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Printing and bookbinding workers

How to become a Printing Press Operator

Also called: Printing equipment operator, Print varnishing equipment operator, Photopolymer letterpress printer, Flexographic printer, Lithographic printer, Photographic printer, Fine art printer

Operates printing presses to print on paper and other materials.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualification is required to start. Almost all new graduates hired come from high school or similar. There is also mid-career recruitment. After being hired, people usually have basic training in all aspects of printing before being placed in a team, then build experience through on-the-job training and master operating the machines and printing techniques. There are many kinds of presses, but it often takes about 5 years to become a fully skilled operator of your machine. After several years as an operator, you may become press captain, in charge of your machine's quality and efficiency, and if you are appointed a supervisor, your work also includes coordinating with sales, production control and prepress. A related qualification is the printing technician grade of the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which is recognised as proof of skill. You must judge colours yourself from the brightness and colour instructions written on the final proof checked by proofreaders and the client, so a sharp sense of colour is needed. Printing is increasingly mechanised, so you also need to know machines well and be skilled with computers.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Printing Press Operator?

No particular education or qualification is required to start. Almost all new graduates hired come from high school or similar. There is also mid-career recruitment. After being hired, people usually have basic training in all aspects of printing before being placed in a team, then build experience through on-the-job training and master operating the machines and printing techniques. There are many kinds of presses, but it often takes about 5 years to become a fully skilled operator of your machine. After several years as an operator, you may become press captain, in charge of your machine's quality and efficiency, and if you are appointed a supervisor, your work also includes coordinating with sales, production control and prepress. A related qualification is the printing technician grade of the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which is recognised as proof of skill. You must judge colours yourself from the brightness and colour instructions written on the final proof checked by proofreaders and the client, so a sharp sense of colour is needed. Printing is increasingly mechanised, so you also need to know machines well and be skilled with computers.

How much does a Printing Press Operator earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥4,578,900 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Printing and bookbinding workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Printing Press Operator?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 19% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: National trade skills test (技能検定).

Will AI change the work of a Printing Press Operator?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026