Desktop Publishers
US occupation · SOC 43-9031
Job titles people report: Advertising Associate, Compositor, Computer Typesetter, Design Editor, Desktop Operator, Desktop Publishing Specialist, Electronic Console Display Operator, Electronic Imager, Electronic Publishing Specialist, Publisher
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $55,290
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $43,730 – $73,840
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 3,350
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- -14.5%
- Shrinking (below 0%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 300
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- Associate's degree
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material.
Main tasks
- 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.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- Associate's degree
- Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 3
- Medium preparation
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Artistic: creating, designing and self-expression
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 2 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services
- Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design
- Computer Typography and Composition Equipment Operator
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Prepress Technicians and Workers
$48,690 median · -15.3% projected
- Graphic Designers
$62,960 median · -1.7% projected
- Proofreaders and Copy Markers
$51,120 median · -0.9% projected
- Web and Digital Interface Designers
$104,000 median · +6% projected
- Special Effects Artists and Animators
$102,030 median · -0.3% projected
- Film and Video Editors
$75,420 median · +3.7% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk