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Text File | 1995-10-24 | 11.4 KB | 235 lines

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Printing Press Operators

(A list of D.O.T.  codes is available on request.  See page 468.)

Nature of the Work

Printing press operators prepare, operate, and maintain the printing
presses in a pressroom.  Duties of press operators vary according to
the type of press they operate offset, gravure, flexography, screen
printing, or letterpress.  Offset is the dominant printing process
and is expected to remain so into the next century.  Gravure and
flexography should increase in use, but letterpress should continue
being phased out, and only major breakthroughs in plate technology
can prevent it from slipping from the ranks of major printing
processes within a few years.  In addition to the major printing
processes, plateless or nonimpact processes are coming into general
use.  Plateless processes-including electronic, electrostatic, and
ink-jet printing are used for copying, duplicating, and document and
specialty printing, generally by quick and in-house printing shops.

   To prepare presses for printing, press operators install and adjust
the printing plate, mix fountain solution, adjust pressure, ink the
presses, load paper, and adjust the press to the paper size.  Press
operators check that paper and ink meet specifications, and adjust
control margins and the flow of ink to the inking rollers
accordingly.  They then feed paper through the press cylinders and
adjust feed and tension controls.

   While printing presses are running, press operators monitor their
operation and keep the paper feeders well stocked.  They make
adjustments to correct uneven ink distribution, speed, and
temperatures in the drying chamber, if the press has one.  If paper
jams or tears which can happen with some offset presses and the
press stops, the operators quickly correct the problem to minimize
downtime.  Similarly, operators working with other high-speed
presses constantly look for problems, making quick corrections to
avoid expensive losses of paper and ink.  Throughout the run,
operators also occasionally pull sheets to check for any printing
imperfections.

   In many shops, press operators perform preventive maintenance.  They
oil and clean the presses and make minor repairs to keep presses
running smoothly.  Operators who work with large presses have
assistants and helpers.

   Press operators' jobs differ from one shop to another because of
differences in the kinds and sizes of presses.  Small commercial
shops tend to have relatively small presses which print only one or
two colors at a time and are operated by one person.  Operators who
work with large presses have assistants and helpers.  Large
newspaper, magazine, and book printers use giant in-line web presses
that require a crew of several press operators and press assistants.
These presses are fed paper in big rolls, called webs, up to 50
inches or more in width.  Presses print the paper on both sides;
trim, assemble, score, and fold the pages; and count the finished
sections as they come off the press.

   Most plants have or soon will have installed printing presses that
have computers and sophisticated instruments to control press
operations, making it possible to set up for jobs in much less time.
Computers allow press operators to perform the tasks described above
electronically.  With this equipment, press operators monitor the
printing process on a control panel that allows them to adjust the
press electronically by pushing buttons.

   Press operators are on their feet most of the time.

Working Conditions

Operating a press can be physically and mentally demanding, and
sometimes tedious.  Press operators are on their feet most of the
time.  Often, operators work under pressure to meet deadlines.  Most
printing presses are capable of high printing speeds, and
adjustments must be made quickly to avoid waste.  Pressrooms are
noisy, and workers in certain areas wear ear protectors.  Working
with press machinery can be hazardous, but accidents can be avoided
when safe work practices are observed.  The danger of accidents is
much less with newer computerized presses because operators make
most adjustments from a control panel.  Many press operators work
evening, night, and overtime shifts.

Employment

Press operators held about 241,000 jobs in 1992.  Employment was
distributed as follows:

Printing press machine setters and operators..................110,000
Offset lithographic press operators............................79,000
Screen printing machine setters and setup operators............25,000
Letterpress operators..........................................13,000


   Most jobs were in newspaper plants or in firms that handle
commercial or business printing.  Commercial printing firms print
newspaper inserts, catalogs, pamphlets, and the advertisements found
in your mailbox, and business form establishments print items such
as sales receipts and paper used in computers.  Additional jobs were
in the in-plant section of organizations and businesses that do
their own printing among them, banks, insurance companies, and
government agencies.

   The printing and publishing industry is one of the most
geographically dispersed in the United States, and press operators
can find jobs throughout the country.  However, jobs are
concentrated in large printing centers such as New York, Los
Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Dallas.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

Operators need mechanical aptitude to make press adjustments and
repairs and an ability to visualize color to work on color presses.
Oral and writing skills also are required.  Operators should be able
to compute percentages, weights, and measures, and should possess
adequate mathematical skills to calculate the amount of ink and
paper needed to do a job.

   Technological changes have had a tremendous effect on the skills
needed by press operators.  New presses require basic computer
skills.  Printing plants that change from sheet-fed offset presses
to web-offset presses have to retrain the entire press crew because
the skill requirements for the two types of presses are different.
Web-offset presses, with their faster operating speeds, require
faster decisions, monitoring of more variables, and greater physical
effort.

   Apprenticeship, once the dominant method of preparing for this
occupation, is becoming less prevalent with the growing importance
of formal programs of retraining and skill updating for experienced
operators.  In the future, workers are expected to need to retrain
several times during their career.  Apprenticeships for press
operators in commercial shops take 4 years.  In addition to
on-the-job instruction, apprenticeships include related classroom or
correspondence school courses.

   Postsecondary courses in printing are increasingly important because
of the theoretical knowledge needed to operate advanced equipment.
Because of technical developments in the printing industry, courses
in chemistry, electronics, color theory, and physics are helpful.

   Beginning press operators may load, unload, and clean presses.  With
time, they may move up to operating one-color sheet-fed presses and
may eventually advance to multicolor presses.  Operators are likely
to gain experience on many kinds of printing presses during the
course of their career.

   Press operators may advance in pay and responsibility by taking a
job working on a more complex printing press.  For example, a
one-color sheet-fed press operator may, through experience and
demonstrated ability, become a four-color sheet-fed press operator.
Others may advance to pressroom supervisor and be responsible for
the work of the entire press crew.

Job Outlook

Employment of press operators is expected to grow about as fast as
the average for all occupations through the year 2005 as demand for
printed materials grows.  However, employment growth will vary among
various press operator jobs.  Employment of offset, gravure, and
flexographic operators will increase, while employment of
letterpress operators will decline.  Most job openings will result
from the need to replace operators who retire or leave the
occupation.

   Most new jobs will result from expansion of the printing industry as
demand for printed material increases in response to demographic
trends, U.S.  expansion into foreign markets, and growing use of
direct mail by advertisers.  Changes in the age structure of the
population are expected to spur demand for books and magazines as
school enrollments rise, even as substantial growth in the
middle-aged and older population spurs adult education and leisure
reading.  Additional growth should stem from increasing foreign
demand for domestic trade publications, professional and scientific
works, and mass-market books such as paperbacks.

   Much of the growth in commercial printing will be spurred by
increased expenditures for print advertising materials to be mailed
directly to prospective customers.  New market research techniques
are leading advertisers to increase spending on messages targeted to
specific audiences and should continue to require the printing of a
wide variety of newspaper inserts, catalogs, direct mail enclosures,
and other kinds of print advertising.

   Other printing such as newspapers, books, and periodicals will also
provide jobs.  Experienced press operators will fill most of these
jobs because many employers are under severe pressure to meet
deadlines and have limited time to train new employees.

   New laborsaving technology, which is expected to eliminate many
prepress workers' jobs, is expected to have little adverse impact on
press operators.  New presses with higher press speeds and reduced
setup time should not significantly affect operator employment.

   Printing press operators are more likely to require apprenticeship
training than other printing occupations.  They will face keen
competition for jobs from experienced workers and workers who have
completed retraining programs.

Earnings

The basic wage rate for a press operator depends on the type of
press being run and the area of the country in which the work is
located.  Median weekly earnings of press operators who worked full
time were about $420 in 1992.  The middle 50 percent earned between
$300 and $570 a week.  The lowest 10 percent earned $215 or less a
week, while the highest 10 percent earned over $710 a week.

   A relatively small proportion of press operators belong to unions.

Related Occupations

Other workers who set up and operate production machinery include
papermaking machine operators, shoemaking machine operators, bindery
machine operators, and precision machine operators.

Sources of Additional Information

   Details about apprenticeships and other training opportunities may
be obtained from local employers such as newspapers and printing
shops, local offices of the Graphic Communications International
Union, local affiliates of Printing Industries of America, or local
offices of the State employment service.

   For general information about press operators, write to:

   Graphic Communications International Union, 1900 L St.  NW.,
Washington, DC 20036.

   Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, 4615 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA
15213.


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