Printing Jobs, What Qualifications and Experiences Do You Need?

The business of printing involves reproducing text and images with ink on paper. Sounds simple but it is actually far from it. Back in the day printing used to be almost wholly manual, unlike today where much of the work can be completed over the computer thanks to technology.

There aren’t very many Print jobs compared to that of IT jobs for example, and with their scarcity, it becomes even tougher to land one. There is usually a lot of work to be done before you can actually secure dream-printing jobs. So if you are to eventually succeed, what qualifications and experiences do you need?

Have the “generic” skills

Beyond the field of study, what employers look for in employees remains rather the same. There has been a lot on research on what employees look for in potential employees and the list of results typically revolves around 3 things…

1. Skills
2. Abilities
3. Work Behaviours

Some of the aspects that almost every employer will be looking for include…

- Problem Solving Capabilities
- Team Work
 - Communication
 - Your Awareness
- Time Management
 - IT Skills
 - Numeracy

Specific skills and abilities

Specific means that the skills or abilities are essential in order to fulfil the requirements of the job. Printing jobs include; printing covers, creation of food labels, newspapers, books, and CD labels among many others so you will require knowledge and experience with the same. You must also know about types of papers and printers and printing techniques.

Other specific skills required for a printing job include…

- Good concentration
- Motivation
- Be able to work on tight deadlines
- Hand –to-eye co-ordination
- And excellent colour vision
- You would also have to be very creative, innovative and enterprising.

Entrepreneurialism (an entrepreneur with an employed role) is fast becoming a sought after attribute. This attribute demands that you…

- Initiate Change
 - Cope With Uncertainty
- Thrive On Challenges
- Be At The Front Of New Practices
 - Try To Be Creative With Problems
 - Take Responsibility Of Your Own Ideas

Qualifications

You should have completed a printing a course. The City and Guilds Certificate in Printing and Graphic Communication is a good place to start. More training is usually available once you secure a printing position.

Responsibilities

Typical tasks of a printer include…

- Performing quality checks at regular intervals
- Mixing Colours - Restock Ink
- Fixing Machines - Cleaning Presses
- Inserting Material Into Presses
- Making Sure That Ink Levels In Machines Are Sufficient
 - Matching Colours To Pre-press Proofs
 - Meeting Suppliers
- Sourcing Suppliers
- Maintaining Machine Quality

Salary

Those who are just starting should expect around £16,000 – £20,000 annually depending on the employer. Experienced printers earn up to £40,000 per year. This largely depends on the employer and the size of the company.

Experience

Previous experience in art and design should be enough. But you could always see if a local printing firm can hire you for unpaid work. The more experienced you are, the higher your chances of landing the job as employers have in the past demonstrated a preference for continuity.

Employers

Printers can get jobs with…

- Small Printing Companies
 - Specialist Printing Companies
 - Large Printing Companies