Printing 

Imagine a world without print. No books, money, newspapers, billboards, labels, magazines or useful packaging. Printing is everywhere.

The Canadian printing industry includes printing and imaging establishments, bindery operations and associated businesses such as equipment manufacturers and distributors of physical or electronic data.

The industry is changing radically with the adoption of new technologies, increased automation and integration of printing processes, and new advances in science and technology.

And, as Internet use increases, the industry is expanding its markets, shifting its customer base and offering more specialized products and services.

Working in Printing

People working in the printing industry do a wide range of jobs, from sales to designing print products, operating print machinery, binding and finishing printed documents and managing high-tech equipment and processes.

Employers in the industry include commercial printers, graphic design companies, newspapers and book publishers, copy shops, businesses with in-house printing facilities, and specialty printers. Most employers are small companies employing fewer than five people.

The industry has occupations in:

• Prepress (preparing material for printing): graphic designers, prepress operators, graphic arts technicians, typesetters and desktop publishing operators 
• Press (the actual printing of material using different types of presses): printing press and machine operators, production coordinators and managers 
• Finishing, bindery and distribution (the assembly and dissemination of finished products for the customer): binding machine operators, laminating machine operators, hand bookbinders, marketing specialists, web designers, sales and support personnel.

Printing tasks may be organized and integrated differently, depending on the size of the company, types of presses, and production output. Many printing industry employees work with computers and technical equipment.

Skills & Training

Many colleges, universities and technical schools across the country offer full-time, part-time and continuing education programs related to printing. Most programs deal with the prepress aspect of the industry. Programs dealing with computer and Internet use in the industry are also developing rapidly.

Employers also provide much of the available industry training. Most in-house training is employee-to-employee training, is generally practical in nature and relates specifically to the employer’s products.