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The differences between printer technicians and software 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 software support technician. Additionally, a software support technician has an average salary of $79,670, 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 software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| Printer Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,677 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $17.63 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 50,147 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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 software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays. They also assist the system engineers in the configuration and optimization of networks, including the installment of upgrades and patch updates. A software support technician must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in navigating computer tools and applications to create support tickets and fix the customers' issues efficiently.
Printer technicians and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Printer Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,677 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $50,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Aurora, CO | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | California |
| Best paying company | HP | RSM US |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a printer technician and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Printer Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between printer technicians' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Printer Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |