Career
Printing press operators
Run printing presses.
$45,780
Median pay
-8.7%
Job growth, 2025–35
12,100
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
- Start presses and pull proofs to check for ink coverage and density, alignment, and registration.
- Examine job orders to determine quantities to be printed, stock specifications, colors, or special printing instructions.
- Adjust ink fountain flow rates.
- Verify that paper and ink meet the specifications for a given job.
- Collect and inspect random samples during print runs to identify any necessary adjustments.
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 information & systems, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Start presses and pull proofs to check for ink coverage and density, alignment, and registration.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Operation and Control.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $45,780 a year and 12,100 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Printing ManagementCIP 10.0302
- Graphic and Printing Equipment Operator, General ProductionCIP 10.0305
- Printing Press OperatorCIP 10.0307
- Graphic Communications, OtherCIP 10.0399
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,270 · -3.6%
- Prepress Technicians and Workers$48,690 · -15.3%
- Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators$40,610 · -5.6%
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders$46,460 · +1.3%
- Print Binding and Finishing Workers$42,290 · -17.5%
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.