Screen maker vs digital print operator

The differences between screen makers and digital print operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a screen maker and a digital print operator. Additionally, a digital print operator has an average salary of $31,749, which is higher than the $30,963 average annual salary of a screen maker.

The top three skills for a screen maker include silk screen, RAN and quality checks. The most important skills for a digital print operator are quality checks, image quality, and quality standards.

Screen maker vs digital print operator overview

	Screen Maker	Digital Print Operator
Yearly salary	$30,963	$31,749
Hourly rate	$14.89	$15.26
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	7,687	46,110
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Screen maker vs digital print operator salary

Screen makers and digital print operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Screen Maker	Digital Print Operator
Average salary	$30,963	$31,749
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $37,000	Between $26,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Clifton, NJ
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Quad
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between screen maker and digital print operator education

There are a few differences between a screen maker and a digital print operator in terms of educational background:

	Screen Maker	Digital Print Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Graphic Design
Most common college	-	-

Screen maker vs digital print operator demographics

Here are the differences between screen makers' and digital print operators' demographics:

	Screen Maker	Digital Print Operator
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 68.3% Female, 31.7%	Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.7% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between screen maker and digital print operator duties and responsibilities

Screen maker example responsibilities.

Maintain professional correspondence with pressroom and with prepress department.
Remove rough spots and smooth surfaces to fit, trim, or clean parts, using hand tools or power tools.

Digital print operator example responsibilities.

Manage day-to-day operations and supervise employees to ensure the studio run smoothly.
Experience in PDF, VIP, PPML, and VPS files.
Maintain and troubleshoot printer and machine base.
Operate and troubleshoot high speed digital print equipment.
Print customer and in-house jobs over network .!
Operate the Rotoflex die-cutting machine, UV and water-base.

Screen maker vs digital print operator skills

Common screen maker skills

Silk Screen, 38%
RAN, 16%
Quality Checks, 14%
Reclaiming, 12%
Ink Colors, 11%
Clean Screens, 9%

Common digital print operator skills

Quality Checks, 14%
Image Quality, 13%
Quality Standards, 12%
Routine Maintenance, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Perform Routine Maintenance, 4%