Index
Intro
Printing press operators set up and operate sheet and web-fed presses to print text, illustrations and designs on a wide variety of materials such as paper, plastic, glass, leather and metal. They are employed by commercial printing companies; newspapers, magazines, and other publishing companies; and establishments in the public and private sectors that have in-house printing departments.
Progression to supervisory positions, such as pressroom supervisor, is possible with experience.
Main Duties
Printing press operators perform some or all of the following duties:
- Review job orders to determine job specifications such as production time, colour sequence and quantities required, and advise press crew of these specifications
- Mount plates or cylinders and make necessary adjustments
- Fill ink fountains and take measurements, make adjustments and determine settings to control colour and viscosity
- Set up press and check samples for ink coverage, alignment and registration
- Monitor regular press runs for quality and consistency using computer control console and make adjustments as required
- Remove and clean plates and cylinders at end of press run
- Direct activities of press crew and ensure that safety procedures are adhered to.
Employment Requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a college program in printing technology
or
A combination of on-the-job training and specialized high school, college or industry courses is usually required. - Trade certification is available, but voluntary, in Québec.
All Titles
- apprentice press operatorapprentice pressman, apprentice presswoman
- apprentice press operator – printingapprentice pressman – printing, apprentice presswoman – printing
- apprentice pressman/woman
- apprentice pressman/woman – printing
- apprentice printing press operator
- assistant operator, printing press
- assistant press operator – printingassistant pressman, assistant pressman – printing, assistant presswoman, assistant presswoman – printing
- assistant pressman/woman
- assistant pressman/woman – printing
- commercial press operator
- cylinder press operator – printingcylinder pressman – printing, cylinder presswoman – printing
- cylinder press set-up operator
- cylinder pressman/woman – printing
- cylinder printing press set-up operator
- first press operator – printingfirst pressman, first pressman – printing, first presswoman, first presswoman – printing
- first pressman/woman
- first pressman/woman – printing
- flat-bed press set-up operator
- flexographic press adjuster
- flexographic press operatorflexographic pressman, flexographic presswoman
- flexographic press operator – printingflexographic pressman – printing, flexographic presswoman – printing
- flexographic press set-up technician – printing
- flexographic pressman/woman
- flexographic pressman/woman – printing
- gravure press operatorgravure pressman, gravure presswoman
- gravure pressman/woman
- gravure printer – printing
- gravure printing press operator
- gravure proof press operator – printing
- gravure proof puller – printing
- gravure proof wallpaper puller
- ink evaluation and press operator – printingink evaluation pressman – printing, ink evaluation presswoman – printing, pressman, ink evaluation – printing, presswoman, ink evaluation – printing
- ink evaluation pressman/woman – printing
- intaglio printer – printing
- intaglio printing press operator
- job printer
- letterpress operator – printing
- letterpress proof press operator – printing
- letterpress proof puller – printing
- lithographic offset proofer
- lithographic offset proofing hand
- lithographic press operator – printinglithographic pressman – printing, lithographic presswoman – printing
- lithographic press operator, sheet metallithographic pressman, sheet metal, lithographic presswoman, sheet metal, sheet metal lithographic pressman, sheet metal lithographic presswoman
- lithographic pressman/woman – printing
- lithographic pressman/woman, sheet metal
- lithographic printer
- newspaper press operatornewspaper pressman, newspaper presswoman
- newspaper pressman/woman
- offset lithographic proof press operator – printing
- offset machine operator
- offset press operator
- offset press operator – printingoffset pressman – printing, offset presswoman – printing
- offset pressman/woman – printing
- offset printer
- photoengraved plate proof press operator – printing
- photoengraved plate proof puller – printing
- plastic sheet offset press operator
- platen press operator – printing
- platen press tender
- press operator – printingpressman – printing, presswoman – printing
- press operator, ink evaluation – printing
- pressman/woman – printing
- pressman/woman, ink evaluation – printing
- printer
- printing press assistant operator
- printing press operator
- printing technologist
- proof press operator
- proof press operator – printingproof pressman – printing, proof presswoman – printing
- proof press operator, gravure – printing
- proof press operator, letterpress – printing
- proof press operator, offset lithographic – printing
- proof press operator, photoengraved plates – printing
- proof pressman/woman – printing
- proofer – printing
- proofing hand – printing
- proofing press operator
- rotary press operator
- rotogravure press operator – printingrotogravure pressman – printing, rotogravure presswoman – printing
- rotogravure press operator, wallpaper
- rotogravure pressman/woman – printing
- rotoprinter – printing
- senior press operator – printingsenior pressman – printing, senior presswoman – printing
- senior pressman/woman – printing
- set-up technician, flexographic presses – printing
- sheet metal lithographic press operator
- sheet metal lithographic pressman/woman
- thermographic printer
- wallpaper gravure proof press operator
- wallpaper rotogravure press operator
- Web press operator – printingWeb pressman – printing, Web presswoman – printing
- Web pressman/woman – printing
Exclusions
- Operators of laser printers, colour and large copiers and printing machines (See 9471 Plateless printing equipment operators)
- Screen printing artisans (See 5244 Artisans and craftspersons)
- Supervisors, printing and related occupations (7303)
- Textile printers (See 9441 Textile fibre and yarn, hide and pelt processing machine operators and workers)