Printing Specialists

Background

The military produces many printed publications each year, including newspapers, booklets, training manuals, maps, and charts. Printing specialists operate printing presses and binding machines to make finished copies of printed material.

What They Do

Printing specialists in the military perform some or all of the following duties:

• Bind printed material into hardback or paperback books using binding machines
• Maintain printing presses
• Prepare layouts of artwork, photographs, and text for lithographic plates
• Prepare photographic negatives and transfer them to printing plates using copy cameras and enlargers
• Produce brochures, newspapers, maps, and charts
• Reproduce printed matter using offset lithographic printing processes

Physical Demands

Normal color vision is required to enter some specialties in this career.

Special Requirements

No information available.

Helpful Attributes

Helpful attributes include:

• Interest in learning about printing
• Preference for doing physical work

Helpful School Subjects

Helpful school subjects include:

• Photography
• Shop mechanics

Helpful Fields of Study

No information available.

Work Environment

Printing specialists work indoors in print shops and offices located on land or aboard ships.

Services offering this career:

• Marine Corps
• Navy

Hiring Practices

To serve in the military, a person must be at least 17; the maximum age for enlistment varies. To enlist, a person must pass a physical exam and an aptitude test. An enlistee must also meet military standards of discipline and be a US citizen or permanent resident alien.

This position is for enlisted personnel.

Wages

The military is competitive with the civilian world when it comes to pay and benefits. All branches offer the same basic pay and benefits.

Pay depends mainly on rank or grade as well as length of service. Bonuses and the situation in which the person is serving (for example: flight duty, sea duty, hazardous duty) also affect pay. 

Cost-of-living increases usually occur every year, based on inflation. The military also pays allowances for food, clothing, and housing. All these factors combined are called Regular Military Compensation (RMC). They should all be considered when comparing military pay to civilian pay.

There are two main parts to RMC: basic pay and allowances. There are also additional incentives for special abilities, training, or hazardous duty.

Check out the RMC Calculator to calculate your RMC based on your inputs.

Training Provided

Job training consists of eight to 20 weeks of classroom instruction, including practice in operating printing presses. Training length varies by specialty.

Course content typically includes:

• Binding techniques
• Operation of offset presses
• Photolithography techniques
• Techniques for making printing plates

Further training occurs on the job and through advanced courses.

Civilian Counterparts

Civilian printing specialists work for commercial print shops, newspapers, insurance companies, government offices, or businesses that do their own printing. They perform duties similar to military printing specialists. They may be called offset printing press operators, lithograph press operators, offset duplicating machine operators, lithograph photographers, or bindery workers.

Related Civilian Careers

• Bookbinders and Bindery Workers
• Page Layout Workers
• Prepress Workers
• Printing Press Operators

Employment and Outlook

In peace time the services have about 500 printing specialists. In times of military action the number may be different, depending on the type of specialties required. Each year the services need new specialists due to changes in personnel and the demands of the field. After job training, specialists normally operate printing and binding machines under direct supervision. With experience, they work more independently, setting up and operating machines. In time, printing specialists may become supervisors of printing plants.