Printing and Graphic Arts

The Printing and Graphic Arts industry provides information and communication for the consumer and businesses through books, magazines, newspapers, advertising materials, packaging and labelling. This sector has a number of specialisations which include, desktop publishing, digital printing, graphic pre-press, multimedia, print finishing, print production support, printing and screen printing.

What does this industry cover?

The technological changes to this sector are the shift from offset to digital printing and commercial inkjet printing, on-demand printing of books and the growth of 3D printing.

There has been a decline in some print media such as newspapers and magazines but this has led to a growth in printed consumer advertising, packaging, food labelling, printing for publishing, general business products and events.

Job hunting preparation

Top priority skills: managing skills, work health and safety, customer service, teamwork, communication skills, critical and creative problem solving and technical skills.

Some organisations employ individuals who have printing and/or graphic arts skills which could mean that you could be working across multi-disciplinary roles in a range of industries.

Information for further research

Industry information is published by peak level associations, government and major employers. Accessing industry association sites, including member lists, is a good way of building up an understanding of an industry. Visiting employer websites and looking for careers or employment menus helps identify how employers recruit and the skills they are recruiting.