National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0
- 7 - Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
- 73 - General trades
- 734 - Operators, drillers and blasters
- 7340 - Operators, drillers and blasters
73401 - Printing press operators
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. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.
Illustrative example(s)
- apprentice pressman/woman
- assistant pressman/woman
- first pressman/woman
- flexographic press operator
- offset press operator
- printing press operator
- rotogravure pressman/woman - printing
Exclusion(s)
- Colour and large copier operator (See 94150 Plateless printing equipment operators)
- Laser printer operator (See 94150 Plateless printing equipment operators)
- Printing machine operator (See 94150 Plateless printing equipment operators)
- Screen printing artisan (See 53124 Artisans and craftspersons)
- Supervisors, printing and related occupations (See 72022 Supervisors, printing and related occupations)
- Textile printer (See 94130 Textile fibre and yarn, hide and pelt processing machine operators and workers)
Main duties
This group performs 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.
Additional information
- Progression to supervisory positions, such as pressroom supervisor, is possible with experience.
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