Occupation Profile for Printing Machine Operators
Set up or operate various types of printing machines, such as offset, letterset, intaglio, or gravure presses or screen printers to produce print on paper or other materials.
Signficant Points
- Most printing machine operators are trained on the job.
- Retirements of older press operators are expected to create openings for skilled workers.
- Rising demand for customized print jobs will mean those skilled in digital printing operations will have the best job opportunities.
Knowledge
- Mechanical — Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
- English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- 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.
- 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.
Skills
- Operation and Control — Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operation Monitoring — Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Equipment Maintenance — Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Troubleshooting — Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Quality Control Analysis — Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Abilities
- Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Visual Color Discrimination — The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.