Production Graphic Designer

CutPrintShip is an on‑demand B2B contract manufacturer based in Rocklin, CA. We run laser cutters, UV flatbed and roll‑to‑roll printers, dye‑sublimation systems, engravers, and finishing equipment — producing custom laser‑cut products, printed parts, signage, packaging, and specialty goods across a wide range of materials including metal, acrylic, wood, chipboard, vinyl, plastics, leather, and more. We’re actively expanding our capabilities and building an AI‑driven production pipeline where smart tooling and automation replace manual bottlenecks. This is not a traditional design agency — it’s a production floor where your files go straight to machines.

THE ROLE
We’re hiring a Production Designer who can build print‑ready, machine‑ready files fast and accurately. You’ll prepare artwork for UV flatbed printing, roll‑to‑roll printing, dye‑sublimation, laser cutting, and engraving across a wide range of materials — metal, acrylic, wood, chipboard, vinyl, plastics, leather, and more. Many projects require same‑day turnaround, so speed and accuracy are non‑negotiable.

This is a hands‑on production role — not a creative branding position. You’ll work with customer submitted files, build spot channel layers (white ink, varnish, cut lines), set up gang sheets, vectorise raster artwork, and script repetitive tasks to keep throughput high. You’ll also need to learn what designs are possible on each material and flag potential production issues before files go to the machines. You’ll be at our facility in Rocklin, CA — this is not a remote position.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Build production files in Adobe Illustrator with proper layer structure: PRINT, WHITE, VARNISH, CUT, ENGRAVE

Set up spot colour channels and masks for UV flatbed printing (white ink underprint, spot varnish, raised texture effects)

Create and verify cut files (vector cut paths, kiss‑cut lines, die lines) for laser cutting and contour cutting

Prepare gang sheets / print bed layouts for batch production runs

Vectorise raster artwork (PNGs, JPEGs) quickly and cleanly using image trace and manual cleanup

Preflight customer files: verify dimensions, bleed, safe zones, colour mode, layer structure, and font outlines

Build and maintain reusable production templates for repeat products

Write ExtendScript (.jsx) or use AI‑assisted tools to automate repetitive file prep tasks

Work in Adobe Photoshop for raster editing, spot channel builds, and TIFF export workflows

Collaborate directly with production staff to troubleshoot file issues and maintain fast turnaround

Learn material‑specific design rules for laser cutting (e.g., minimum feature sizes, kerf compensation, bridge requirements, heat‑affected zones) and flag designs that push the limits of a given material before production

Prepare files for multiple output types: UV flatbed, roll‑to‑roll, dye‑sublimation, and laser — understanding the requirements of each

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Expert‑level Adobe Illustrator skills — you live in this application. Pen tool, Pathfinder, compound paths, clipping masks, artboard management, and layer discipline are second nature.

Strong Adobe Photoshop skills — comfortable with channels, masks, spot colours, layer comps, and high‑resolution raster workflows.

Production print experience — you understand spot channels, overprint, white ink layers, varnish masks, bleed, and safe zones. Experience in sticker/label printing, sign production, or wide‑format is ideal.

Cut file proficiency — you’ve built die lines, kiss‑cut paths, or laser cut files. You understand the difference between a cut path and a print path.

Vectorisation skills — you can take a low‑res PNG or JPEG and produce a clean, production‑ready vector quickly.

Speed under pressure — many jobs are same‑day turnaround. You work fast without cutting corners on file accuracy.

Material awareness — willingness to learn what designs work on which materials. You’ll need to understand that a design that cuts clean in acrylic may fail in chipboard or thin metal, and catch those issues before production.

NICE TO HAVE

Experience with UV flatbed printing workflows and RIP software

Hands‑on knowledge of laser cutting across multiple materials (metal, acrylic, wood, chipboard, vinyl, leather)

Experience building ExtendScript (.jsx) for Illustrator or Photoshop batch automation

Background in sign production, packaging, label/sticker manufacturing, or industrial print

Comfort with file formats across the production spectrum: AI, PDF, EPS, SVG, DXF, TIFF, PSD

Experience ganging / nesting artwork on print sheets or cut beds for material efficiency

Familiarity with roll‑to‑roll or dye‑sublimation print workflows

WORK ENVIRONMENT & EQUIPMENT
You’ll work on‑site at our production facility in Rocklin, CA. We’re actively expanding our capabilities. Our shop currently runs:

Roland TrueVIS VF2-640 eco‑solvent roll‑to‑roll printer/cutter

Mimaki TS330-1600 dye‑sublimation printer

Fiber laser cutter (1500W, upgrading to 3kW) — 5′ × 10′ bed

CO2 laser (150W) — acrylic, wood, chipboard, cardboard, rubber, leather, vinyl

Additional finishing and fabrication equipment (brake, heat press, 3D printer, and more)

Adobe Creative Cloud 2026 (Illustrator, Photoshop, full suite)

Your files feed directly to these machines. Understanding how each piece of production equipment interprets your output — and what each material can handle — is a core part of the job.

COMPENSATION & GROWTH

$25–$30/hour based on experience

Part‑time to start, transitioning to full‑time

On‑site at our Rocklin, CA facility — this is not a remote position

Opportunity to grow into a lead production graphic designer role as we scale

Work directly with ownership in a fast‑moving, technology‑forward manufacturing environment

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