some teenager running their copy machine to do quicky printing for them.
Ugh!

Joe · #7 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 11:26 AM

Well that shoots that theory down!

Personally, I don't think prepress is going anywhere for awhile, especially at the printers. Prepress there has always been a necessary evil and until they start sending perfect files it will remain that way. If you know the skill level of my customers that won't be happening anytime soon. :lol:

mattbeals · #8 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 12:23 PM

Premedia will be the new prepress position. It's not just printing anymore, it's CD-ROM, P.O.D., web, etc.

LadIndy · #9 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 12:55 PM

What types of skills would be needed for Premedia, other than traditional prepress skills? What types of courses? That's my big question. What types of programs? Most of my ongoing training has been in traditional prepress, Quark, Adobe etc. most of which I've gotten on my own, at home, seminars etc. No formal classes which I'm sure that everyone in this forum has done.
I want to take some classes to get up to speed quicker than doing it on my own but I haven't decided in which direction to start.

It's always harder to start the ball rolling than to keep it rolling.

rhctp · #10 (**permalink**) 02-23-2005, 01:31 PM

Matt hit it right on the head. Premedia will be the new prepress, all of the in house printers will eventually just have a plate department that receives everything from Premedia DTP. It sucks and I think that everyone everywhere is feeling the pressure.[/quote]