Prepress Production Artist

Job Description

Job Description

PREPRESS PRODUCTION ARTIST

LD Signs (Design Ventures) has produced custom industrial signage for more than 40 years. Clients trust us for quality, precision, and fast turnaround.

THE ROLE

LD Signs is hiring a Prepress Production Artist to turn approved customer artwork, sketches, and job specifications into accurate files that our sign-production equipment and shop team can use. This is a full-time, in-person position at our Baytown, Texas location.

This is production art for physical output—not agency branding, social media, or web design. You are responsible for accurate wording, dimensions, materials, colors, paths, and file versions.

You will work in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and coordinate with client service and production. Strong software fundamentals and curiosity about physical output are essential.

You will be expected to learn and use company-approved AI-assisted tools for limited tasks such as organizing job information, documenting steps, and supporting troubleshooting. Prior AI experience is not required. Employees must follow LD Signs' approved-tool and confidentiality procedures, verify AI-assisted work against the approved work order and source files, and stop and ask when information conflicts, is incomplete, or is unclear. AI does not replace Adobe proficiency, prepress judgment, or personal responsibility for the production file.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

- Review work orders, customer artwork, and source files for wording, dimensions, quantities, materials, colors, finishing, and production method.
- Create, rebuild, and revise vector layouts in Adobe Illustrator and prepare supporting raster artwork in Photoshop.
- Produce accurate print-ready, cut-ready, engrave-ready, and routing-ready files.
- Verify scale, bleeds, resolution, color modes, spot colors, fonts, linked images, cut contours, and vector paths.
- Prepare proofs and revisions, incorporate approved changes, and prevent outdated files from reaching production.
- Ask focused questions when artwork and job instructions are incomplete, unclear, or inconsistent.
- Coordinate with client service and production about materials, equipment, finishing, and file requirements.
- Maintain organized job folders, file names, versions, linked assets, and approved production files.

WHAT YOU BRING

- Strong working proficiency in Adobe Illustrator.
- Working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and a clear understanding of vector versus raster artwork.
- Familiarity with scale, resolution, color modes, spot colors, bleeds, fonts, linked assets, and cut paths.
- The ability to interpret measurements, dimensions, written specifications, and detailed work orders.
- Excellent attention to spelling, numbers, file versions, and small visual details.
- The ability to manage several jobs and revisions without losing track of priorities or deadlines.
- The judgment to stop and ask a question before an uncertainty becomes an expensive production error.
- A collaborative approach and willingness to learn shop processes and approved AI-assisted tools.

Production art, prepress, sign production, printing, engraving, routing, or related manufacturing experience is preferred. Strong transferable file-preparation experience and relevant work samples are welcome.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Success means preparing files accurately, identifying missing information, controlling approved versions, and reducing preventable rework.

PAY

$18.00–$22.00 per hour, based on relevant experience and demonstrated production-art skills.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply through this posting. After reviewing applications, we will contact selected candidates about next steps, which may include a facility visit and a conversation with the team.