Home / Apprenticeships / Occupations / Printing Press Operators
Printing Press Operators: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 51-5112.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
21 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Printing Press Operators, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for LITHOGRAPH PRESS OPERATOR (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Press Operator | 0903 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| Ben-Day Artist | 0887 | Competency-Based: 12,000 hours Hybrid: 12,000 to 15,000 hours Time-Based: 12,000 hours |
| CYLINDER PRESS OPERATOR | 0677 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| EMBOSSER | 0704 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| EMBOSSING-PRESS OPERATOR | 0684 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| ENGRAVER, MACHINE | 0963 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| ENGRAVING PRESS OPERATOR | 0915 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| Job Printer | 0262 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| LETTERER (Profess & Kin) | 0280 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| LITHOGRAPH PRESS OPERATOR | 0683 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 4,000 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| Offset Press Op Dial | 0362 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| Offset Pressperson (Existing Title: Offset Press Operator 1) | 0361 | Competency-Based: 5,568 hours Hybrid: 5,568 to 6,960 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 5,568 hours |
| PLATEN-PRESS OPERATOR | 0430 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| PRINTER, PLASTIC | 0452 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| PRINTER-SLOTTER OPERATOR | 0451 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| PROOF-PRESS OPERATOR | 0288 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| ROTOGRAVURE-PRESS OPERATOR | 0481 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| SKETCH MAKER I (Print & Pub) | 0448 | Competency-Based: 10,000 hours Hybrid: 10,000 to 12,500 hours Time-Based: 10,000 hours |
| STEEL-DIE PRINTER | 0785 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| Wallpaper Printer I | 0612 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| Web-Press Operator | 0667 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What printing press operators earn, by state
District of Columbia has the highest state median for printing press operators ($116,630) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($26,100), across the 53 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $116,630 | $56.07 | 350 |
| Massachusetts | $53,050 | $25.51 | 2,110 |
| New Jersey | $50,430 | $24.25 | 4,180 |
| Washington | $49,800 | $23.94 | 2,310 |
| Oregon | $48,760 | $23.44 | 1,330 |
| Minnesota | $48,560 | $23.35 | 4,960 |
| New Hampshire | $48,410 | $23.27 | 680 |
| Kentucky | $48,000 | $23.08 | 2,470 |
| Colorado | $47,860 | $23.01 | 1,830 |
| New York | $47,860 | $23.01 | 6,700 |
| Maryland | $47,840 | $23.00 | 1,250 |
| Maine | $47,430 | $22.80 | 300 |
| Wisconsin | $47,330 | $22.76 | 8,120 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,010 | $22.60 | 7,150 |
| Arkansas | $46,470 | $22.34 | 1,760 |
| Alaska | $46,460 | $22.34 | 170 |
| Vermont | $46,460 | $22.34 | 190 |
| Illinois | $46,260 | $22.24 | 9,550 |
| Missouri | $46,130 | $22.18 | 3,460 |
| California | $46,110 | $22.17 | 12,320 |
| Ohio | $45,760 | $22.00 | 7,500 |
| Connecticut | $45,670 | $21.96 | 1,610 |
| North Carolina | $45,630 | $21.94 | 3,910 |
| Hawaii | $45,390 | $21.82 | 350 |
| Rhode Island | $45,380 | $21.82 | 510 |
| Michigan | $45,280 | $21.77 | 5,110 |
| Indiana | $45,230 | $21.74 | 4,820 |
| South Dakota | $44,930 | $21.60 | 460 |
| Delaware | $44,600 | $21.44 | 210 |
| Virginia | $44,020 | $21.16 | 3,210 |
| Nevada | $43,500 | $20.91 | 1,360 |
| Tennessee | $43,160 | $20.75 | 3,510 |
| Arizona | $42,950 | $20.65 | 2,400 |
| Texas | $42,550 | $20.46 | 9,110 |
| Montana | $42,220 | $20.30 | 300 |
| Nebraska | $42,070 | $20.23 | 2,140 |
| Kansas | $41,890 | $20.14 | 2,640 |
| Georgia | $41,520 | $19.96 | 4,220 |
| West Virginia | $41,200 | $19.81 | 470 |
| Florida | $41,180 | $19.80 | 7,060 |
| Utah | $41,030 | $19.72 | 1,970 |
| Iowa | $40,790 | $19.61 | 2,070 |
| Wyoming | $40,760 | $19.60 | 90 |
| South Carolina | $40,470 | $19.46 | 2,100 |
| Idaho | $38,650 | $18.58 | 610 |
| Mississippi | $38,400 | $18.46 | 670 |
| North Dakota | $37,850 | $18.20 | 270 |
| Louisiana | $37,650 | $18.10 | 870 |
| New Mexico | $37,110 | $17.84 | 250 |
| Oklahoma | $36,760 | $17.67 | 1,140 |
| Alabama | $36,670 | $17.63 | 2,160 |
| Guam | $32,240 | $15.50 | 100 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,100 | $12.55 | 520 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).