Attracting the Next Generation: Why Young Australians Should Consider Print Careers
Beyond the Press: The Print Industry Roles You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
When people imagine the print industry, they usually picture one thing. A massive machine, the sound of rollers, a stack of boxes at the end, and someone in overalls running the press. It’s a fair image. Press operators are the heartbeat of production.
But that is only part of the story.
The truth is, the print industry is more like a stage production. The spotlight is often on the press, but there is a whole cast of people behind the scenes. They make sure the file is right, the materials are in stock, the job is scheduled, the client is reassured, and the job gets out on time.
So if you are thinking about a career in print, or wondering if there is a place for your skills, you should know this. Not all careers in print involve ink under your fingernails. In fact, some of the most vital jobs in the industry happen long before and long after anything ever touches the substrate.
Let’s take a look at the roles that keep this industry ticking. The ones that rarely make the headlines but are essential to making sure the work gets done, on time and to the required quality standards.
Prepress Operator: The Silent Perfectionist
Prepress Operators are the quiet heroes who make sure every print job comes out exactly as it should. They take the artwork, the logos, product designs, and marketing files, and fine tune them for production. It sounds simple, but in practice, it is an art form.
Using software like Adobe Illustrator, ESKO, Photoshop, and Acrobat, they adjust colours, fix file errors, check bleed and trapping, impose for print, rip files, and ensure that what looks perfect on a screen will still work at high speed on a press.
They often work under tight deadlines and with vague or rushed input from clients. But they bring order to chaos. They are the reason a run of fifty thousand wine labels looks consistent across every unit.
If you are someone who finds satisfaction in precision and enjoys solving visual puzzles, this role might be your zone of genius. It is creative but with clear boundaries. It is technical but deeply human in its attention to detail.
Client Services and Account Manager: The Translator
Clients do not speak print. They speak branding, urgency, and expectations. On the other side, production teams speak press speeds, lineal metres, lead times, and ink limitations. The account manager stands in the middle, translating one language into the other without dropping the message.
They answer the phone when something goes wrong. They chase approvals, rework timelines, calm anxious clients, and keep the production team from getting blindsided. They know how to juggle ten jobs at once, read between the lines of vague emails, and build long-term relationships based on trust.
This is a role for people who thrive on momentum. Who like to solve problems quickly, communicate clearly, and make people feel heard. It is not for the faint of heart, but for the right person, it is incredibly rewarding.
A good account manager does more than keep jobs on track. The trust they create is the reason clients come back.
Estimator or Production Planner: The Realist
Every print job begins with a question. What will it cost, how long will it take, when can I get it? Estimators and planners are the ones who answer that question with experience, accuracy, and a little bit of foresight.
They review job specs, calculate material needs, press times, labour requirements, and finishing steps. They know which machines are booked, which operators are available, and how one delay can ripple through a day’s schedule.
This role requires a cool head and a practical mind. You are balancing cost, client needs, internal capacity, and the ever-present threat of something unexpected going wrong…. welcome to manufacturing!
If you like systems, logic, and being the person everyone relies on to know how long something will take, this role is your kind of challenge. You may not always get the credit, but when everything runs smoothly, you will know why.
Print Workflow or IT Specialist: The Quiet Architect
In a modern print environment, everything is connected. Job tickets, inventory, scheduling, proof approvals, dispatching, invoicing and more. The person behind these ‘end to end’ systems is the workflow or IT specialist.
They set up automation rules. They streamline how files move from sales to prepress to production. They make sure no job gets lost, no details are missed, and no one is left waiting for a file that should have transferred instantly.
This is a behind-the-scenes role with real impact. If you love clean systems, problem solving, and fixing inefficiencies others have not even noticed yet, this is where you thrive.
You do not have to know print inside and out to start here. But you do have to be curious, thorough, collaborative, holistic in outlook, but with an eye for the detail. Over time, you become the invisible hand that helps the entire business run smarter.
Purchasing & Materials Coordinator: The Steady Hand
Print does not run without the key supplies – including the substrate, consumables, or ink. Someone has to manage all of it. That means tracking stock, ordering supplies, comparing lead times, and working with suppliers to avoid delays.
This person is half logistics, half diplomat. They are negotiating pricing, watching spreadsheets, checking storage capacity and inventory levels, and also calling suppliers to say, we really need that stock one day earlier.
It may not be glamorous, but it is foundational. If you have ever enjoyed the satisfaction of having everything in its place and being the one who is never caught off guard, this is a vital and often underappreciated role.
When the press keeps running and no one has to stop mid-job for missing stock, this is the person who made it happen.
Sustainability and Compliance Officer: The Conscience (or The Environmentalist)
Sustainability in print is not just about recycling. It is about making better decisions from the start. Using lower impact inks and substrates. Reducing waste. Meeting environmental standards. Checking supplier environmental accreditation. Helping clients choose packaging that works for their goals and for the planet. Acting with a conscience.
This role often involves persuasion. Encouraging changes that may not be easy or cheap, but are better in the long run.
It suits someone who cares deeply about the environment and wants to make change where it counts. On the floor. In purchasing. In product design. In conversations with clients. With those who say “But that’s the way we’ve always done it…”
You are not just helping a company meet regulations. You are helping shape its values.
Service Technician or Print Engineer: The Lifeline (or the Paramedic)?
When a press goes down, the whole factory feels it. Deadlines stack up. Phones start ringing. And the person everyone waits for is the maintenance technician.
Technicians and engineers diagnose faults, replace worn parts, recalibrate machines, and bring production back to life. It is technical, physical work that often involves travel, after hours or ‘on call’ rostering, independence, and a calm mindset under pressure.
This is a role for people who like fixing things. Not just in theory, but in practice. You might be in a machine, surrounded by parts, but you are the reason the job gets delivered on time.
It is a hands-on career with variety, challenge, and real respect from the people who count on you.
Training Specialist: The Legacy Builder
The print industry is facing a knowledge gap. Many of its most experienced people are nearing retirement, and not enough new workers are coming in. That is where training and development becomes essential.
Trainers can be a standalone role, or that experienced senior printer or supervisor who on onboard new apprentices, help develop learning systems and facilitate knowledge transfer, and help existing staff adapt to new tech and processes.
This is a role for someone who knows the industry and wants to give back. It requires patience, empathy, and clarity. It is also incredibly rewarding.
When someone moves from nervous new starter to confident operator, this is the person who helped make it happen.
Salesperson or Business Development Manager: The Opportunity Maker
If the press is the heart of the print business, the salesperson is its voice. They are the ones out in the world, building relationships, uncovering opportunities, and helping clients find exactly what they need, even when the client is not entirely sure what that is yet.
This is not just about selling packaging, wayfinding signs, or brochures. A great salesperson in the print industry understands substrates, turnaround times, finishing options, and what happens when a spec changes by three millimetres. They translate creative vision into something physically possible, then bring it back to the team to make it real.
It is part technical, part creative, and part problem solver.
What makes someone thrive in this role? A deep curiosity about people. The ability to listen more than you talk. A sharp eye for opportunity. And the patience to build trust over time.
Some start out on the floor and move into sales because they know the product inside out. Others come from the client side and bring insight into what brands are actually looking for.
This role is not about pushy pitches. It is about relationships. About solving problems. About becoming someone your clients want to hear from, not someone they avoid.
So what is the point?
The point is that the print industry is far bigger, smarter, and more varied than most people realise.
You do not need to run a press to build a career here. You do not need to be an artist. You do not need a degree.
What you do need is a mindset. Be curious. Be adaptable. Be willing to learn. And be open to the idea that a stable, future focused, hands-on career might be found in a place you never thought to look.
If you are searching for work that is technical, creative, collaborative, and full of momentum, print might just surprise you.
…And did we mention that depending on the company, your role may in fact have a blend of the roles outlined above?
Talk to JDA Print Recruitment about the opportunities we have to get you into print, packaging or signage…
Related posts
