Short answer
Unlikely to be replaced, but the job is shrinking. Exposure to AI is moderate, below the middle of the pack, and BLS projects employment to fall for reasons that are not mainly AI.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Printing Press Operators? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places printing press operators in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to fall by 8.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 12,100 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 63/100Higher than 90% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- -8.7%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 12,100BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed printing press operators are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Printing Press Operators land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate · this job194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions4.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Hands-on work with tools and objects4.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Handling and moving objects4.0/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Processing information3.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Getting information4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Repeating the same tasks3.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Repetitive motions3.8/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
The tasks O*NET lists for printing press operators
- Verify that paper and ink meet the specifications for a given job.
- Collect and inspect random samples during print runs to identify any necessary adjustments.
- Examine job orders to determine quantities to be printed, stock specifications, colors, or special printing instructions.
- Start presses and pull proofs to check for ink coverage and density, alignment, and registration.
- Clean or oil presses or make minor repairs, using hand tools.
- Change press plates, blankets, or cylinders, as required.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects -8.7% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 12,100 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 144,260 people work in the job today, at a median of $45,780 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full printing press operator profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than printing press operators
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Stone Cutter and Carver, Manufacturing
Production
- Median pay
- $46,170median a year
- Growth
- +5.8%
- Openings / yr
- 5,100
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 70/100
- resilience
Cut or carve stone according to diagrams and patterns.
Grinding and Polishing Worker, Hand
Production
- Median pay
- $42,660median a year
- Growth
- −19.2%
- Openings / yr
- 700
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 68/100
- resilience
Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects.
Questions
Will AI Replace Printing Press Operators? FAQ
Will AI replace printing press operators?
Unlikely to be replaced, but the job is shrinking. Exposure to AI is moderate, below the middle of the pack, and BLS projects employment to fall for reasons that are not mainly AI. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to fall by 8.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 12,100 openings a year.
How exposed are printing press operators to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Printing Press Operators are in the moderate category, alongside 193 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a printing press operator's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, getting information and repeating the same tasks. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, hands-on work with tools and objects and repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a printing press operator a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, printing press operators score 63 out of 100, higher than 90% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $45,780 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to printing press operators are less exposed to AI?
Stone Cutter and Carver, Manufacturing (low exposure, $46,170 median), Grinding and Polishing Worker, Hand (low exposure, $42,660 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than printing press operators, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.