Graphic Arts - Litho Pressperson (Web, Sheet Fed, Rotary & Gravure) means a person who operates litho presses to produce a finished product.

Graphic Arts - Litho Presspersons belong to the broad trade category of Printing Press Operators.

What do these workers do?
(Source: BC Work Futures)

The duties of printing press operators differ from one shop to another. Small commercial shops tend to be operated by one person and have relatively small presses. Operators who work with large presses have assistants and helpers. Newspaper, magazine and book printers use giant "in-line web" presses that require a crew of press operators and assistants. All press operators have these duties:

Review job orders. The specifications for each print job, such as production time, colour sequence and quantities required, must be reviewed before printing begins. Avoiding mistakes keeps costs down.

Prepare the printing press. Duties vary, depending on the type of press you operate (see the Technical Terms section). To prepare a press for printing, the operator must install and adjust the printing plate, adjust pressure, ink the press, load paper and adjust the press to the paper size.

Operate the printing press. During the printing process, you monitor the operation and fill the paper feeders.

Troubleshoot. You clear paper jams, make adjustments to correct uneven ink distribution, printing speed and the temperature in the drying chamber, if the press has one. To avoid expensive losses of paper and ink, operators who work with high-speed presses constantly look for problems and make quick adjustments.

Maintain the printing press. In most shops, printing press operators oil and clean the presses and make minor repairs.

Be familiar with computers. Many pressrooms have installed computerized printing presses, and you will need to input codes and key in data. You may also run laser printers, computerized copiers and other printing machines.

Read the full Graphic Arts - Litho Pressperson Profile (28kb pdf).

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