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The differences between printer technicians and technical specialists 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 technical specialist. Additionally, a technical specialist has an average salary of $88,773, 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 technical specialist are customer service, technical support, and patients.
| Printer Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,677 | $88,773 |
| Hourly rate | $17.63 | $42.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 50,147 | 121,151 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| 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.
The role of technical specialists is to provide technical support for applications and programs to staff members and customers within an organization. They train staff and customers on products and apps and offer advice on the best practices for utilizing technical programs and applications. They also design training materials to teach other staff members the most effective methods of using its technology. It is also their job to reduce company costs by looking for ways to improve productivity and lessen expenses.
Printer technicians and technical specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Printer Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,677 | $88,773 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $50,000 | Between $62,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | Aurora, CO | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | Delaware |
| Best paying company | HP | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a printer technician and a technical specialist in terms of educational background:
| Printer Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between printer technicians' and technical specialists' demographics:
| Printer Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4% | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% |
| 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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |