Careers / Printing Press Operators
Printing Press Operators — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$45,780
United States, 2025
Employment
144,260
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes short-run offset printing presses.
- O*NET code
- 51-5112.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Clean ink fountains, plates, or printing unit cylinders when press runs are completed.
- 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.
- Feed paper through press cylinders and adjust feed and tension controls.
- Monitor automated press operation systems and respond to fault, error, or alert messages.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$33,330
25th percentile
$37,390
75th percentile
$55,740
90th percentile
$63,520
Most important skills
- Quality Control Analysis3.9
- Operations Monitoring3.6
- Operation and Control3.3
- Monitoring3.3
- Repairing3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Equipment Maintenance3.1
- Time Management3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Troubleshooting3.1
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 15 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
15
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.9 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Operation and Control | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Repairing | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Printing Press OperatorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC | $116,630 | 350 | 2025 |
| Harrisonburg, VA | $64,180 | 130 | 2025 |
| Rochester, MN | $59,200 | 90 | 2025 |
| Staunton, VA | $58,850 | 70 | 2025 |
| Oshkosh, WI | $58,750 | 610 | 2025 |
| Fort Smith, AR | $56,350 | 180 | 2025 |
| Trenton, NJ | $55,920 | 180 | 2025 |
| Springfield, MA | $55,740 | 270 | 2025 |
| Manchester, NH | $54,230 | 240 | 2025 |
| Worcester, MA | $53,210 | 210 | 2025 |
| MA | $53,050 | 2,110 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $52,180 | 1,360 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $52,040 | 1,410 | 2025 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | $51,510 | 40 | 2025 |
| Wausau, WI | $50,650 | 120 | 2025 |
| Merced, CA | $50,640 | 90 | 2025 |
| Kenosha, WI | $50,540 | 50 | 2025 |
| NJ | $50,430 | 4,180 | 2025 |
| Fond du Lac, WI | $50,310 | 70 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $50,280 | 1,050 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Printing Press Operators to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.