$Who Earns What

How much does a printer make in Japan?

Printing/Bookbinding Workers

Answer: The average printer in Japan makes $30,526 (¥4.58M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).

Average yearly pay of people doing this job in Japan
$30,526 (¥4.58M)

Monthly pay $2,195 × 12 + bonus $4,182. Average age 44.6; about 126,000 people work in this job. About the same as the Japan-wide average ($33,720).

Printer pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)

Printer pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$30,526$32,487$23,13744.6
Big company$38,816$42,653$25,63743.9
Mid-size$30,693$32,652$24,57743.8
Small company$28,597$30,241$21,57345.2

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay can depend on experience, the employer’s pay rules and size, location, and whether a printing or bookbinding skill certificate brings an allowance. Full-time or part-time hours, night shifts, busy-season overtime, and the machine or process a worker specializes in can also make a difference.

What if you were…

In Japan, age and company size matter most

Pick a company size, sex or age to see that group's average here.

How it changes with age

Tap an age to update the number above (Any company size, men and women combined)

How it changes with company size

Any size$30,526
Big company$38,816
Mid-size$30,693
Small company$28,597
Men$32,487
Women$23,137

What does a printer do?

What's a typical day like?

Printers check the job sheet, paper and ink, make a test run, adjust color and alignment, then watch the press and inspect the sheets. Bookbinders fold and sort pages, bind and trim them, then check and pack finished books.

How to get this job

Many people in Japan enter after high school, and no special degree or license is required. They learn on the job, starting with simple tasks or one machine, and can later use a related skills test to prove what they can do.

Did you know?

In Japan, printing can put images not just on paper, but on glass, metal, wood, and even round or bumpy surfaces.

What about the US?

Nearly the same job
Printer (average)
$30,526
US
Press operator (typical)
$45,780

Japan's figure is the average and the US figure is the median. Prices and exchange rates matter too, so it's a rough comparison.

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Sources and data

Source: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (regular workers, by occupation) (e-Stat). Yearly pay = monthly contractual cash earnings × 12 + annual bonus. Averages for regular workers at firms with 10+ employees. Public employees (teachers, police, firefighters) and company executives are not in this survey. e-stat.go.jp

Pages used for the text

Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY