Textile Screen Printer

Anchor Apparel Company; Jacksonville (FL); On-site; USD 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Production bonus

Health/Dental packages

Job summary

Anchor Apparel Company in Jacksonville, FL is seeking an experienced Screen Printing Press Operator to set up, operate, and maintain automatic presses, producing high-quality garments. You will follow work orders, manage ink, screens, and color matching to ensure consistent results.

This role requires knowledge of screen preparation, burning, washing out images, curing, and daily maintenance. The team values precision, safety, and timely production, with a full-time schedule 8am-4pm, Monday to

Qualifications

• Experience operating an automatic screen-printing press.
• Understanding of workflow for traditional screen printing.
• Ability to coat, burn, expose, and wash out images.
• Knowledge of emulsions, mesh counts, and color matching.
• Ability to identify underexposure and print defects.
• Ability to set up multicolor print jobs accurately.
• Attention to detail and reliability in production.

Responsibilities

• Set up and operate automatic screen-printing presses.
• Read work orders and follow production schedules.
• Mix inks and color-match for each job.
• Burn images onto screens and wash out properly.
• Inspect screens for exposure and alignment before production.
• Ensure proper curing and quality control during runs.
• Maintain cleanliness and safety in the print shop.

Skills

Automatic screen press

Ink mixing & color matching

Quality control

Reading work orders

Press setup & adjustments

Team communication

Time management

Safety compliance

Tools

Screen printing presses

Job description

Job Description

Job Description

Screen Printing Press Operator

Position: Screen Printing Press Operator
Department: Production
Reports to: Shop Manager
Employment Type: Full-time
Schedule: 8am-4pm Monday - Friday
Compensation: $19-25 per hour (depending on experience) + Production Bonus (12 month Historical average $550 per month), Health/Dental packages available.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced, detail-oriented Screen Printing Press Operator to join our production team. This position is responsible for setting up, operating, and maintaining automatic screen-printing presses while producing consistent, high-quality printed garments and textiles.

The ideal candidate understands the full workflow of a traditional screen-printing shop, including screen preparation, burning and washing out images, ink mixing, press setup, registration, test printing, production, curing, quality control, reclaiming, and routine equipment maintenance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Set up and operate automatic screen-printing presses.
• Read and follow work orders, production schedules, artwork separations, and garment specifications.
• Select the correct screens, mesh counts, squeegees, pallets, inks, and additives for each job.
• Coat screens evenly with the appropriate emulsion and prepare them for exposure.
• Burn images onto screens using film positives and LED Exposure tables.
• Wash out exposed screens to produce clean, accurate stencils while maintaining fine details, halftones, and registration marks.
• Inspect burned screens for proper exposure, image clarity, pinholes, stencil breakdown, and other defects before production.
• Dry, tape, block out, label, and prepare completed screens for press setup.
• Load screens and achieve accurate registration for single-color and multicolor designs.
• Adjust off-contact, screen angle, squeegee pressure, speed, flood-bar pressure, and print stroke as needed.
• Perform test prints and obtain approval before beginning production.
• Mix, reduce, modify, and color-match plastisol, water-based, discharge, and specialty inks as applicable.
• Print on T-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, workwear, and other textile products.
• Monitor ink deposits, opacity, registration, print placement, garment alignment, and overall image quality throughout each production run.
• Operate flash units, conveyor dryers, heat presses, and other curing equipment.
• Verify proper ink curing through temperature checks, stretch tests, wash tests, or other shop procedures.
• Identify and correct common printing problems, including screen breakdown, ink buildup, fibrillation, dye migration, pinholes, ghosting, poor opacity, and registration issues.
• Maintain expected production speeds while minimizing misprints, ink waste, and garment spoilage.
• Count, inspect, organize, and accurately document completed goods.
• Clean screens, squeegees, flood bars, ink tools, pallets, and work areas after each job.
• Perform screen coating, exposure, washout, taping, blockout, reclaiming, degreasing, and screen-room organization.
• Perform routine press and screen-room equipment maintenance and report mechanical or production problems promptly.
• Follow all safety procedures for inks, emulsions, chemicals, cleaning products, heat equipment, and machinery.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and efficient traditional print-shop environment.
• Assist with receiving, inventory, folding, packing, and shipping when production needs require it.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Previous experience operating an automatic screen-printing press.
• Strong understanding of traditional textile screen-printing methods and shop workflow.
• Demonstrated ability to coat, burn, expose, and wash out images for screen-printing screens.
• Knowledge of exposure times, emulsions, mesh counts, film positives, registration marks, and stencil preparation.
• Ability to evaluate screen exposure and identify underexposure, overexposure, pinholes, loss of detail, and incomplete washout.
• Ability to preserve fine lines, halftones, and small details during the screen-exposure and washout process.
• Ability to set up and register multicolor print jobs accurately.
• Knowledge of screen mesh, emulsions, squeegee durometers, ink systems, curing requirements, and garment types.
• Ability to mix inks and make press adjustments based on artwork, fabric, and production conditions.
• Experience troubleshooting common screen-printing, screen-preparation, and curing problems.
• Strong attention to detail, color, print placement, and quality.
• Ability to follow work orders and reproduce approved samples consistently.
• Basic mechanical aptitude and confidence making routine press adjustments.
• Good time-management, organization, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a production team.
• Dependable attendance and the ability to meet daily production deadlines.
• Willingness to maintain a clean shop and assist in other production areas.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with any model Automatic Screen Printing presses.
• Knowledge of simulated-process, four-color-process, halftone, and spot-color printing.
• Experience with plastisol, water-based, discharge, puff, metallic, high-density, and other specialty inks.
• Familiarity with Pantone color matching.
• Experience with screen reclaiming, degreasing, haze removal, darkroom procedures, and exposure-unit maintenance.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand for extended periods.
• Ability to perform repetitive hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder movements.
• Ability to bend, reach, lift, and move throughout the production area.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 20-40 pounds.
• Ability to work safely around moving machinery, inks, emulsions, cleaning chemicals, heat presses, flash units, exposure equipment, washout stations, and conveyor dryers.
• Ability to distinguish colors and identify small print or stencil defects.

Performance Expectations

Success in this position is measured by:

• Clean, properly exposed screens with accurate image detail.
• Accurate registration and print placement.
• Consistent print quality throughout each production run.
• Proper curing and adhesion.
• Efficient screen preparation, press setup, and job changeover times.
• Achievement of production targets.
• Low screen-remake, spoilage, and reprint rates.
• Proper equipment care and maintenance.
• Cleanliness, safety, teamwork, and dependable attendance.

Company Description

Veteran-owned custom apparel and promotional company delivering high-quality, mission-driven products with speed, precision, and accountability.