Printing machine assistants: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 8135 · Process, plant and machine operatives

Printing machine assistants

Printing machine assistants set and operate letterpress, platen or cylinder, lithographic and photogravure printing machines, photocopiers, office printers, duplication machines and other reprographic equipment.

How people enter it

No academic qualifications are required. Off and on-the-job training is provided. NVQs/SVQs in Screen Printing are available at levels 1 and 2, and in Machine Printing at levels 2 and 3.

What the work involves

positions printing plates, loads inks into reservoirs and loads paper rolls or sheets into printing press
sets controls to control the speed, pressure and ink flow of printing machine
loads photocopiers, office printers, duplication machines and other reprographic equipment with stationery
starts reprographic or printing machine and monitors operation for paper misfeeds and error messages, removes blockages and replaces damaged paper, and monitors quality of output
carries out routine maintenance and cleaning of printing machine
sets and operates machines for cutting paper to specified dimensions or for folding or binding to produce finished paper items
sets and operates presses for stamping patterns and labels on textiles, clothing, pottery, footwear and other leather goods

Also called

Finishing operative (printing) · Lithographer (printing) · Machinist (printing) · Print operator · Printer’s assistant

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	None	2026-03	5,100.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	None	2026-03	5,300.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	None	2026-03	5,600.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	None	2026-03	—	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate is less than 500
8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	None	2026-03	—	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate is less than 500
8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	None	2026-03	5,800.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	None	2026-03	—	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate is less than 500

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	1,700.00	2026-03
East Midlands	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	withheld	2026-03
London	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	withheld	2026-03
North East	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	withheld	2026-03
North West	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	withheld	2026-03
Northern Ireland	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	withheld	2026-03
Scotland	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	withheld	2026-03
South East	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	600.00	2026-03
South West	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	500.00	2026-03
Wales	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	withheld	2026-03
West Midlands	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	1,200.00	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	8135 : Printing machine assistants	None	withheld	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for printing machine assistants vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 4 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.

Classified alongside this

Energy plant operatives · Mining and quarry workers and related operatives · Paper and wood machine operatives · Plant and machine operatives n.e.c. · Water and sewerage plant operatives