Printing Press Operators
What Printing Press Operators Do
Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes short-run offset printing presses.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 4.2%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Mechanicalimportance 3.8/5
- Production and Processingimportance 3.7/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.9/5
- English Languageimportance 2.8/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.8/5
- Mathematicsimportance 2.7/5
- Chemistryimportance 2.5/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.1/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0/5
- Time Pressure4.8/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.7/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
- Exposed to Contaminants4.5/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers97% skill match
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand97% skill match
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals96% skill match
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
- Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
- Sailors and Marine Oilers96% skill match
- Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.9/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.3/5
- Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.1/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 3.1/5
- Repairingimportance 3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- AABACH Graphic Systems DIGRA
- Adobe LifeCycle Production Print ES3
- Adobe PageMaker
- Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
- Electronics for Imaging EFI Monarch
- Electronics for Imaging EFI Pace
- Email software
- Enfocus PitStop Pro
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Achievement Orientation
- Perseverance
- Stress Tolerance
- Adaptability
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ConventionalHigh
- RealisticMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
- SocialLow
- InvestigativeLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where printing press operators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Lawrence, KS10.34× national avg
- 2Mankato, MN8.24× national avg
- 3Green Bay, WI7.79× national avg
- 4Oshkosh-Neenah, WI7.06× national avg
- 5Terre Haute, IN5.62× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Graphic and Printing Equipment Operator, General Production
- Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)grads earn ~$43,058
- Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, IL)grads earn ~$43,970
- Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, FL)grads earn ~$75,213
- Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)grads earn ~$51,962
- Front Range Community College (Westminster, CO)grads earn ~$34,184