Every day, people read books, magazines, and even the words printed on t-shirts and posters. Do you know who makes that reading possible? Printing machine operators help to make various types of writing available to the public. If you are good with machines and love words, this might be the right job for you.

Every day at school or at home, you can see words printed on the page. Even computers usually come from the store with printed manuals, restaurants have printed menus, and schools have textbooks. Often, people need the help of a professional printer. When that happens, printing machine operators are an important part of the process.

Many things go into producing a book or other document. After the writing is done, the publisher might make some changes, put it into the correct form on a computer, and then send the book to the printer. Then the printing machine operator gets to work.

Being a printing machine operator involves working with complicated machines to make sure that each job is done properly. People in this field have to choose the right colours to put in the machine and the correct settings to produce the right type of document. Some books or magazines have pictures, and others have charts, diagrams, or other special features. Printing machine operators check to make sure that each page comes out looking right for what the client needs.

Sometimes, this type of work can be complicated. Printing machine operators might need to make adjustments to the settings and fix the machines when they break down. Usually, they can learn everything they need to know on the job, but courses in computers or other related topics can be useful. People in this field can become experts in certain types or printing or choose to print whatever their clients bring.

Depending on where they work, printing machine operators might have different amounts of control over their work. They might be part of the decision-making process about which projects to take or just run the machines. Usually, they need to know how to do at least minor repairs to the machines and be able to fix as much as possible.

Speed is often important in printing, especially if there have been delays earlier in the publishing process. People working with these machines need to be ready with the materials necessary for keeping the process going with as few interruptions as possible. They might need to discuss timelines with the authors or publishers and to be able to estimate how long each job will take.

This career can be physically demanding at times, but the main issues are with the noise of the machines and the pressure of finishing a job on time. Wages start at about $11.00 per hour and can rise to almost $25.00, or over $59,000 per year. Work can be available in almost any part of Canada, but it is more likely in cities or large towns.

Working as a printing machine operator can be a good career choice for people who enjoy making writing available to the public. Does that describe you?

Bibliography:

CareerPlanner.com. “Printing Press Machine Operators and Tenders.” https://job-descriptions.careerplanner.com/Printing-Press-Machine-Operators-and-Tenders.cfm

Emploi Quebec. “Printing press operators.” http://imt.emploiquebec.gouv.qc.ca/mtg/inter/noncache/contenu/asp/mtg122_descrprofession_01.asp?cregn=QC&lang=angl&prov=FPT&pro=7381&Porte=1&PT1=36&PT2=17&PT3=9

Neuvoo.ca. “Printing Machine Operator.” https://neuvoo.ca/salary/printing-machine-operator/.

Payscale Canada. “Printing Machine Operator: Hourly Rate.” https://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Printing_Machine_Operator/Hourly_Rate.