The posting
The Pre-Press Lead supports and coordinates the daily activities of the Pre-Press team, ensuring accurate, efficient, and timely preparation of graphics, proofs, and print-ready files that meet customer requirements and production standards. This role provides technical guidance to team members, helps prioritize workflow, supports quality and preflight review processes, and partners cross-functionally with customer service, production, and press teams to resolve issues, align priorities, reduce rework, and support customer satisfaction.
Responsibilities:
- Leads daily pre-press production activities to ensure graphic art, layouts, proofs, and print-ready files are completed accurately, efficiently, and in alignment with customer specifications, work orders, and production priorities.
- Provides technical direction and support for prepress processes, including separations, color remapping, trapping, overprinting, knockouts, imposition, bleeding, color correction, line screen decisions, and compensation curves within established production parameters.
- Partners with pre-press, press, customer service, and production teams to resolve file, imaging, printability, and layout issues, ensuring consistent quality and minimizing delays or rework. Applies advanced knowledge of RLG pre-press systems, printing capabilities, and equipment requirements to guide style, technique, medium, and file preparation decisions that support manufacturability and customer expectations. Reviews, creates, and refines graphic designs and prepress files using Mac-based graphics applications, including Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, and ArtPro, while modeling best practices for accuracy, efficiency, and brand consistency. Coordinates customer-driven revisions and internal feedback through each stage of proofing and production, communicating clearly and ensuring final artwork meets customer requirements and approval standards. Oversees proof development by preparing and reviewing customer-facing previews that demonstrate final product appearance, including resizing art to fit dies, re-laying out complex constructions, adjusting existing art, and generating UPC or related production elements as needed. Leads preflight review activities to verify print readiness, including proper size, color correction, fonts, completeness, work order alignment, and compliance with minimum print specifications before files are released to production. Prioritizes assignments, reviews layouts, sketches, and related materials, and delegates or coordinates work as appropriate to support production schedules, customer commitments, and departmental goals. Develops creative and production-ready packaging solutions when limited direction is available, guiding the creation of images, text, layouts, and technical specifications that achieve the desired finished product. Mentors and supports pre-press team members by sharing technical knowledge, reinforcing quality standards, assisting with training, and serving as a first point of escalation for complex artwork or production issues. Supports continuous improvement within the pre-press function by identifying workflow gaps, recommending process enhancements, maintaining documentation or standards as assigned, and promoting consistent execution across jobs.
Qualifications:
· Advanced pre-press, packaging graphics, and print production knowledge.
· Demonstrated ability to lead daily priorities, coordinate multiple projects, and support team members through all phases of production.
· Strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills with the ability to partner effectively across customer service, production, press, and pre-press teams.
· Proven ability to work independently, exercise sound creative and technical judgment, and
deliver accurate work within established timelines.
· Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Printing, Graphic Arts, Industrial Engineering, or related field preferred; equivalent education and experience considered.
· Five or more years of experience in a high-quality computer graphics, pre-press, or print production environment preferred.
- Wage Range: $22.00 per hour to $30.00 per hour.



