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The differences between printer technicians and desk support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a printer technician and a desk support technician. Additionally, a desk support technician has an average salary of $40,715, which is higher than the $36,677 average annual salary of a printer technician.
The top three skills for a printer technician include latent prints, troubleshoot and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Printer Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,677 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $17.63 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 50,147 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The printer technician primarily does the installation of new printers. Proper printer configuration on the network ensures and maintains the function of individual printers, scanners, or network printers. The printer technician regularly takes care and does routine repairs, including printer replacements of new ink cartridges. They are also comfortable copying, faxing, producing images, and other related printer issues. It is part of their responsibility to identify and resolve malfunctions, procurement, including the installation of those parts and resolving hardware failures.
A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.
Printer technicians and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Printer Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,677 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $50,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Aurora, CO | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | California |
| Best paying company | HP | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a printer technician and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Printer Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between printer technicians' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Printer Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |