I am a Prepress Technician and Digital Press Operator with 30+ years of experience in print production, prepress, and desktop publishing. This foundation is built on a formal education in printing and technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). My fascination with the intersection of printing and computers began in childhood, when I used an Atari and a dot-matrix printer to create custom cards, signs, and banners using The Print Shop software.
Today, I bring that passion to the production floor, processing files and managing digital press runs with technical accuracy from setup to final delivery. Over the last decade, I have specialized in integrated software and hardware systems, gaining deep knowledge of modern prepress and digital press operations. I am highly proficient with Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat), Fiery Command WorkStation, and Digital Front Ends (DFEs).
EXPERIENCE
• UTAP (Current): Run the prepress and digital printing departments for a commercial/trade print shop. Preflight, prepare, and impose print files, troubleshoot issues, and manage CTP plate making for Heidelberg offset presses. Operate digital presses for short-run and high-volume production.
• CopyMat SF (9 years): Gained advanced commercial prepress skills including intricate impositions, die lines, and templates for variable data printing. Operated digital presses to produce high-quality work for Fortune 500, corporate, and tech clients while maintaining strict brand and color standards.
• Copy Central (2 years): Handled solo shifts at neighborhood quick print shops managing every stage of production from customer service to final delivery.
• Tech Sector Career Chapter (15 years): Advanced from Web Producer to Sr. Information Architect / Interaction Designer blueprinting complex digital systems. Leveraged advanced desktop publishing skills to author comprehensive, paper-based design specifications before intentionally returning to the print industry.
• Kinko’s OSU (4 years): Built foundational roots at a high volume 24-hour campus shop, advancing from Key Operator to Production Manager while mastering print operations and production scheduling.
EDUCATION
I earned a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Information Technology from RIT, beginning in the School of Printing. After switching my major to IT, those courses became the foundation of a custom concentration in Printing Management. I decided to focus on technology to understand the changing print landscape and emerging new media.
ROOTS AND RESIDENCE
I grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating college, I moved to New York City for a few years before moving out West. I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 25 years and currently reside in the East Bay.