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Production Graphic Designer & Prepress Specialist

Rocklin, CA, United States

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Department: Operations: Design and Production
Reports To: Operations Manager
Location: Rocklin, California
Employment Status: Part-Time, with potential to grow into Full-Time
Work Arrangement: On-siteCompensation: $25.00–$30.00 per hour, based on experience and qualifications

Position Summary
CutPrintShip is seeking an experienced Production Graphic Designer & Prepress Specialist to join our growing team.

This position is primarily focused on graphic design, production artwork, prepress, file preparation, and RIP setup. The ideal candidate understands how artwork must be prepared for professional printing and manufacturing and can take customer-supplied artwork from concept or source file through production-ready output.

A strong understanding of spot colors, spot channels, white ink, varnish, masks, specialty print layers, cut paths, and production file setup is essential.

This is not a desk-only position. While the majority of the role is focused on graphic design and prepress, the employee will also provide print-production support as needed, including assisting with printer setup, material loading, print monitoring, and quality control.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
  • Graphic Design and Production Artwork
  • Create original designs and production artwork from customer instructions, sketches, samples, reference images, and supplied files.
  • Edit, clean up, rebuild, vectorize, resize, and color-correct artwork in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
  • Prepare accurate production files using correct dimensions, scale, resolution, bleed, safe areas, color modes, and tolerances.
  • Create and manage spot colors, spot channels, masks, white-ink layers, varnish layers, primer layers, overprint settings, and specialty print configurations.
  • Create cut paths, die lines, score lines, engraving paths, and other production layers when required for file preparation.
  • Manage fonts, linked images, transparency, clipping masks, raster and vector artwork, and exports.
  • Create gang sheets, nested layouts, and efficient production layouts.
  • Maintain organized files, templates, and reusable artwork.
  • Prepress, RIP, and Color
  • Preflight customer artwork before production.
  • Review files for dimensions, resolution, scale, bleed, color, fonts, transparency, layers, spot channels, image quality, and production compatibility.
  • Identify artwork that may not produce an acceptable finished product and address concerns before production.
  • Import, process, preview, and queue jobs using RIP software.
  • Select or verify material profiles, print modes, resolution, orientation, positioning, and specialty-print settings.
  • Prepare white ink, layered printing, spot-color, varnish, and other specialty UV-print workflows.
  • Produce proofs, test prints, color swatches, and samples when required.
  • Match customer colors, brand colors, and physical samples as closely as the printing process allows.
  • Troubleshoot scaling, transparency, color, registration, alignment, and file-related print issues.
  • Record important production settings and notes for repeatability.
Workflow Improvement
  • Identify repetitive design and prepress tasks that can be standardized or automated.
  • Create and maintain Adobe Actions, templates, presets, batch processes, reusable layouts, and approved AI-assisted workflows.
  • Use automation where practical to improve file cleanup, resizing, naming, exporting, ganging, nesting, and preflight accuracy.
  • Test workflows before using them on live production files and document repeatable processes.
Print Production Support
  • Provide print-production support as needed based on workload and scheduling.
  • Assist with material preparation, printer setup, loading, positioning, and unloading.
  • Operate assigned UV printing equipment after appropriate training and authorization.
  • Monitor print jobs and inspect output during production.
  • Identify issues such as banding, color shifts, registration problems, positioning errors, adhesion issues, or surface defects.
  • Assist with basic operator-level troubleshooting and printer cleaning when needed.
  • Inspect printed output for color, dimensions, alignment, registration, surface quality, and workmanship.
  • Maintain a clean and organized print-production work area.
  • Print production support is a secondary responsibility of this position. The primary focus is graphic design, prepress, production artwork, and file preparation.
Customer and Team Support
  • Communicate with customers when clarification is needed regarding artwork, dimensions, colors, materials, or production requirements.
  • Explain file requirements, proofs, color expectations, and production limitations clearly and professionally.
  • Document approvals, revisions, and special instructions.
  • Work with production, customer service, and sales to identify artwork concerns and production risks.
  • Make file adjustments when production requirements change.
Required Qualifications
  • Advanced Adobe Illustrator skills and strong Adobe Photoshop skills.
  • Professional graphic design, production design, prepress, or print-production experience.
  • Strong understanding of spot colors and spot channels.
  • Experience creating white-ink layers, masks, specialty print layers, and production-ready artwork.
  • Knowledge of vector and raster artwork, resolution, bleed, color modes, transparency, overprint, fonts, and file formats.
  • Ability to create accurate, machine-ready files.
  • Experience with RIP software or professional RIP-based print workflows.
  • Strong visual judgment and attention to color, alignment, and detail.
  • Ability to troubleshoot artwork and prepress problems.
  • Strong organization, communication, and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple jobs, revisions, deadlines, and changing priorities.
  • Comfortable working in both a design environment and an active production setting.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with UV flatbed printing.
  • Experience with white ink, varnish, layered printing, or specialty UV-print workflows.
  • Experience with color management, ICC profiles, calibration, and print-quality troubleshooting.
  • Experience with commercial printing, signage, packaging, promotional products, or custom manufacturing.
  • Experience with workflow automation, Adobe Actions, scripting, templates, presets, or batch processing.
Work Environment and Physical Requirements
This is an on-site position in an active production and warehouse environment. The role may involve extended computer work as well as periods of standing, walking, bending, reaching, repetitive hand work, and handling print materials.

The employee may work around production equipment, inks, adhesives, dust, odors, noise, and heat-generating equipment. Employees must follow all safety procedures and personal protective equipment requirements. Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals.

Performance and Growth
Success in this position includes producing accurate production files, minimizing rework and waste, meeting deadlines, maintaining quality, improving workflow efficiency, communicating clearly, and taking ownership of projects through final printed output.

This position begins as part-time with potential to grow into full-time employment based on performance, skills, production volume, and company needs.

As CutPrintShip grows, the position may expand in responsibility, technical expertise, workflow ownership, and production leadership.

This description represents the primary responsibilities of the position and is not an exhaustive list of every assignment. Other reasonable duties related to graphic design, prepress, printing, customer support, production, or fulfillment may be assigned as business needs change.



Responsibilities

  • Create production-ready customer artwork
  • Build spot channels and print layers
  • Preflight files and prepare RIP jobs
  • Correct color, sizing, and file issues
  • Support UV printing and quality checks

Must Have

  • Support UV printing and quality checks
  • Strong Adobe Photoshop skills
  • Spot color and spot channel experience
  • Professional design or prepress experience
  • Experience with RIP-based print workflows

Nice to have

  • UV flatbed printing experience
  • White ink and varnish experience
  • ICC profile and color management knowledge
  • Adobe Actions and automation experience
  • Custom manufacturing experience

What's great about the job?

  • Work on a wide variety of creative, real-world production projects

  • See your designs go from artwork to finished printed products

  • Build advanced skills in prepress, color, spot channels, and UV printing

  • Work closely with a small team where your ideas and experience matter

  • Help improve workflows, templates, and production processes as we grow

  • Part-time position with the potential to grow into a full-time role

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