Career
Photographic process workers and processing machine operators
Develop and print photographs.
$40,610
Median pay
-5.6%
Job growth, 2025–35
600
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software.
- Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols.
- Produce color or black-and-white photographs, negatives, or slides, applying standard photographic reproduction techniques and procedures.
- Set or adjust machine controls, according to specifications, type of operation, or material requirements.
- Review computer-processed digital images for quality.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Active Listening, Speaking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $40,610 a year and 600 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Prepress Technicians and Workers$48,690 · -15.3%
- Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers$52,720 · -15.5%
- Printing Press Operators$45,780 · -8.7%
- Etchers and Engravers$43,310 · -0.7%
- Office Machine Operators, Except Computer$40,960 · -14.9%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.