lithographer
Lithographers make and prepare metal plates to be used as the original in various printing processes and media. Plates are usually laser-etched from digital sources with computer-to-plate technology, but can also be made by applying types of emulsions to the printing plate.
lithographer lithographers make and prepare metal plates to be used as the original in various printing processes and media. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include screen printing inks, printing techniques, printing materials, printing plate making, quality standards.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £27,497 a year for Pre-press technicians (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 5421). ONS publishes this estimate without a precision measure. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Craft and related trades workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only lithographer, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 7. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Public Safety and Security
What you'd actually do
- Start presses and pull proofs to check for ink coverage and density, alignment, and registration.
- Examine job orders to determine quantities to be printed, stock specifications, colors, or special printing instructions.
- Adjust ink fountain flow rates.
- Verify that paper and ink meet the specifications for a given job.
- Collect and inspect random samples during print runs to identify any necessary adjustments.
- Feed paper through press cylinders and adjust feed and tension controls.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does lithographer do?
Lithographers make and prepare metal plates to be used as the original in various printing processes and media. Plates are usually laser-etched from digital sources with computer-to-plate technology, but can also be made by applying types of emulsions to the printing plate.
What skills does lithographer need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include screen printing inks, printing techniques, printing materials, printing plate making, quality standards, print stripping. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace lithographer?
Our AI-durability model gives lithographer a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.