What You Need to Know About Printing Press Operator
Occupation Description Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes short-run offset printing presses.
Daily Life Of a Printing Press Operator
- Feed paper through press cylinders and adjust feed and tension controls.
- Change press plates, blankets, or cylinders, as required.
- Monitor inventory levels on a regular basis, ordering or requesting additional supplies, as necessary.
- Clean or oil presses or make minor repairs, using hand tools.
- Monitor automated press operation systems and respond to fault, error, or alert messages.
- Examine job orders to determine quantities to be printed, stock specifications, colors, or special printing instructions.
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Qualities of a Printing Press Operator
Printing Press Operators state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Cylinder Press Operator Apprentice
- Press Operator
- Electrotype Finisher
- Gilder
- Lithographic Press Operator
Is There Job Demand for Printing Press Operators?
In the United States, there were 178,700 jobs for Printing Press Operator in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Printing Press Operator. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 15,800 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Printing Press Operator are Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, Kentucky, or Hawaii. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Printing Press Operator Make?
Printing Press Operators make between $22,690 and $58,710 a year.
Printing Press Operators who work in District of Columbia, Alaska, or Minnesota, make the highest salaries.
How much do Printing Press Operators make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $30,740 |
Alaska | $48,140 |
Arizona | $34,240 |
Arkansas | $35,480 |
California | $39,380 |
Colorado | $39,370 |
Connecticut | $38,600 |
Delaware | $42,280 |
District of Columbia | $80,680 |
Florida | $33,640 |
Georgia | $34,000 |
Hawaii | $43,120 |
Idaho | $32,650 |
Illinois | $44,050 |
Indiana | $34,610 |
Iowa | $35,090 |
Kansas | $34,350 |
Kentucky | $33,540 |
Louisiana | $31,280 |
Maine | $35,380 |
Maryland | $39,850 |
Massachusetts | $42,890 |
Michigan | $36,070 |
Minnesota | $44,670 |
Mississippi | $32,690 |
Missouri | $42,920 |
Montana | $33,320 |
Nebraska | $35,110 |
Nevada | $36,040 |
New Hampshire | $43,250 |
New Jersey | $45,580 |
New Mexico | $32,220 |
New York | $41,770 |
North Carolina | $37,090 |
North Dakota | $35,410 |
Ohio | $36,730 |
Oklahoma | $30,430 |
Oregon | $37,920 |
Pennsylvania | $39,150 |
Rhode Island | $41,250 |
South Carolina | $35,770 |
South Dakota | $35,720 |
Tennessee | $38,170 |
Texas | $38,710 |
Utah | $35,550 |
Vermont | $40,570 |
Virginia | $38,690 |
Washington | $42,060 |
West Virginia | $30,630 |
Wisconsin | $38,430 |
Wyoming | $34,540 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Printing Press Operators
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Printing Press Operators may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Outlook
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
- Graphics software
- Inventory tracking software
- Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
- Adobe Systems Adobe PageMaker
- QuarkXPress
- Image editing software
- Adobe Systems Adobe LifeCycle Production Print ES3
How do I Become a Printing Press Operator?
Are there Printing Press Operators education requirements?
What work experience do I need to become a Printing Press Operator?
Who Employs Printing Press Operators?
Below are examples of industries where Printing Press Operators work:
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Those who work as a Printing Press Operator sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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