Scott Orcutt Email & Phone Number

Printing is not a static industry. I had the privilege to enter this industry when Prepress was a craft that took precision and skill. We had to visualize what the end result would be when we were handed some black and white artboards and a stack of photographs. We would go into the darkroom and come out with negatives that didn't look anything like the final printed piece would unlike today when the art we are handed already looks like the final piece; prepress of today is just shaping that art to the final specifications rather than creating the a positive image out of negative. A lot of what we did had almost a magical quality; creating four color printed pieces out of black and white art.Having this traditional background has contributed to my success as a Digital Prepress Operator. I understand how important it is to place art at the exact coordinates, not just let the elements snap in place.While doing my work I have always analyzed the files and confirmed that what comes from my work will meet the requirements for the next step in the manufacturing process (printing) but will meet the needs of all the steps in the workflow. I have come to believe that the most important function in prepress is to make everyone else's job in the manufacturing process easier.I feel it is important to always work as a team. To be successful, we all need to be successful. Over the past 18 months I have had the privilege to take on the role as a mentor. I have been able to help someone new to the trade, helping him to learn and understand his role and to improve his skills to be successful. I have been able to help him out just like the old table strippers helped me learn and build my skill-set.Recently I was helping a CSR new to printing understand some of the items required in the printing process. It is very important that she can understand what it takes to have a successful print project so she too can have a successful career.I have a vast knowledge and understanding of prepress and printing that I do want to go to waste. Prepress itself is a dying position. Through automation and the improved skills of the graphic artist there is less job satisfaction, the challenges that once made prepress satisfying are few and far in-between.I would like to be able to apply my skills and knowledge in other areas of print. Some of these opportunities welcomed would be as a graphic coordinator, a preflighting role or as a consultant.

Listed skills include Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Creative Suite, 21 Years In Packaging Prepress Environment, Adobe Photoshop, and 3 others.

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  Western Washington University

  Visual Communication