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Printing Press Operators vs Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Printing Press Operators and Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Printing Press Operators Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$45,160
$48,630
Employment · BLS OEWS
145,110
22,350
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
37th pct
32nd pct

At a glance

Dimension Printing Press Operators Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Median pay $45,160 $48,630
Employment 145,110 22,350
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-8.1%) Declining (-8.3%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 13,700 1,900
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Moderate · 37th pct Low · 32nd pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 46th pct · 25% of tasks 37th pct · 21% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Near Vision, Quality Control Analysis, Mechanical, Production and Processing, Operations Monitoring, Control Precision, Problem Sensitivity, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Equipment Maintenance, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Selective Attention, Finger Dexterity, Multilimb Coordination, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving, Inductive Reasoning, Perceptual Speed, Static Strength, Far Vision.

Specific to Printing Press Operators

  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Time Management
  • Visualization
  • Category Flexibility
  • Flexibility of Closure
  • Visual Color Discrimination

Specific to Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  • Reaction Time
  • Rate Control
  • English Language
  • Response Orientation
  • Trunk Strength
  • Auditory Attention
  • Education and Training
  • Active Learning

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Electronic mail software .

Specific to Printing Press Operators

Specific to Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Printing Press Operators or Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Printing Press Operators vs Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/printing-press-operators-vs-rolling-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Printing Press Operators vs Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/printing-press-operators-vs-rolling-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-printing-press-operators-vs-rolling-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic,
  title  = {Printing Press Operators vs Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/printing-press-operators-vs-rolling-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.