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Date: 06/20/2026

Printing Press Operators

Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes short-run offset printing presses.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Adjust digital files to alter print elements, such as fonts, graphics, or color separations.
    • Download completed jobs to archive media so that questions can be answered or jobs replicated.
    • Collect and inspect random samples during print runs to identify any necessary adjustments.
    • Monitor automated press operation systems and respond to fault, error, or alert messages.
    • Load presses with paper and make necessary adjustments, according to paper size.
    • Clean ink fountains, plates, or printing unit cylinders when press runs are completed.
    • 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.
    • Monitor environmental factors, such as humidity and temperature, that may impact equipment performance and make necessary adjustments.
    • Change press plates, blankets, or cylinders, as required.
    • Obtain or mix inks and fill ink fountains.
    • Set up or operate auxiliary equipment, such as cutting, folding, plate-making, drilling, or laminating machines.
    • Direct or monitor work of press crews.
    • Control workflow scheduling or job tracking, using computer database software.
    • Start presses and pull proofs to check for ink coverage and density, alignment, and registration.
    • Adjust ink fountain flow rates.
    • Verify that paper and ink meet the specifications for a given job.
    • Feed paper through press cylinders and adjust feed and tension controls.
    • Secure printing plates to printing units and adjust tolerances.
    • Obtain or mix inks and fill ink fountains.
    • Clean or oil presses or make minor repairs, using hand tools.
    • Clean or oil presses or make minor repairs, using hand tools.
    • 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.
    • Examine job orders to determine quantities to be printed, stock specifications, colors, or special printing instructions.
    • Collect and inspect random samples during print runs to identify any necessary adjustments.
    • Maintain time or production records.
    • Monitor inventory levels on a regular basis, ordering or requesting additional supplies, as necessary.
    • Monitor environmental factors, such as humidity and temperature, that may impact equipment performance and make necessary adjustments.
    • Download or scan files to be printed, using printing production software.

    Skills

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    Knowledge

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 45270/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 21.76/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 138,000
    • Yearly Projected Openings 13700

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness

    Tools

    • Acoustic ear muffs or defenders
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Air dryers
    • Ball peen hammer
    • Belt conveyors
    • Claw hammer
    • Conductivity meters
    • Dating or numbering machines
    • Densitometers
    • Desktop computers
    • Digital cameras
    • Document camera
    • Ear plugs
    • Flexographic printer
    • Grease guns
    • Hand trucks or accessories
    • Height gauges
    • Hex keys
    • High capacity removable media drives
    • Hoists
    • Industrial shrink wrap equipment
    • Laminators
    • Laser printers
    • Letter folders
    • Letterpress equipment
    • Levels
    • Lifts
    • Locking pliers
    • Magnifiers
    • Micrometers
    • Notebook computers
    • Offset printing plate processors
    • Offset printing presses
    • Pad printer
    • Pallet trucks
    • Paper cutting machines or accessories
    • Paper drilling machines
    • Paper jogging machines
    • Perforating machines
    • Personal computers
    • Photocopiers
    • Photogravure printing machines
    • Platemakers
    • Printing assemblers
    • Printing collators or decollators
    • Printing cutters
    • Printing guillotines
    • Printing presses
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Putty knives
    • Ratchets
    • Rulers
    • Safety glasses
    • Scanners
    • Screwdrivers
    • Silk screen printing machines
    • Silk screen vacuum printing frames
    • Spectrophotometers
    • Stackers
    • Stapler units
    • Tape measures
    • Thermal book binding machines
    • Wrapping machinery
    • pH meters

    Technology

    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Desktop publishing software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Financial analysis software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Industrial control software
    • Inventory management software
    • Office suite software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.

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