Print buyer vs purchasing assistant

The differences between print buyers and purchasing assistants 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 assistant. Additionally, a print buyer has an average salary of $50,402, which is higher than the $38,331 average annual salary of a purchasing assistant.

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

Print buyer vs purchasing assistant overview

	Print Buyer	Purchasing Assistant
Yearly salary	$50,402	$38,331
Hourly rate	$24.23	$18.43
Growth rate	-	-8%
Number of jobs	9,270	8,415
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Print buyer vs purchasing assistant salary

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

	Print Buyer	Purchasing Assistant
Average salary	$50,402	$38,331
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $69,000	Between $31,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	Baltimore, MD
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between print buyer and purchasing assistant education

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

	Print Buyer	Purchasing Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Print buyer vs purchasing assistant demographics

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

	Print Buyer	Purchasing Assistant
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 39.3% Female, 60.8%	Male, 22.8% Female, 77.2%
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, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between print buyer and purchasing assistant 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 assistant example responsibilities.

Manage RFP process and play a key role in minimizing the cost of printing.
Schedule and manage new product trials, liaise with vendors, surgeons and specialty coordinators.
Manage activities of purchasing, production planning and scheduling, inventory management, warehousing and logistics.
Master point of service (POS) computer system for automate order taking.
Input of purchase orders into ERP system, order acknowledgments, follow-up, and expedition of orders.
Prepare purchase orders using MRP, inspect incoming shipments for quality, and attend press checks for production approval.

Print buyer vs purchasing assistant 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 assistant skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Purchase Requisitions, 18%
Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Logistics, 3%
POS, 2%