Reprographic Operator Job Profile

What is the work like?

Reprographic operators, sometimes known as print room operators, copy and bind a range of printed materials in bulk, using photocopying and/or offset litho printing equipment.

As a reprographic assistant, you would deal with a variety of items including manuals, brochures, leaflets and documents. Your typical day-to-day duties might include:

discussing the job requirements with the customer
working out timescales, costs and the number of copies required
programming instructions into the copying equipment, for instance colour saturation
making sure machines have the correct levels of inks, chemicals and toners for each job
supplying print materials to the machines
mounting printing plates or cylinders, if working on a press, and lining them up correctly
monitoring the progress of the copying run
quality checking samples
finishing copied items, for example trimming, binding and laminating
carrying out basic equipment maintenance and cleaning

You would also have administrative duties like recording job details and ordering supplies. You may help prepare designs and layout for print runs, depending on your skills. For more details about this side of the work, see the job profile for Pre-press Operator.

What qualifications and experience will employers look for?

You do not need any specific qualifications to become a reprographics assistant but GCSE passes in maths, English, art and design, and IT may give you an advantage.

You may be able to get into this job through a printing or reprographics Apprenticeship scheme.

You could also take one of several print-related qualifications at college, which would teach you some of the skills needed for this job. Courses include:

City & Guilds Certificate in Printing and Graphic Communications (5261) levels 2 and 3
Edexcel (BTEC) Certificate and Diploma in Graphics; and in Art & Design
ABC Diploma in Digital Pre-Press Level 3.

Courses in general art and design, audio-visual studies and desktop publishing courses would also help you when applying for work in reprographics.

What further training and development can I do?

Your company would train you on specific equipment when you start work. They would also send you on training courses run by the equipment manufacturers, or the manufacturers’ representatives may come to your firm to show you how to set up and operate their reprographic equipment.

You could work towards the NVQ in Printing (5158), which has several options, depending on your exact duties, including: