Graphic design Prepress Technician

Allegra Marketing Print Mail in Urbandale is a locally owned print, mail, and marketing shop. We're part of a network of over 200 Allegra locations. Locally We're a team of 8, and we help businesses of all types with marketing, branding, printing, and direct mail.

This is a prepress and production workflow role, not a creative design job. Most of your day is getting customer files and data ready for our presses and mail: checking and fixing files, setting up variable data and mail merges, keeping proofs moving, and improving the systems that move jobs from order to press. This includes creating tools to improve efficiency using Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI apps. You will maintain and build on our current infrastructure to continuously improve our processes. There's some light graphic design work, but it's a small part of the job.

What you'll do

• Prepress: check, correct, and prepare customer files for print
• Send jobs to our digital presses through EFI Command WorkStation (Fiery)
• Use Xerox FreeFlow Core, AI tools, and our existing software to automate the handoff from customer order to press, cutting down on manual steps and errors
• Manage our Pressero customer web portal, including building variable data templates so customers can create their own customized documents
• Set up mail merge and variable data jobs in InDesign
• Process customer mailing lists and prepare data with postal barcodes using mailing software
• Own the proofing process: send proofs through Plan Profit (Salesforce), follow up with customers until they approve, and make sure no job stalls waiting on artwork
• Work with outside vendors to find and order products we don't produce in-house
• Approve files through our pre-press quality check before they go to production
• Cross-train on our printing equipment so you can run jobs when needed
• Occasional light design and layout work in InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop

What we're looking for

• Strong working knowledge of Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat for file preparation
• Experience with print production or prepress (file prep, bleeds, color, imposition)
• Comfortable working with data: spreadsheets, mailing lists, merges
• Able to take customer files from Canva and AI image tools and make them press-ready (resolution, bleed, color, fonts)
• You follow up without being reminded. If a customer hasn't approved a proof, you check in, and you keep checking until the job moves forward.
• Detail-oriented. Mistakes in print and mail are expensive, so catching them before they happen matters.
• Willing to learn new software and cross-train on printing equipment

Nice to have (we'll train)

• InDesign data merge or other variable data experience
• Xerox FreeFlow Core, EFI Command WorkStation, or Pressero
• Mailing software and USPS postal requirements
• Experience using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) or building automated workflows
• Experience in a print shop or in-plant

What we offer

• Full training alongside our current prepress specialist, who will be retiring
• A small team where your work is seen and it matters
• 401(k) with matching, health, dental, vision, and life insurance, paid time off, parental leave, and professional development assistance

Pay: $23.50 - $26.50 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person