Business & Finance
Desktop Publishers
Format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material.
Median salary (BLS)
$55,290
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$36k – $96k
Job outlook
No separate BLS projection for this specific role
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $112,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Desktop Publishers
Education
Typical entry: Associate degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Desktop Publishers
Entry / Junior
$35,680
~2 yrs to advance
Desktop Publishers
Established
$55,290
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Desktop Publishers
Senior
$75,730
Key skills
A typical day
- •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.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Business & Finance
Explore all- University of Pennsylvania6% admit · $112,000 grad pay
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
- New York University12% admit · $84,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.