A reprographic assistant use copiers, scanners and printers to makes copies of printed material, for example, leaflets, posters, brochures or documents.

The Work

You could be:

• setting up and operating a variety of photocopiers, scanners and printing machines
• mounting and aligning printing plates and cylinders on printing presses
• making sure that the ink, chemicals, toner and colour saturation controls are set at the correct levels for each job
• checking that the machines are working properly
• quality checking samples of the work
• trimming, binding and packaging the finished items
• liaising with customers and other departments, such as graphics 
• recording job details
• ordering replacement supplies.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual salaries may vary, depending on:

• where you work
• the size of the company or organisation you work for and whether you are self-employed
• the demand for the job.

Starting salaries for reprographic assistants is usually around £18,000 a year. With experience this can rise to £25,000 a year, sometimes more if specialist knowledge and experience is gained.

Conditions

• You will probably work in a reprographics or print room of a large organisation.
• You may need to wear protective clothing to work with some types of equipment.
• You might have to lift and carry items.

Getting In

• A good general education is useful. Some employers look for a group of subjects at National 4 or 5. English, Maths, Art and Design and Computing Science or Graphic Communication are useful.
• You may be able to get in by doing a Modern Apprenticeship in Print Industry Occupations, working towards SVQs at SCQF Levels 5 and 6.

You would likely work for a large organisation with a specialised print room, for example, a local authority or university.

What Does it Take?

You should be:

• well organised
• able to work under pressure to deadlines
• able to operate machinery
• a good team worker
• able to follow instructions
• confident working with computers
• flexible and willing to do a variety of tasks.

You should have:

• good IT skills
• excellent attention to detail
• knowledge of health and safety in the workplace.

Training

You train mainly on the job, with part time off the job training at college. This usually takes two to three years.

Getting On

• If you work in a small company you may have to move to get promotion. In a larger company you might go on to manage a team.
• You might be able to move into pre-press operating, machine printing or print administration.

Video