What Do Printing Press Operator Do?
Occupation 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
- Monitor environmental factors, such as humidity and temperature, that may impact equipment performance and make necessary adjustments.
- Set up or operate auxiliary equipment, such as cutting, folding, plate-making, drilling, or laminating machines.
- Direct or monitor work of press crews.
- Input production job settings into workstation terminals that control automated printing systems.
- Monitor inventory levels on a regular basis, ordering or requesting additional supplies, as necessary.
- Control workflow scheduling or job tracking, using computer database software.
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Printing Press Operator Needed Skills
Below is a list of the skills most Printing Press Operators say are important on the job.
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:
- Letterer
- Printing Press Operator Apprentice
- Prepress Proofer
- Rolling Machine Operator
- Laser Printing Operator
Job Outlook 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. There will be an estimated 15,800 positions for Printing Press Operator per 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.
Do Printing Press Operators Make A Lot Of Money?
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 |
What Tools do Printing Press Operators Use?
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
Becoming a Printing Press Operator
Individuals working as a Printing Press Operator have obtained the following education levels:

What work experience do I need to become a Printing Press Operator?

Who Employs Printing Press Operators?

Printing Press Operators work in the following industries:

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Printing Press Operator might also be interested in the following careers:
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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