NOW HIRING: PRESS OPERATOR
Drum-Line | An Arch Promo Group Company | Stuttgart, Arkansas
Full Time • Non-Exempt (hourly) • ProductionManufacturing • On-site
ABOUT DRUM-LINE
Drum-Line has been manufacturing in Stuttgart, Arkansas since 1928. We design and print custom calendars, notebooks, journals, and more than 500 other products that carry our customers' brands across North America - all made right here in Arkansas. In 2022 we joined Arch Promo Group, a growing family of American promotional-products manufacturers that includes Gemini Industries, TK Cups-Sorg's, ProRose, StrombergBrand Umbrellas, HOWW Manufacturing, and BGD Promo, backed by St. Louis-based Confluent Holdings.
What that means for you: the stability and benefits of a national group, and the feel of a hometown plant where nearly a century of craft still shows up in every run. We are proud to be a U.S. manufacturer, and we are investing in our people and our equipment.
THE ROLE
Press time is the most expensive time in the building, and the Press Operator decides how much of it turns into product a customer signs off on the first time. You own your press: the make-ready, the run, the quality, and the record of what happened. Do it well and the job starts clean, holds spec from first sheet to last, and ships on time. That is the whole game, and we will give you the training, the tooling, and the backup to win it.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
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Set up your press from the job ticket, customer specs, and art files - loading substrate, setting ink, and mounting plates, cylinders, or dies.
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Run make-readies with discipline: install tooling, align the press, and confirm first-piece quality before you release the job.
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Get final pre-run approval from your supervisor or quality, then run the job.
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Monitor the run and dial it in - feed rates, tension, ink, and registration - so the last piece matches the first.
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Catch defects early: color drift, registration, smudging, substrate behavior. Correct what you can, stop the press and escalate when you should.
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Run periodic in-run checks and keep clean quality-control and production records - settings, counts, scrap, downtime - in our production system.
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Protect yield. Watch waste and scrap and act on what you see.
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Keep your press healthy with routine preventive maintenance: cleaning, lubrication, wear-part and blade changes, minor adjustments.
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Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and print-quality problems within your scope, and pull in your lead or maintenance for the big ones.
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Give direction to Print Assistants and press helpers on your jobs through setup, run, and changeover.
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Work with prepress, customer service, and the next department so jobs arrive press-ready and flow out clean.
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Follow every safety policy - PPE, lockout/tagout, safe machine operation - and keep an organized work area.
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Cross-train on other press types and finishing equipment so you can cover during absences and peak season.
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Speak up in production meetings about what the press is telling you and how we could run better.
WHAT YOU BRING
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High school diploma or equivalent. Vocational training, a certificate, or an apprenticeship in printing technology is a plus.
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Experience as a Press Operator, Print Assistant, or press helper in printing or print finishing is preferred - but if you have real mechanical ability and a habit of getting things right, we will train you.
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Familiarity with one or more press types: offset, flexographic, digital, screen, print-finishing, or converting equipment such as die cutting and hot foil stamping.
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Working knowledge of substrates, inks, plates, and cylinders for the presses you have run.
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Mechanical aptitude and genuine troubleshooting instincts.
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Ability to read job tickets, customer specs, CAD images, and blueprints, and solid shop math for measurements, counts, and waste.
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Comfort working independently and as part of a crew in a fast-paced plant.
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Fluency in English and the ability to follow written instructions accurately.
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Forklift, OSHA, or press-manufacturer certifications are a plus; some press assignments may require them.
WHO DOES WELL HERE
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Make-ready discipline - you treat the setup as the run, because a sloppy make-ready costs the rest of the shift.
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An eye for color and registration - you catch drift early enough to correct it, not late enough to scrap it.
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Coachable on the next press - offset to flexo to digital to screen, without losing accuracy on either.
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Integrity to do the right thing when the task is tough or the situation is unclear.
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Clear, respectful communication - you listen first and ask good questions.
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A one-team mindset and a drive to do excellent work, no matter how big or small the job.
SCHEDULE AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
This is an on-site, on-the-floor role in our Stuttgart pressroom. Standard production schedule, with overtime, weekends, and extended hours during peak production periods. No travel.
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Pressroom environment with moving machinery, and inks, solvents, cleaning agents, and substrate dust.
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High noise when presses are running; hearing protection required as posted.
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Safety glasses and closed-toe footwear required; gloves, ink-resistant apron, dust mask, and other PPE as posted by station and press.
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Standing on concrete (rubber matting where provided) for the full shift, frequent bending, stooping, and reaching, and repetitive motions.
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Lifting up to 50 lbs (more with assistance), hearing instructions clearly over press noise, and distinguishing colors with precision.
Reasonable accommodations may be available for individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role. Pre-employment may include a physical examination and drug screening per company policy.
