My old job at the print shop got replaced by a machine that runs itself

I worked at a local print shop for about five years, mostly running the big color press. We had to check every single sheet for color and alignment, which took a ton of time. Then, about two years ago, the owner bought this new press with a built-in camera system. It scans each print as it goes and makes tiny adjustments on its own. My whole job of watching the press just vanished. Now I just load paper and clear jams. Has anyone else had their main task just disappear like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

emeryj6610d ago

Yeah, "load paper and clear jams" sounds about right... they turned your whole job into a fancy babysitting gig for a machine that hates paper. At least the old press pretended to need you.

jamesf2910d ago

My grocery store's self-checkout area keeps growing every time they remodel.

nancyg1410d ago

Our local library got one of those self-check machines years ago. The librarians went from checking out books to basically being tech support for confused patrons and fixing paper jams in the printer. It feels like the real skill gets buried under just keeping the automation running.