National Occupational Classification, TEER 4
NOC 94151: Camera, platemaking and other prepress occupations
Camera and platemaking workers operate graphic arts cameras and scanners, assemble film and negatives and prepare, engrave and etch printing plates or cylinders for various types of printing presses. Below are the main duties, all 124 job titles it covers, what it means for Express Entry and what it pays in each province.
Updated
- Official NOC 2021 data
- Job Bank wages
What is NOC 94151?
NOC 94151 is the code for camera, platemaking and other prepress occupations in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021. Job titles in this group include camera operator - graphic arts, cylinder preparer - printing, dot etcher - printing and file preparation operator. It is a TEER 4 occupation (usually a high school diploma or several weeks of on-the-job training), so it does not count as skilled work for Express Entry. The Job Bank median wage across Canada is $25.85 an hour.
- NOC code
- 94151
- TEER
- 4: High school or several weeks of training
- Broad category
- Occupations in manufacturing and utilities
- Express Entry
- Not skilled
- Category draws
- None
- Median wage
- $25.85 an hour
Job titles under NOC 94151
Camera and platemaking workers operate graphic arts cameras and scanners, assemble film and negatives and prepare, engrave and etch printing plates or cylinders for various types of printing presses. They are employed in firms that specialize in colour graphics or platemaking and cylinder preparation, commercial publishing and printing companies, newspapers, magazines, and in various establishments in the public and private sectors that have in-house printing departments.
Main job titles
- camera operator - graphic arts
- cylinder preparer - printing
- dot etcher - printing
- file preparation operator
- film stripper-assembler
- platemaker - printing
- pre-flight operator - printing
- prepress technician
- printing plate engraver
- proofmaker
- screenmaker
- studio-image-processing system operator
All 124 job titles in the NOC index
alignment examiner - printing, assistant newspaper make-up man/woman, automated letterer-engraver, bright type processor, camera operator - graphic arts, camera operator - printing, carbon tissue cylinder preparer - printing, clamper - camera and platemaking, colour correction scanning machine operator, colour edition preparer - printing, colour printer-technician - photographic processing, colour scanner operator - printing, colour separation assistant - scanning, colour separation camera operator, colour separation camera operator - printing, colour separation electronic scanning machine operator, colour separation operator, colour-editing terminal operator - printing, computer-assisted letterer-engraver, contact printer, copper engraver - camera and platemaking, copper photoengraver, copperplate photoengraver, cylinder painter - printing, cylinder preparer - printing, cylinder-impresser operator, digital printing technician, dot etcher, dot etcher - printing, electronic engraver, electronic prepress technician, electroplating tank tender, electrostatic camera operator, electrotyper - printing, electrotyper and platemaker, engraver, printing cylinders, engraver-letterer, engraver-transferrer, etcher - printing, etching corrector, file preparation operator, film assembler, film sizer, film stripper, film stripper and layout specialist - printing, film stripper specialist - printing, film stripper-assembler, film stripper-assembler - printing, flexible plate engraver, flexible printing plate mounter, flexible-plate hand engraver, flexographic mounter-proofer, flexographic printing cylinder assembler, graphic arts camera operator, gravure printer - prepress, halftone camera operator - printing, image processing operator, image reproduction machine operator, image setter operator, image-processing system operator, laser beam colour scanner operator, lineup examiner - printing, lithographic plate preparer, lithographic platemaker, monochrome plate film stripper, negative merger, negative spotter - printing, offset plate preparer, offset platemaker, offset printing plate preparer, opticopy keypunch operator - printing, opticopy machine operator - printing, opticopy offline programmer - printing, opticopy program tape preparer - printing, pantograph setter, pantographer - printing, paper-plate maker, photoengraver - printing, photoengraving etcher - printing, photoengraving finisher, photoengraving platemaker, photoengraving retoucher - printing, photogravure camera operator - printing, photopolymer platemaker, picture engraver - printing, plate finisher - printing, plate grainer - printing, plate processor - printing, plate processor operator - printing, plate-graining machine tender, platemaker, platemaker - printing, platemaking etcher, pre-flight operator - printing, prepress technician, preprint-coating machine tender, print roller repairer, print transferrer - printing, printing cylinder engraver, printing plate engraver, printing plate moulder, printing plate presensitizer tender, process camera operator, processor - printing, proofmaker, proofmaker - printing, roller engraver - printing, rotogravure cylinder technician, rotogravure press technician, scanner operator - printing, screenmaker, siderographer - printing, silkscreen assembler - printing, stager - printing, stencil preparer, step and repeat camera operator, stereotyper, stripper - printing, stripper-image assembler - printing, stripper-layout specialist - printing, studio-image-processing system operator, template engraver, tracer-transferrer, transferrer.
Main duties of NOC 94151
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Graphic arts camera operators, scanner operators, film strippers and assemblers
- Set up and adjust black and white or colour separation process cameras to convert graphic art and photographs into film for assembly and exposure onto printing plates or cylinders
- Operate computerized scanning machines or digital cameras to make colour separations and corrections from colour copy or transparencies for use in preparing film, digital files, printing plates or cylinders
- Assemble and position, either using automated equipment or by hand, pieces of film containing all parts of a printing job to produce flats or composite negatives for preparing printing plates or cylinders.
Etchers and engravers
- Examine the text, design, or pattern to determine how it will be etched or engraved onto the workpiece
- Prepare surface of workpiece for etching or engraving by cleaning, polishing, treating, and applying additional methods
- Etch or engrave the text, design or pattern onto the workpiece using hand tools, etching machines, photogravure or laser processes.
- Prepress technicians, platemakers, proofmakers, and pre-flight/file-preparation operators
- Operate various computer-controlled studio systems to perform colour separation, retouching and editing that allow changes to be made to a colour negative for printing purposes, plan page layouts and electronically alter shape, size and positions of illustrations and text
- Prepare and initiate the development of printing plates for the offset process and are responsible for the maintenance of plate flasher type devices (CTP, Computer to plate)
- Operate vacuum frames, plate processors and step and repeat machines to produce printing plates for various types of presses
- Operate computerized equipment to prepare film, laser or dylux proofs for quality control purposes and for customers' review.
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is required.
- Completion of a college program in graphic arts technology or a combination of on-the-job training and specialized college, industry or other courses may be required.
- Trade certification for some occupations in this group is available, but voluntary, in Ontario, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Is NOC 94151 eligible for Express Entry?
Not for the main Express Entry programs, which need TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 work. TEER 4 jobs can still lead to permanent residence through some provincial and other programs, so check each program's own list.
| Program or draw | NOC 94151 |
|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker Program | Does not count (TEER 4) |
| Canadian Experience Class | Does not count (TEER 4) |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program | Not a listed trade |
| Occupation category draws (2026) | Not on any occupation list |
| French-language proficiency (category draw) | Open to any occupation with NCLC 7 in French |
Read how TEER categories work and the full list of NOC codes in each 2026 category draw. Category draws also need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same amount part-time) in one listed occupation within the past 3 years.
How much does NOC 94151 pay?
Job Bank wages for this occupation, per hour. Low and high are, in most cases, the 10th and 90th percentiles, so 8 in 10 workers earn somewhere between them.
| Area | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $20.03 | $25.85 | $38.09 |
| Nova Scotia | $21.00 | $25.55 | $31.69 |
| Quebec | $19.53 | $23.60 | $31.94 |
| Ontario | $20.93 | $28.98 | $37.95 |
| Manitoba | $21.78 | $28.14 | $33.81 |
| Saskatchewan | $20.00 | $23.24 | $27.31 |
| Alberta | $20.53 | $27.44 | $38.44 |
| British Columbia | $22.89 | $28.04 | $37.12 |
Source: Job Bank, Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank 2025 wages, revised November 19, 2025), data from 2024 (Small Area Estimation). Wages for job offers in LMIA and provincial programs are compared with these figures, so check the current numbers on Job Bank before you rely on them.
Using NOC 94151 duties on your resume
Canadian resumes do not list NOC codes. Employers read your job titles, what you did and what came of it. The NOC duties are still a useful checklist: if you did these tasks, say so in your own words and add the numbers that prove it.
For Express Entry, the reference letter from your employer should describe the duties you really performed, in line with this lead statement and most of the main duties, without copying the NOC text word for word. The free reference letter generator checks your duties against NOC 94151 as you write.
- Start each bullet with a strong verb and end it with a result: how many, how often, how fast.
- Use the job title your employer used, even if the NOC title is different.
- Keep immigration details such as your NOC code and permit type off the resume.
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Where this information comes from
Occupation codes, titles and descriptions are adapted from Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Wages come from Job Bank, Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank 2025 wages, revised November 19, 2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Express Entry rules come from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): the program pages for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the category-based selection page as modified on June 22, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for a camera operator - graphic arts?
NOC 94151, Camera, platemaking and other prepress occupations, a TEER 4 occupation in NOC 2021.
What TEER is NOC 94151?
TEER 4. Usually a high school diploma or several weeks of on-the-job training. The TEER is the second digit of the code. See all TEER categories.
Is NOC 94151 eligible for Express Entry?
Not for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Trades Program, which need TEER 0 to 3 work. Some provincial nominee programs and other pathways accept TEER 4 jobs.
Is NOC 94151 in an Express Entry category-based draw?
No. It is not on any 2026 occupation list. The French-language proficiency category is open to any occupation if you reach NCLC 7 in French. See every category.
How much does NOC 94151 pay in Canada?
The Job Bank median across Canada is $25.85 an hour, with most wages between $20.03 and $38.09. Pay varies by province: see the table above.
Where is the official description?
On the Statistics Canada and ESDC NOC site: search 94151 in NOC 2021 Version 1.0. This page shows the same text, from the open data Statistics Canada publishes.
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More on NOC codes and Canadian resumes
- NOC Code Finder: Describe your duties and get your NOC 2021 code, TEER and Express Entry eligibility. Free.
- NOC Codes Canada: Full List: All 516 NOC 2021 codes with their TEER, duties and wages.
- TEER Categories Explained: What TEER 0 to 5 means, which count for Express Entry, and every job in each one.
- Express Entry Category Draws: NOC Codes: Every NOC code on the 2026 healthcare, STEM, trades, education and other lists.
- Canadian Resume Examples by Job: Real examples for cashiers, caregivers, trades, tech, students and more.
- Newcomer Resume Guide: Turn international experience into a resume Canadian employers understand.