# Will printing press operators be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Printing press operators score 31 of 100 for AI exposure. 51% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 22% today and speed up another 27%. - **22%** AI can do it - **27%** AI helps - **51%** Needs a person Moderate exposure Lower than 60% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 23 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 6 of them today, speeds up 6 and leaves 11 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Maintain time or production records. Production records are structured data that software logs well. | 75% AI can do it | | Download completed jobs to archive media so that questions can be answered or jobs replicated. Archiving finished job files is routine file transfer. | 75% AI can do it | | Download or scan files to be printed, using printing production software. Downloading and scanning files is routine digital handling. | 70% AI can do it | | Control workflow scheduling or job tracking, using computer database software. Scheduling and job tracking in databases is routine digital work. | 70% AI can do it | | Examine job orders to determine quantities to be printed, stock specifications, colors, or special printing instructions. Reading job orders for quantities and specs is document extraction work. | 62% AI can do it | ## How printing press operators compare All occupations (923) Production (107) **Printing press operators score 31**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 22 for production. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $45,780 a year, May 2025 People employed 144,260 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs \-8.7% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Mount printing plates and set tolerances manually - Preflight print files in Adobe Acrobat and InDesign - Track press time and waste in Microsoft Excel - Set up short-run offset jobs on the press - Clean ink fountains and cylinders at run end ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Paper goods machine operators16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/paper-goods-machine-operators/) - [Adhesive bonding machine operators22 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/adhesive-bonding-machine-operators/) - [Bindery workers16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/bindery-workers/) - [Press operators18 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/press-operators/) - [Cutting machine operators22 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cutting-machine-operators/) ## Questions about printing press operators and AI Will AI replace printing press operators? Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly maintaining production records and archiving completed job files. Mounting plates, feeding paper and cleaning cylinders stay with people because they need hands on the machine. Which printing press operator tasks is AI taking over? Production record keeping, job archiving and file downloads are the most exposed, with exposure scores of 75, 75 and 70. Software logs structured production data well, and archiving finished jobs is routine file transfer that needs little press floor knowledge. Which printing press operator tasks stay human? Changing plates, blankets and cylinders stays human, with an exposure score of 5. Feeding paper through cylinders and setting tolerances score 8, because the work happens on a moving press and needs a person's hands at the machine. How can printing press operators stay valuable? Keep the hands-on press work and add file checks in Adobe Acrobat and InDesign. Preflight print files so errors get caught before the plate is made. Use Microsoft Excel to track press time and waste, which gives you numbers to show value on production records. ## Related jobs - [Machine tool operators24 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/machine-tool-operators/) - [Forming press operators26 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/forming-press-operators/) - [Extrusion operators23 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/extrusion-operators/) - [Grinding machine operators21 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/grinding-machine-operators/) ## Next steps for printing press operators - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.