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Also called back up machine operator, bag press operator, bander and liner operator and box press operator.
$45,780
Median pay a year
144,260
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Printing Press Operator resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Printing Press Operator
Summary
Printing press operator setting up and running various printing machines, checking ink coverage and alignment, and ensuring paper and ink meet job specifications
Experience
Printing Press Operator
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Started presses and pulled proofs to check ink coverage and alignment
Examined job orders to find quantities, stock specifications, and colors
Adjusted ink fountain flow rates for proper ink distribution
Verified that paper and ink met job specifications before printing
Collected and inspected random samples during print runs for adjustments
Fed paper through press cylinders and adjusted feed and tension controls
Monitored automated press systems and responded to error messages
Skills
Core Skills
Inspecting printed materials, Directing operational activities, Reviewing blueprints and instructions, Reading work orders or instructions, Monitoring production impacts, Monitoring equipment operation, Driver's license, Downloading data
Hands-On Work
Cleaning production equipment, Loading materials into production equipment, Adjusting equipment controls
Education
High School Diploma Your school, Year
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What did you do each day?
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Started presses and checked proofsExamined job orders for detailsAdjusted ink flow ratesVerified paper and ink met specsCollected samples during print runsLoaded paper and made adjustments
becomes
On your resume
Started printing presses and checked proofs to ensure quality and accuracy of printed materials.
Adjusted ink flow rates to achieve optimal color density and coverage during print runs
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Add how often you checked proofs during print runs.
The line
Started printing presses and checked proofs for every job I ran to ensure quality and accuracy of printed materials
Add how often you checked proofs during print runs.
Pick one that fits
Every job I ranMost print runsEach shift I worked
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In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
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Show what improved because you adjusted ink flow rates.
The line
Adjusted ink flow rates to achieve optimal color density and coverage during print runs
Show what improved because you adjusted ink flow rates.
Pick one that fits
Colors were more vibrantPrint quality was more consistentLess waste of ink occurred
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
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What it is made of
Skills for a Printing Press Operator resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Inspecting printed materials
Cleaning production equipment
Loading materials into production equipment
Adjusting equipment controls
Downloading data
Directing operational activities
Reviewing blueprints and instructions
Reading work orders or instructions
Monitoring production impacts
Monitoring equipment operation
Evaluating material quality
Mixing ingredients
The work itself
What a Printing Press Operator does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes short-run offset printing presses.
What it pays
How much does a Printing Press Operator make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$37,390
Median
$45,780
75th percentile
$55,740
About 144,260 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$42,370
$46,460
$50,250
AL
$29,760
$36,670
$45,110
AR
$37,960
$46,470
$58,240
AZ
$38,420
$42,950
$48,530
CA
$38,530
$46,110
$54,870
CO
$40,520
$47,860
$52,250
CT
$37,750
$45,670
$59,110
DC
$71,530
$116,630
$130,850
DE
$36,200
$44,600
$48,940
FL
$35,560
$41,180
$47,000
GA
$35,180
$41,520
$48,980
HI
$37,940
$45,390
$53,980
IA
$34,610
$40,790
$48,240
ID
$35,460
$38,650
$46,090
IL
$36,470
$46,260
$59,170
IN
$37,680
$45,230
$50,380
KS
$35,120
$41,890
$47,540
KY
$41,340
$48,000
$59,140
LA
$31,400
$37,650
$46,920
MA
$44,550
$53,050
$64,230
MD
$38,700
$47,840
$59,650
ME
$41,270
$47,430
$57,620
MI
$37,860
$45,280
$50,370
MN
$41,530
$48,560
$61,490
MO
$37,720
$46,130
$54,890
MS
$30,000
$38,400
$52,180
MT
$34,250
$42,220
$47,810
NC
$36,910
$45,630
$53,670
ND
$32,340
$37,850
$49,100
NE
$39,900
$42,070
$48,400
NH
$39,000
$48,410
$59,520
NJ
$43,650
$50,430
$63,950
NM
$33,760
$37,110
$48,200
NV
$36,300
$43,500
$50,740
NY
$38,970
$47,860
$58,630
OH
$37,190
$45,760
$56,180
OK
$29,710
$36,760
$46,350
OR
$40,620
$48,760
$58,390
PA
$38,080
$47,010
$56,350
PR
$22,840
$26,100
$36,060
RI
$44,930
$45,380
$59,010
SC
$36,640
$40,470
$47,640
SD
$35,810
$44,930
$51,990
TN
$36,370
$43,160
$49,200
TX
$35,880
$42,550
$49,080
UT
$35,290
$41,030
$47,750
VA
$36,040
$44,020
$54,240
VT
$44,350
$46,460
$58,980
WA
$46,120
$49,800
$60,130
WI
$40,080
$47,330
$59,770
WV
$33,560
$41,200
$49,260
WY
$30,980
$40,760
$52,710
Other names
Other names for this job
back up machine operator, bag press operator, bander and liner operator, box press operator, cellophane press operator, collating machine operator, collator operator, cut and print machine operator, cut press operator, cutting and printing machine operator, cylinder press operator, design printing machine set up operator.
More names for this work
die stamping press operator, digital color press operator, digital press operator, digital print operator, digital printer operator, digital production operator, embossing machine operator, embossing press operator, embossograph operator, engraver set up operator, engraving press operator, flexo operator, flexo press operator, flexographic press operator, flexographic press set up operator, flexographic printing press operator, folding rules printing machine operator, gravure press operator, gravure press set up operator, instant print operator, job press operator, kelly machine operator, large sheetfed press operator, laser printing operator, letterset press set up operator, lithoduplicator operator, lithograph press operator, lithographic press operator, lithographing machine operator, marking machine operator, nipping machine operator, offset duplicating machine operator, offset duplicating machine set up operator, offset lithographic press operator, offset lithographic press setup operator, offset lithographic set up operator, offset machine operator, offset press operator, offset printing operator, pin ticket machine operator, platen press operator, press operator, print line operator, print operator, print press operator, print shop operator, printer operator, printer slotter operator.
If you served
Military jobs this work counts as
From the crosswalk the US Department of Labor publishes itself. If one of these was your job, this page is about the civilian work it maps to.
4512 Combat Graphics Specialist
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This page is about the occupation Printing Press Operators. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.