CAREER GUIDE FOR JOB PRINTER

SOC Code: 51-5021

Pay Band(s): 1 and 2 (Salary Structure)

Standard Occupational Description: Set type according to copy; operate press to print job order; and read proof for errors and clarity of impression, and correct imperfections. Job printers are often found in small establishments where work combines several job skills.

Job Printer positions in the Commonwealth are assigned to the following Roles in the Printing Operations Career Group:

Printing Technician I

Printing Technician II

While Job Printers within the Commonwealth are all located within the Printing Operations Career Group, individuals may want to pursue other opportunities within the Commonwealth depending upon individual training, education, knowledge, skills, abilities, and interests.

Other Career Group(s) that may be of interest are:

Administrative and Office Support

Computer Operations

Equipment Service & Repair

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES AND TASKS

(Technical and Functional Expertise)

Skills
Note: The technical and functional skills listed below are based on general occupational qualifications for Job Printers commonly recognized by most employers. Typically, you will not be required to have all of the skills listed to be a successful performer. Recruitment and selection standards for an individual state job must be based on the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities for that job as indicated in the job announcement and job description in the Employee Work Profile.

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Knowledge
Note: The technical and functional knowledge statements listed below are based on general occupational qualifications for Job Printers commonly recognized by most employers. Typically, you will not be required to have all of the knowledge listed to be a successful performer. Recruitment and selection standards for an individual state job must be based on the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities for that job as indicated in the job announcement and job description in the Employee Work Profile.

The Knowledge of:

Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Abilities
Note: The technical and functional abilities listed below are based on general occupational qualifications for Job Printers commonly recognized by most employers. Typically, you will not be required to have all of the abilities listed to be a successful performer. Recruitment and selection standards for an individual state job must be based on the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities for that job as indicated in the job announcement and job description in the Employee Work Profile.

The Ability to:

Make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
See details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Tasks
Note: The following is a list of sample tasks typically performed by Job Printers. Employees in this occupation will not necessarily perform all of the tasks listed.

Selects type from type case and inserts type in printer's stick to reproduce material in copy.
Lays form on proof press, inks type, fastens paper to press roller, and pulls roller over form to make proof copy.
Pushes button to start press, examines printed sheets, and adjusts press when printing is defective.
Places chase over type, inserts quoins, and locks chase to hold type.
Cleans ink rollers at end of run.
Sets feed guides according to size and thickness of paper.
Fills ink fountain and moves lever to adjust flow of ink.
Positions form (type in locked chase) on bed of press and tightens clamps, using wrench.
Removes assembled type from galley and places type on composing stone.
Slides type from stick into galley.

INTERESTED?

Like people, occupations have traits or characteristics. These characteristics give important clues about the nature of the work and work environment, and give you an opportunity to match your own personal interests to a specific occupation. When you choose a job in an occupation that matches your own interests you have taken an important step in planning a successful and rewarding career.

The occupation of Job Printer has Realistic and Conventional characteristics described below:

Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

LICENSURE, REGISTRATION, OR CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Generally this is not required for Printing Machine Operator positions in state government.

EDUCATIONAL, TRAINING, AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

The Department of Labor provides the following information:

The printing process has three stages—prepress, press, and binding or postpress. In small print shops, job printers may be responsible for all three stages. They do the composition and page layout of the material received from the customer, check proofs for errors and print clarity and correct mistakes, print the job, and attach each copy's pages together.

Traditionally, job printers start as helpers and are trained on the job, the length of training varying by occupation.

Postsecondary graphic communications programs are available from a variety of sources. For beginners, 2-year associate degree programs offered by community and junior colleges and technical schools, and some 4-year bachelor's degree programs in graphic design colleges teach the latest prepress skills and allow students to practice applying them.

Apprenticeship information for printers can be found on the Department of Labor & Industry's web site at: http://www.dli.state.va.us/

COMMONWEALTH COMPETENCIES

Competencies are a set of identified behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities that directly and positively impact the success of employees and the organization. Competencies can be observed and measured. When consistently demonstrated, competencies make employees particularly effective in their work. Competencies help lay out a road map to career success. You can use the Commonwealth Competencies to help improve your individual performance by adopting behaviors that make high performing employees successful in their jobs. In this way, you can use the Commonwealth Competencies for your further professional development.

The Commonwealth Competencies are:

Technical and Functional Expertise
Understanding the Business
Achieving Results
Serving the Customer
Teamwork
Interpersonal and Communication Skills
Leadership and Personal Effectiveness

The above competencies may be applied to employees throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. They can be rank-ordered by agencies and hiring managers to represent the needs of a specific job. The rank ordering will change depending upon the occupation, an organization's priorities, the actual job requirements, and the supervisor's preferences.

Career success is both about what you do (applying your technical knowledge, skills, and ability) and how you do it (the consistent behaviors you demonstrate and choose to use) while interacting and communicating with others. Hopefully, by studying the Commonwealth competencies, identifying your developmental opportunities, and working to refine your own competence, you can take charge of your career!

For additional information about the Commonwealth Competencies go to: http://jobs.state.va.us/cc_planningctr.htm. For the competencies, we first list the competencies and then define each. Finally, we list competency indicators; to describe what successful performance looks like.

COMMONWEALTH CAREER PATH

Career opportunities in the Commonwealth are not limited to moving “up” to the next highest role and pay band, changing positions, or to becoming a supervisor. That's because most roles describe a broad group of occupationally related positions that perform a range of work that requires increased knowledge and skills. For that reason, Commonwealth roles describe the career paths within the same or higher-level role for the same or different Career Group. The broad salary range and the Commonwealth's pay practices provide flexibility in recognizing career development and advancement. (Salary Structure)

For example: Job Printer

PAY BAND	PRACTITIONER ROLES	PAY BAND	MANAGER ROLES
1	Printing Technician I
2	Printing Technician II	4	Printing Manager I
3	Printing Technician III	5	Printing Manager II
4	Printing Technician IV

Sample Career Path

Printing Technician I

The Printing Technician I role provides a career track for bindery workers or printers' assistants responsible for completing basic physical tasks that support reproduction services or document finishing services such as cutting, binding, and folding.

Printing Technician II

The Printing Technician II role provides a career track for entry to journey level printers responsible for completing basic printing duties necessary to generate production runs of documents. This includes operating and performing routine maintenance on the machinery, as well as record keeping.

Printing Technician III

The Printing Technician III role provides a career track for printers performing advanced level or supervisory responsibilities. Duties range from operating various types of printing or copying equipment to being a first line supervisor of staff performing duties related to duplicating and producing printed documents. Duties may include digital as well as offset and photocopy printing.

Printing Technician IV

The Printing Technician IV role provides career tracks for expert printers using the highest technical knowledge of printing or digital reproductions. This expert technician uses advance printing software for the digital direct -to-plate process and computer skills that include the latest advance design softwares and knowledge of the correct formats and resolution in which to save a file for the different types of digital equipment for the highest quality available. This role has the highest level of technical knowledge of printing or digital reproductions in conferring with and assessing customer needs, making recommendations, and writing job specifications to have work produced within or outside the agency and managing the process or project.

Printing Manager I

The Printing Manager I role provides a career track for managers of others in the performance of a wide variety of printing tasks. These responsibilities may be accomplished through subordinate supervisors and employees or through contractors. May function as the charge printing position with financial and staffing responsibilities in an agency's complex printing operation or as an assistant-manager in the largest most complex printing operations.

Printing Manager II

The Printing Manager II role provides a career track for managers of others in the performance of a wide variety of printing tasks as the charge position in the largest and most complex settings. Employees are responsible for the management of subordinate supervisors as well as technical employees and include the normal range of managerial duties such as planning, budgeting, staffing, and evaluation.

ADDITIONAL OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT:

O*NET (Occupational Information Network)

http://online.onetcenter.org/gen_search_page

Virginia Employment Commission

http://www.alex.vec.state.va.us/

Career One Stop

http://www.careeronestop.org/

Virginia Career Resource Network

http://www.vacrn.net/

Graphic Communications International Union

http://www.gciu.org

Printing Industries of America

http://www.gain.net

Graphic Communications Council

http://www.teched.vt.edu/gcc

Graphic Arts Technical Foundation

http://www.gatf.org