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The differences between printer technicians and information technology/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 an information technology/support technician. Additionally, an information technology/support technician has an average salary of $45,591, 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 an information technology/support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and computer system.
| Printer Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,677 | $45,591 |
| Hourly rate | $17.63 | $21.92 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 50,147 | 161,748 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| 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.
An information technology (IT) support technician is an individual who is responsible for providing support and troubleshoots software and hardware problems faced by customers. As for larger organizations that have their own IT department, technicians must work together internally with their IT staff members. IT support technicians are involved in inspecting and resolving minor local area network and wireless network issues, which include TCP/IP, DHCP, and VPN. They are also required to obtain an associate's degree in computer science or related field.
Printer technicians and information technology/support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Printer Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,677 | $45,591 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $50,000 | Between $31,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Aurora, CO | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | HP | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a printer technician and an information technology/support technician in terms of educational background:
| Printer Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between printer technicians' and information technology/support technicians' demographics:
| Printer Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4% | Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6% |
| 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, 10.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 13.2% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |