How To Become A Printer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a printer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

You've probably never thought about how a range of products, like food labels, newspapers, books, and posters, are produced. Individuals fulfilling the job of the printer are responsible for performing the different creative and practical tasks needed in the process of print production. Printers use specialized skills to operate a variety of machines on a daily basis.

Some of the tasks that printers frequently perform on the job include assessing print orders, deciding on materials and inserting them into the presses, performing quality checks, and maintaining the quality of the machines. If you'd like to be a printer, you'll need to have good hand-eye coordination, practical knowledge of machinery, and the ability to meet tight deadlines.

You may be able to become a printer by becoming involved in an apprenticeship with a printing company. If you're interested in this career field, you may also want to consider pursuing an Associate's degree in print technology or a related field.

ScorePrinterUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,219

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.6

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.50%

Asian 7.36%

Black or African American 9.76%

Hispanic or Latino 17.01%

Unknown 3.47%

White 61.90%

Gender

female 33.84%

male 66.16%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress Level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.3

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for Printer in Columbus, OH

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Key steps to become a printer

Explore printer education requirements

Most common printer degrees

High School Diploma

36.0 %

Bachelor's

27.7 %

Associate

19.8 %

Start to develop specific printer skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	40.99%
Data Entry	35.10%
Quality Standards	5.19%
PMS	2.91%
Automatic Press	1.79%

Complete relevant printer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New printers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a printer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real printer resumes.

Research printer duties and responsibilities

Manage one assistant, giving task and helping troubleshoot any issues with vector artwork.
Operate CNC and print press.
Operate large scale Epson printer for student use.
Assist in the set up and tearing down of presses, match colors with PMS book.

Prepare your printer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your printer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a printer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Printer Resume templates

Build a professional Printer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Printer resume.