Vacancy: Pre-Press Technician

We are looking to recruit a

Pre-Press Technician

(Part-time: 10 hours per week + additional holiday cover)

Location: Horncastle, Lincolnshire
Salary: Competitive, Dependent on Experience

About Us: Mortons Print & Mailing (‘MP&M’) is a new business created from a larger and long-standing family business. Our ethos remains very much the same with a long-term commitment to customer service providing the best service to our national customer base while building a sustainable business with efficient processes, excellent resilience and engaged teams.

The Opportunity: Mortons Print and Mailing Ltd is looking for a reliable and technically minded Pre-Press Technician to join our production team.

Working within our newspaper printing environment, you will be responsible for preparing and checking digital artwork and files before they progress to print. This is a hands-on role where accuracy, attention to detail and the ability to work to tight production deadlines are essential.

The role is ideally suited to someone with previous experience in pre-press, reprographics, print production or newspaper production, although we will consider candidates with the right technical aptitude and attitude.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Receive, check and process customer and editorial artwork for print.
• Prepare digital files for newspaper production, ensuring they meet the required specifications.
• Carry out pre-flight checks and identify potential print issues before files reach production.
• Check page layouts, images, fonts, colour and resolution for suitability.
• Make minor amendments to artwork where required.
• Work with PDF files and industry-standard pre-press software.
• Ensure files are correctly imposed and prepared for the relevant printing process.
• Liaise with Sales, Production and other departments to resolve file and artwork queries.
• Manage multiple jobs and changing priorities while meeting strict print deadlines.
• Maintain accurate records and follow established production procedures.
• Carry out quality checks throughout the pre-press process.
• Help ensure production runs smoothly by identifying and resolving issues at the earliest opportunity.
• Maintain a clean, organised and efficient pre-press working environment.
• Provide additional cover during colleagues’ holidays and periods of increased workload.

Essential criteria:

The successful candidate will have:

• Previous experience in pre-press, reprographics, print production, newspaper production or a related environment.
• A good understanding of the print production process, particularly the requirements of newspaper printing.
• Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to checking files.
• Good knowledge of PDFs, file formats, image resolution, fonts and colour management.
• Experience working with Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly applications such as InDesign, Photoshop and Acrobat, would be highly desirable.
• An understanding of CMYK, spot colours, trapping, bleed, crop marks and print specifications.
• The ability to identify potential problems in artwork before they cause production issues.
• Good IT skills and confidence working with digital files and production systems.
• The ability to work accurately under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Good communication skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a production team.
• A flexible and dependable approach to working hours, particularly when providing holiday cover.
• A strong commitment to quality, accuracy and meeting production deadlines.

Desirable experience:

• Experience of any of the following would be advantageous:
• Newspaper or coldset web-offset printing.
• CTP (Computer-to-Plate) workflows.
• Imposition and plate production.
• Newspaper page make-up and pagination.
• RIP/workflow systems used within a commercial print environment.
• Automated pre-flight and PDF workflow systems.
• Working with editorial content and advertising material.
• Troubleshooting print-production issues.
• Experience of working to daily or overnight newspaper deadlines.

Personal qualities:

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Accurate and detail-focused – small errors can have a significant impact on a print run.
• Reliable and dependable – particularly important when working independently and providing holiday cover.
• Calm under pressure – newspaper production can involve tight and immovable deadlines.
• Proactive – able to spot potential problems rather than simply passing them through the workflow.
• Technically minded – comfortable learning new software, systems and production processes.
• Organised – able to prioritise competing jobs and respond to changing production requirements.
• A team player – willing to communicate and work closely with colleagues across the business.

Hours:

10 hours per week working each Thursday, with additional hours available to provide holiday cover for the pre-press team.

Why join Mortons Print and Mailing Ltd?

This is an opportunity to join an established print and mailing operation and play an important role in ensuring newspaper and commercial print work reaches production accurately, efficiently and on time.

If you have a keen eye for detail, enjoy working with technology and understand the importance of getting print files right first time, we’d like to hear from you.

TO APPLY:

Please submit your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for this role to the Operational Managing Director, [email protected]

Application Deadline: 25th September 2026