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What Does it Take to Be a Printing Press Operator?
Job Description: Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes short-run offset printing presses.
List of Printing Press Operator Job Duties
- Set up or operate auxiliary equipment, such as cutting, folding, plate-making, drilling, or laminating machines.
- Clean ink fountains, plates, or printing unit cylinders when press runs are completed.
- Load presses with paper and make necessary adjustments, according to paper size.
- Examine job orders to determine quantities to be printed, stock specifications, colors, or special printing instructions.
- Clean or oil presses or make minor repairs, using hand tools.
- Adjust ink fountain flow rates.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Printing Press Operator?
These are the skills Printing Press Operators say are the most useful in their careers:
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.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
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.
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
- Offset Lithographic Press Setter
- Wad Printing Machine Operator
- Ratoprinter
- Type Copyist
- Engrosser
Are There Job Opportunities for Printing Press Operators?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 178,700 jobs in the United States for Printing Press Operator. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Printing Press Operator. The BLS estimates 15,800 yearly job openings in this field.
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.
Printing Press Operator Average Salary
The salary for Printing Press Operators ranges between about $22,690 and $58,710 a year.
Printing Press Operators who work in District of Columbia, Alaska, or Minnesota, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Printing Press Operators in different U.S. states.
| 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?
What education is needed to be a Printing Press Operator?
What work experience do I need to become a Printing Press Operator?
Where Printing Press Operators Work
The table below shows the approximate number of Printing Press Operators employed by various industries.
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those interested in being a Printing Press Operator may also be interested in:
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
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