Printing press operators
Occupation · NOC 2021 73401 · Canada
- NOC 2021 code
- 73401
- TEER
- 3
- Positions on positive LMIAs, all lists
- 510
- Median wage, Canada
- C$25.00 per hour
- Job Bank postings, Jan–Sep 2026
- 446
OC<CANPRINTING<PRESS<OPERATORS<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 734015<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<0
About this occupation
Printing press operators set up and operate sheet and web-fed presses to print text, illustrations and designs on a wide variety of materials such as paper, plastic, glass, leather and metal. They are employed by commercial printing companies; newspapers, magazines, and other publishing companies; and establishments in the public and private sectors that have in-house printing departments. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.
Example job titles
- apprentice pressman/woman
- assistant pressman/woman
- first pressman/woman
- flexographic press operator
- offset press operator
- printing press operator
- rotogravure pressman/woman - printing
Main duties
- This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Review job orders to determine job specifications such as production time, colour sequence and quantities required, and advise press crew of these specifications
- Mount plates or cylinders and make necessary adjustments
- Fill ink fountains and take measurements, make adjustments and determine settings to control colour and viscosity
- Set up press and check samples for ink coverage, alignment and registration
- Monitor regular press runs for quality and consistency using computer control console and make adjustments as required
- Remove and clean plates and cylinders at end of press run
- Direct activities of press crew and ensure that safety procedures are adhered to.
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a college program in printing technology or A combination of on-the-job training and specialized high school, college or industry courses is usually required.
- Trade certification is available, but voluntary, in Québec.
Temporary foreign worker positions (LMIA)
Positions on positive LMIAs in ESDC employer lists, by year of the list.
Approved positions by year
Data table
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 14 |
| 2020 | 24 |
| 2021 | 18 |
| 2022 | 117 |
| 2023 | 122 |
| 2024 | 103 |
| 2025 | 81 |
| 2026 | 14 |
- Bulldog Bag Ltd67
- Emballage St-Jean Ltée24
- Solisco Inc.22
- Helix Impressions Inc.18
- IMPRIMERIE F.L. WEB INC.16
- Les Emballages OnduCorr Inc11
- Data Communications Management Corp.11
- ENVELOPPE LAURENTIDE INC.10
- Polynova Industries Inc.9
- IMPRESSION NUMÉRIX INC.8
- Deschamps Impression inc.8
- Imprimerie Transcontinental inc8
- INTROPAK INC.7
- 9030-5814 Qc inc7
- GA International inc.6
Work permits
Work permit holders by year the permit took effect, mapped from NOC 2016 where the code has a single NOC 2021 successor (IRCC).
| Year | TFWP permits | IMP permits |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 0 |
| 2025 | 50 | 0 |
| 2024 | 45 | 0 |
| 2023 | 95 | 0 |
| 2022 | 15 | 0 |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 |
All work permits by year
Data table
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 15 |
| 2023 | 95 |
| 2024 | 45 |
| 2025 | 50 |
| 2026 | 15 |
Permanent residence
Admissions of permanent residents by intended occupation and Express Entry invitations by occupation (IRCC).
New permanent residents by year
Data table
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2021 | 75 |
| 2022 | 20 |
| 2023 | 20 |
- Canadian Experience Class155
- Provincial Nominee Program75
- Federal Skilled Worker25
Wages
Median wage by province and territory (2025 release). Hourly unless marked per year.
| Area | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | C$18.27 | C$25.00 | C$35.00 |
| Alberta | C$19.86 | C$27.56 | C$34.51 |
| British Columbia | C$19.00 | C$28.00 | C$40.00 |
| Manitoba | C$18.00 | C$24.00 | C$31.50 |
| New Brunswick | C$15.65 | C$21.50 | C$30.00 |
| Nova Scotia | C$17.25 | C$20.00 | C$25.50 |
| Ontario | C$19.00 | C$25.00 | C$35.00 |
| Quebec | C$20.60 | C$26.65 | C$37.00 |
- Job Bank postings, Jan–Sep 2026
- 446
- Vacancies advertised
- 610
- Median advertised minimum hourly wage
- C$25.00
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