---
title: "Will AI Replace Printing Press Operators? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates printing press operators' exposure to AI as moderate. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (-8.7%…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-printing-press-operators"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Printing Press Operators? (2026)

**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.

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.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Moderate | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 63/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | -8.7% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 12,100 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $45,780 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low | 203 |
| Moderate (this job) | 194 |
| High | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Face-to-face discussions: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Hands-on work with tools and objects: 4.7/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment: 3.9/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Handling and moving objects: 4.0/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Processing information: 3.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Getting information: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repeating the same tasks: 3.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Repetitive motions: 3.8/5 (O\*NET work context)

## O\*NET tasks

- 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.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than printing press operators

- [Stone Cutter and Carver, Manufacturing](https://nuecareer.com/careers/stone-cutter-and-carver-manufacturing): BLS exposure Low, median $46,170
- [Grinding and Polishing Worker, Hand](https://nuecareer.com/careers/grinding-and-polishing-worker-hand): BLS exposure Low, median $42,660

## 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.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/printing-press-operator.

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This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology