Print buyer vs purchasing agent

The differences between print buyers and purchasing agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a print buyer and a purchasing agent. Additionally, a purchasing agent has an average salary of $51,950, which is higher than the $50,402 average annual salary of a print buyer.

The top three skills for a print buyer include purchase orders, print vendors and print production. The most important skills for a purchasing agent are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.

Print buyer vs purchasing agent overview

	Print Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Yearly salary	$50,402	$51,950
Hourly rate	$24.23	$24.98
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	9,270	45,856
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Print buyer vs purchasing agent salary

Print buyers and purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Print Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Average salary	$50,402	$51,950
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $69,000	Between $37,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	Abiomed
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between print buyer and purchasing agent education

There are a few differences between a print buyer and a purchasing agent in terms of educational background:

	Print Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Print buyer vs purchasing agent demographics

Here are the differences between print buyers' and purchasing agents' demographics:

	Print Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 39.3% Female, 60.8%	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between print buyer and purchasing agent duties and responsibilities

Print buyer example responsibilities.

Utilize negotiation skills by effectively manage the teams budget and securing the greatest value for services.
Manage vendor selection, negotiation and relationships.
Manage and purchase commodities ranging from foil packaging and corrugate packaging to numerous food ingredients.
Request for quotes (RFQ) create contract pricing to control spend.
Respond to the RFQ for sales, working within tight time deadlines.
Contract with IBM consulting and internal RFP teams to evaluate spend and stockholder needs.

Purchasing agent example responsibilities.

Reorganize MRO to manage inventory more efficiently.
Utilize MaCola ERP system to process and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders in coordination with manufacturing forecast.
Process purchase orders from electronically generate RFQ'S.
Develop programs with suppliers to ensure that commodities meet engineering and quality specifications while maintaining on-time delivery.
Prepare purchase orders, RFP's and RFB's, advertise solicitations, review responses and approve contract acceptance.
Send out RFQ's and award orders to the best fit and price vendor to ensure manufacturing meets critical due dates.

Print buyer vs purchasing agent skills

Common print buyer skills

Purchase Orders, 23%
Print Vendors, 19%
Print Production, 9%
Graphic Design, 5%
Press Checks, 4%
Print Materials, 4%

Common purchasing agent skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Logistics, 5%
Inventory Control, 4%
MRP, 3%
Cost Savings, 3%