jobfacts

Printers

SOC 2020 5422

Printers set up and operate various small offset printing presses and digital printing processes.

Also calledForemanPrint managerTicket makerScreen printerStamp makerLithographic printerand 81 more titles
Typical full-time pay£33,0002025 Provisional
People in the job18,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month372↑ 1.2%on last year · 289th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time printers earn, 2025
£33,000 typical£26,50025%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%£26,500
Median£33,000
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £33,000
London!£34,700
East Midlands!£33,500
Yorkshire and The Humber!£32,900
South West!£32,300
Wales!£28,400
West Midlands!£23,100
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £33,000
London£34,700 (small sample)
East Midlands£33,500 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£32,900 (small sample)
South West£32,300 (small sample)
Wales£28,400 (small sample)
West Midlands£23,100 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £29,600
  • 2024 £32,100
  • 2025 Provisional£33,000
↑ 12% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 372 jobs for printers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026388
Jul 2026504
Jun 2026386
May 2026414
Apr 2026366
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026313
Jan 2026323
Dec 2025181
Nov 2025350
Oct 2025379
Sept 2025483
Aug 2025390
Jul 2025461
Jun 2025484
May 2025442
Apr 2025320
Mar 2025365
Feb 2025398
Jan 2025338
Dec 2024233
Nov 2024273
Oct 2024356
Sept 2024345
Aug 2024338
Jul 2024354
Jun 2024412
May 2024368
Apr 2024412
Mar 2024376
Feb 2024376
Jan 2024399
Dec 2023273
Nov 2023271
Oct 2023292
Sept 2023329
Aug 2023349
Jul 2023330
Jun 2023481
May 2023433
Apr 2023392
Mar 2023478
Feb 2023484
Jan 2023478
Dec 2022364
Nov 2022483
Oct 2022512
Sept 2022456
Aug 2022558
Jul 2022601
Jun 2022577
May 2022628
Apr 2022480
Mar 2022617
Feb 2022526
Jan 2022613
Dec 2021489
Nov 2021548
Oct 2021510
Sept 2021548
Aug 2021488
Jul 2021531
Jun 2021450
May 2021450
Apr 2021394
Mar 2021568
Feb 2021321
Jan 2021333
Dec 2020332
Nov 2020302
Oct 2020309
Sept 2020284
Aug 2020250
Jul 2020234
Jun 2020204
May 2020172
Apr 2020238
Mar 2020429
Feb 2020537
Jan 2020514
Dec 2019352
Nov 2019479
Oct 2019488
Sept 2019504
Aug 2019538
Jul 2019588
Jun 2019553
May 2019477
Apr 2019420
Mar 2019456
Feb 2019370
Jan 2019464
Dec 2018299
Nov 2018410
Oct 2018426
Sept 2018423
Aug 2018353
Jul 2018411
Jun 2018434
May 2018459
Apr 2018405
Mar 2018429
Feb 2018449
Jan 2018518
Dec 2017302
Nov 2017457
Oct 2017447
Sept 2017423
Aug 2017433
Jul 2017395
Jun 2017559
May 2017574
Apr 2017491
Mar 2017454
Feb 2017412
Jan 2017444
Is there a shortage of printers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
50%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for textiles, printing and other skilled trades, which includes printers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London234
Manchester44
Birmingham39
Glasgow City30
Somerset26
Leeds26
City of Edinburgh20
Bristol, City of16
Newcastle upon Tyne14
North Northamptonshire14
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where printers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of printers
n/p
32%!
27%!
30%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
25–34Not published
35–4432% (small sample)
45–5427% (small sample)
55–6430% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!37%
Higher education below degree!8.6%
A levels or equivalent!23%
GCSEs or equivalent!28%
Other qualifications!13%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent37% (small sample)
Higher education below degree8.6% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent23% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent28% (small sample)
Other qualifications13% (small sample)

Main employers: other printing (54%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
37%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
3 years
typically

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • positions form or plate on machine, checks alignments and sets press
  • mixes and loads inks and solvents, loads paper and regulates during print run
  • prints and examines proof copies and adjusts press as necessary
  • starts or directs start of printing run and monitors machine to ensure that printing proceeds smoothly
  • pours colour into machine or directly on to screen and positions screen over item
  • operates squeegee by hand or machine to press colour through screen
  • dips wooden pattern block into colour tray and lays different colours on top of, and adjacent to, others to form the required pattern
  • produces, transfers and outputs digital print images
  • maintains, adjusts, repairs and cleans machine
  • keeps production records

Skills

  • follow safety precautions in printing
  • supply machine
  • troubleshoot
  • report defective manufacturing materials
  • follow production schedule
  • monitor automated machines
  • perform test run
  • set up the controller of a machine
  • consult technical resources
  • inspect printing output
  • keep records of work progress
  • perform machine maintenance
  • record production data for quality control
  • pack goods

Knowledge

  • quality standards
  • printing techniques
  • types of paper
  • maintenance of printing machines
  • printing on large scale machines
  • printing media
  • printing materials
  • screen printing inks

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Practical, hands-on work

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for textiles, printing and other skilled trades, a group of 17 jobs that includes printers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035→ 0%about 0 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035276,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.