DTG Pre-Press Specialist

Tank Stream Design | Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast QLD | Full-Time Reports to: Brand Manager

Born and bred on the Gold Coast of Australia, our company designs and develops unique lifestyle apparel and accessories for quality retailers around the world. Our market leading lifestyle brands are designed and developed to the highest standards by our talented in-house team with an eye for quality, attention to detail and a passion for the outdoor lifestyle.

From humble beginnings, we have experienced continuous growth over the last 22 years. We are now stocked in retailers all over Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Canada and the USA. We have established an excellent reputation for innovative and quality products that our retailers and consumers love equally.

Every print we put out the door carries our name — across Earth Nymph and Pacific Creations. The DTG Pre-Press Specialist oversees artwork preparation, print sampling, and production-ready file management, acting as the critical link between creative, graphics, and production teams to keep output accurate, efficient, and on time.

This isn't a back-office file-prep job. You're the last line of defence between artwork and garment — the person who makes sure colour is right, files are clean, and what leaves our production floor is print-ready, every time. You'll own print quality end to end — colour separation, RIP settings, proofing, troubleshooting — starting from a DTG base and extending across UV flatbed, UV roll-to-roll, and screen print as our production needs grow. You're the go-to person the production floor turns to when something doesn't look right, on any machine.

• Prepare and optimise artwork files for DTG printing, Laser engraving, UV print and digital cutting — resolution, sizing, colour mode, file format.

• Perform colour separation and set up underbase/highlight channels for accurate colour on light and dark garments

• Manage ICC colour profiles and RIP software settings to match brand and Pantone standards

• Build and check pre-print proofs and mockups before production runs

• Diagnose and fix print quality issues traced to file or pre-press faults — banding, dot gain, colour shift, poor ink coverage, registration

• Maintain a library of print-ready templates and artwork standards for repeat styles

• Work closely with the design and graphics team to catch artwork issues before they hit the print floor

• Test and refine print settings as garments, substrates, and inks change

• Keep clear records of colour profiles, settings, and fixes so quality holds up across shifts and operators

• Extend pre-press and colour management across UV flatbed and UV roll-to-roll printing as needed — substrate-specific file setup, ink curing and adhesion considerations, and colour density calibration

• Support screen print pre-press work, including screen references and underprint colour setups, alongside DTG

• Set and enforce quality benchmarks for colour vibrancy, sharpness, ink coverage and finish across every print method we run

• Co-ordinate offshore portal and namedrop management.

• Elastic file creation.

• Proven experience in DTG pre-press; exposure to UV flatbed, UV roll-to-roll, or screen print pre-press is a strong plus

• Strong working knowledge of RIP software (Ergosoft, Kothari, Caldera or similar)

• Solid understanding of ICC colour profiles, colour separation, and underbase/white setup for DTG, with the ability to pick up equivalent setup for UV and screen print

• Advanced Photoshop and Illustrator skills — vectorising, colour correction, file cleanup

• A sharp eye for colour accuracy and print detail

• An understanding of how file setup affects print outcome — ink limits, resolution, garment type

• The ability to hold quality under production deadlines

• Experience across multiple garment types and substrates (cotton, poly-blends, performance fabrics)

• Familiarity with white under-base troubleshooting for dark garments

• Background in a wholesale or multi-brand production environment

• Industry Experience: Background in apparel, fashion, or textile production.

• Leadership: Experience supervising, mentoring, or coordinating offshore or on-site team members.

• Systems: Familiarity with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software and digital order workflows.

• A genuine ownership role — build and shape the pre-press function as our print volume grows

• Direct input into product quality across in-house brands

• Based at our Gold Coast production facility in Burleigh Heads

• A team that backs your judgement on quality, not just your output