Printers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time printers in the UK earned a median £33,019 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 15% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That puts it 226th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
Median full-time pay: women £26,988 a year, men £33,101 a year.
ASHE counts roughly 8,000 employee jobs, 88% full-time.
From £25,991 in 2021, the median is up 27.0%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 18,000 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | – | £494.60 | £13.54 | £22,814* | £459.00 | £13.25 |
| 25th percentile | £26,538* | £511.50 | £14.25 | £23,700* | £489.20 | £13.57 |
| 30th percentile | £27,508* | £528.40 | £14.40 | £25,461* | £495.90 | £14.34 |
| 40th percentile | £30,851 | £588.60 | £15.05 | £27,809* | £550.70 | £15.02 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £33,019 | £670.50 | £16.86 | £31,367* | £633.10* | £16.17 |
| 60th percentile | £35,973* | £734.30* | £18.29 | £34,514* | £693.30* | £18.00 |
| 70th percentile | – | £774.90 | £19.83* | £37,061* | £753.40* | £19.29* |
| 75th percentile | – | – | – | – | £781.60* | £20.00* |
| Mean | £33,726 | £680.30 | £17.65 | £31,610 | £642.00 | £17.44 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £25,991 | £481.10 | £11.84 | £24,660 | £460.40 | 14* |
| 2022 revised | £26,882* | £527.60* | £13.23 | £25,769* | £527.60 | 11* |
| 2023 revised | £29,567 | £591.10 | £15.99 | £27,908* | £542.60* | 12* |
| 2024 revised | £32,050* | £641.60 | £16.08 | £27,648* | £616.40 | 8* |
| 2025 provisional | £33,019 | £670.50 | £16.86 | £31,367* | £633.10* | 8* |
Printers by region
UK: 18,000 (± 5,200), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What printers do
Printers set up and operate various small offset printing presses and digital printing processes. (ONS SOC 2020, 5422)
Also covers: digital printer, lithographic printer, machine minder (printing), print technician, screen printer, wallpaper printer, block printer, bromide printer, bronzing machinist, calico printer, cloth printer, colour printer, colour worker, contact printer, dial printer, embroidery printer, fabric printer and film printer (78 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Positions form or plate on machine, checks alignments and sets press
- Mixes and loads inks and solvents, loads paper and regulates during print run
- Prints and examines proof copies and adjusts press as necessary
- Starts or directs start of printing run and monitors machine to ensure that printing proceeds smoothly
- Pours colour into machine or directly on to screen and positions screen over item
- Operates squeegee by hand or machine to press colour through screen
There are no formal academic requirements although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. Training is typically received on-the-job. Traineeships and apprenticeships in Machine Printing are available at NVQ/SVQ levels 2 and 3.
Related
Printing trades (median £28,911) · Pre-press technicians · Print finishing and binding workers · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026