Do printers need a licence in Australia?

No. Printing is not a licensed occupation in any state or territory. Environmental and dangerous goods obligations apply to the business - solvent storage, emissions and trade waste - through each jurisdiction's EPA and WHS regulator, but there is no personal trade licence.

What qualification do printers hold?

ICP31220 Certificate III in Printing is the press operator trade qualification, covering letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, digital and screen printing. ICP31415 Certificate III in Print Communications is the pre-media pathway for those preparing artwork and files for production.

Which award covers printing?

The Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award 2010 (MA000026) is the industry award for printing and publishing. Printers employed within a broader manufacturing operation may instead be covered by the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 (MA000010). Check the coverage clauses.

Is printing a shrinking industry?

Commercial and publication printing has contracted with the shift to digital media, but packaging, labels, wide-format signage and digital short-run printing have held up or grown. Operators who move across digital and wide-format equipment have materially better prospects than those confined to traditional sheet-fed offset.

What is the difference between prepress and press operation?

Prepress - ANZSCO unit group 3922 - covers preparing files, imposing artwork, colour proofing and producing plates. Press operation - unit group 3923 - covers setting up and running the press itself. Print finishing and screen printing sit in unit group 3921. All three are Skill Level 3.

How long does it take to qualify as a printer?

The Certificate III is typically completed over three to four years as an Australian Apprenticeship or traineeship, combining paid production work with off-the-job training. ANZSCO's Skill Level 3 rating reflects a Certificate III plus at least two years of on-the-job training.

What skills transfer out of printing?

Colour management, prepress file handling and production scheduling transfer readily into graphic design, packaging technology, print management and print procurement roles. The mechanical setup and maintenance side transfers into other machine operation and production supervision work.

Printers and Print Production Workers jobs in Australia

Printers and print production workers set up and operate offset, digital, flexographic and screen printing presses, prepare files and plates for press, and bind and finish printed products. ANZSCO spreads the work across three unit groups - 3921 Print Finishers and Screen Printers, 3922 Graphic Pre-press Trades Workers and 3923 Printers - and it is not a licensed occupation anywhere in Australia.

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Vacancies

Current vacancies

No printers and print production workers roles are listed on Valont right now. Licensing and local context below still apply — this page updates when a matching role is published.

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Locations

Where we cover printers and print production workers

AdelaideSA AlbanyWA Albury-WodongaNSW/VIC Alice SpringsNT ArmidaleNSW BairnsdaleVIC BallaratVIC Batemans BayNSW BathurstNSW BendigoVIC Blue MountainsNSW BrisbaneQLD Broken HillNSW BroomeWA BunburyWA BundabergQLD BurnieTAS BusseltonWA CairnsQLD CanberraACT Central CoastNSW Charters TowersQLD Coffs HarbourNSW DarwinNT DevonportTAS DubboNSW EchucaVIC EmeraldQLD GeelongVIC GeraldtonWA GladstoneQLD Gold CoastQLD GoulburnNSW GriffithNSW GympieQLD Hervey BayQLD HobartTAS HorshamVIC IpswichQLD KalgoorlieWA KarrathaWA LauncestonTAS LismoreNSW LoganQLD MackayQLD MandurahWA MaryboroughQLD MelbourneVIC MeltonVIC MilduraVIC Mount GambierSA Mount IsaQLD Murray BridgeSA NewcastleNSW NowraNSW OrangeNSW PerthWA Port HedlandWA Port LincolnSA Port MacquarieNSW QueanbeyanNSW RedlandsQLD RockhamptonQLD RomaQLD SaleVIC SheppartonVIC Sunshine CoastQLD SydneyNSW TamworthNSW TareeNSW ToowoombaQLD TownsvilleQLD TraralgonVIC Wagga WaggaNSW WangarattaVIC WarrnamboolVIC WarwickQLD WhyallaSA WollongongNSW

Licensing

Licensing by state

Printing is not a licensed occupation in any Australian state or territory. No jurisdiction requires a printer, prepress operator or print finisher to hold a personal licence or registration. The regulatory obligations that apply are environmental and work health and safety ones attaching to the business rather than the tradesperson: licensing or approval for the storage and handling of dangerous goods and solvents, trade waste agreements for effluent, and air emissions controls for larger operations. These are administered by each jurisdiction's environment protection authority and WHS regulator, and thresholds differ, but none amounts to an occupational licence.

the Australian Capital Territory: Not a licensed occupation. Access Canberra does not license printing. The ACT Environment Protection Authority and WorkSafe ACT regulate emissions and dangerous goods.
New South Wales: Not a licensed occupation. NSW Fair Trading does not license printing. The NSW Environment Protection Authority regulates solvent emissions and waste for larger operations, and SafeWork NSW regulates dangerous goods and hazardous chemicals.
the Northern Territory: Not a licensed occupation. No Territory occupational licence applies to printers. The NT Environment Protection Authority and NT WorkSafe regulate emissions and dangerous goods.
Queensland: Not a licensed occupation. No Office of Fair Trading or other Queensland licence applies to printers. The business may need environmental authority conditions from the Department of Environment for solvent use and emissions, and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland regulates dangerous goods storage.
South Australia: Not a licensed occupation. Consumer and Business Services does not license printing. The SA Environment Protection Authority and SafeWork SA regulate emissions, waste and dangerous goods.
Tasmania: Not a licensed occupation. Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) does not license printing. The Environment Protection Authority Tasmania and WorkSafe Tasmania regulate emissions and dangerous goods.
Victoria: Not a licensed occupation. No Victorian occupational licence applies to printers. The Environment Protection Authority Victoria regulates emissions and waste under the general environmental duty, and WorkSafe Victoria regulates dangerous goods storage.
Western Australia: Not a licensed occupation. No licence is issued by the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety for printing. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and WorkSafe WA regulate emissions and dangerous goods respectively.

Role

What the job involves

Interpret job dockets, specifications and colour proofs
Prepare and impose artwork files and output plates for press
Set up presses including plate loading, register, ink and dampening
Run production and monitor colour, register and print quality against the proof
Match colour to specification using densitometers, spectrophotometers and standards
Operate guillotines, folders, laminators, binders and finishing equipment
Carry out press washes, routine maintenance and roller and blanket care
Manage substrate and ink stock and handle waste and chemicals safely

Training

Qualifications and training

ICP31220 Certificate III in Printing - the press operator trade qualification, covering setup and operation of letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, digital and screen printing
ICP31415 Certificate III in Print Communications - the pre-media pathway, covering layout, artwork preparation and image and text manipulation for production
Australian Apprenticeship or traineeship combining paid work with the Certificate III
Post-trade study in colour management, print management or graphic design for progression into estimating, prepress specialist or management roles

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Press setup, make-ready and register control · Colour management, matching and measurement to standard · Substrate and ink knowledge across stocks and applications · Prepress file preparation, imposition and preflighting · Bindery and finishing operations including guillotine and folder setup · Mechanical fault finding and preventive press maintenance · Waste minimisation and make-ready efficiency · Safe handling of solvents, inks and dangerous goods

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about printers and print production workers work in Australia.

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Sources

Printers and Print Production Workers — occupation data · verified 2026-08-04. ABS ANZSCO 2022, Minor Group 392 Printing Trades Workers - https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations/2022/browse-classification/3/39/392; ABS ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 3923 Printers - https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations/2022/browse-classification/3/39/392/3923; training.gov.au ICP31220 Certificate III in Printing - https://training.gov.au/Training/Details/ICP31220; training.gov.au ICP31415 Certificate III in Print Communications - https://training.gov.au/Training/Details/ICP31415; Fair Work Ombudsman list of awards - https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/awards/list-of-awards; NSW Environment Protection Authority - https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/; EPA Victoria - https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/

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