The printing process has three stages—prepress, press, and binding or postpress. Prepress technicians are responsible for the first stage, preparing the material for printing presses. Prepress is the term used in the printing and publishing industries for the processes and procedures that occur between the procurement of a written manuscript and original artwork, and the manufacture of a printing plate, ready for mounting on a printing press.
     The following items can be considered part of prepress: screening (of continuous-tone images such as photographs), retouching, file format compatibility and verification, and sometimes separation (specifying images or text to be put on plates applying individual printing mediums [inks, varnishes, etc.]).
     Advances in computer software and printing technology continue to change prepress work. Prepress work is now done with the use of digital imaging technology by prepress technicians known as “preflight technicians” or production coordinators. Using this technology, these technicians take the electronic files received from customers, check it for completeness, and format it into pages using electronic page layout systems.