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The differences between printer technicians and desktop 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 desktop support technician. Additionally, a desktop support technician has an average salary of $41,792, 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 desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Printer Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,677 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $17.63 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 50,147 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 troubleshooting defective computer systems, affecting its performance and efficiency. Desktop support technicians must be highly familiar with the technology systems and programming codes to navigate system applications and locate the discrepancy of the system. They keep documentation of the ticket issue and the resolution for reference and quality improvement. A desktop support technician also configures and updates computer systems and networks for better optimization, as well as conducting regular inspections and monitoring the efficiency of installed programs and patches.
Printer technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Printer Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,677 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $50,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Aurora, CO | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | HP | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a printer technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Printer Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between printer technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Printer Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |