About the Opportunity

Boyds Direct is looking for an experienced print-production professional who can make an immediate contribution to our growing digital print and wide-format operation.

This position is designed for someone who already understands print production and is comfortable working independently. You may come from a commercial printing company, sign or graphics operation, or — ideally — an in-plant printing environment where you have been responsible for producing a variety of work and solving problems as they arise.

We will train you on our specific equipment, software, workflows, and quality standards. We are not looking, however, to teach an experienced candidate the fundamentals of print production. We are looking for someone who can come in, learn our operation quickly, and make a difference.

What You'll Do

You will work as part of a small, experienced production team supporting digital print, wide-format, finishing, shipping, and other production needs. Because we are a small company, this is not a position where you will operate one machine all day. The right person will be comfortable moving between technologies and responsibilities as production priorities change.

Digital Print Production

• Independently setting up and producing digital print jobs.
• Reviewing job tickets, files, quantities, finishing requirements, and deadlines before production.
• Operating production digital printing equipment.
• Monitoring color, registration, image quality, variable data, and overall print quality.
• Identifying file or production problems before they become finished-product problems.
• Performing routine operator-level troubleshooting.
• Coordinating printing with downstream cutting, folding, booklet making, mailing, and other finishing requirements.
• Verifying completed work for quality and quantity before moving it to the next production stage.

Wide-Format Production

• Producing signs, banners, posters, displays, decals, and other wide-format products.
• Operating roll-fed and/or flatbed wide-format printing equipment.
• Working with rigid and flexible substrates.
• Preparing files and operating RIP software.
• Evaluating print quality, color, positioning, and material usage.
• Performing trimming, mounting, laminating, cutting, assembly, and other finishing operations.
• Troubleshooting common production and substrate issues.
• Preparing finished work for installation, customer pickup, shipping, or delivery.

Bindery & Finishing

You should be comfortable performing or quickly learning a variety of finishing operations, which may include:

The ability to look at a job and understand the most efficient way to move it through production is especially valuable.

Shipping & Production Support

This is a hands-on production position, and everyone helps get the finished product to the customer. Responsibilities may include:

• Preparing completed jobs for UPS, FedEx, local delivery, or customer pickup.
• Verifying quantities and shipping instructions.
• Packaging work appropriately to prevent damage.
• Receiving and organizing paper, substrates, and other production materials.
• Helping maintain organized production and shipping areas.
• Assisting other production departments when workload and deadlines require it.

Prepress & Computer Skills

Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Adobe Acrobat, Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, is strongly preferred. We are particularly interested in candidates who understand the connection between the digital file and the manufacturing process. Useful experience includes:

• Preflighting and preparing PDF files for production.
• Basic file correction and modification.
• Imposition.
• RIP software.
• Variable-data printing.
• Color management.
• Digital front-end or print-controller software.
• Wide-format workflow software.
• Understanding bleeds, trim, resolution, color spaces, fonts, and other common production issues.

You do not need to be a graphic designer, but you should be able to recognize when a file is likely to create a production problem and know when it needs to be corrected or returned for clarification.

Experience We're Looking For

The strongest candidates will have previous hands-on experience in one or more of the following:

In-plant print-production experience is especially desirable because this position requires versatility, independent problem solving, changing priorities, and the ability to handle a wide variety of jobs. We are more interested in what you can actually do than in a particular degree or number of years in the industry.

What Success Looks Like

A successful candidate will:

• Be able to work independently with limited supervision.
• Understand print-production fundamentals from file through finished product.
• Learn unfamiliar equipment and software quickly.
• Recognize potential problems before running an entire job.
• Take responsibility for the quality and accuracy of their work.
• Be comfortable making decisions within established procedures.
• Know when a problem can be solved independently and when to ask for assistance.
• Balance quality, efficiency, and deadlines.
• Be willing to move between departments as priorities change.
• Keep work areas and equipment organized.
• Communicate clearly with coworkers about job status and production issues.
• Be dependable and ready to contribute every day.
• Be able to safely lift and handle paper, boxes, signs, and production materials normally encountered in a printing environment.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who takes ownership of the work rather than simply operating equipment.

How We Work at Boyds Direct

Boyds Direct is a small company where every employee has an impact on our customers and on each other. Our philosophy is continuous improvement: Observe · Understand · Improve · Share · Repeat. When something doesn't work as expected, we want to understand why, improve the process, and make the next job better. That requires people who are willing to think, communicate, solve problems, and take responsibility.

We value quality and accuracy, but we also understand that a successful production operation must be efficient. We are continually looking for better ways to produce work, reduce unnecessary steps, improve consistency, and deliver more value to our customers. We don't expect someone new to Boyds Direct to know our systems immediately. We do expect an experienced production professional to bring useful knowledge and ideas with them. If you see a better way to do something, we want to hear it.

The Opportunity

This position is particularly well suited for someone who has developed solid production skills but wants the opportunity to do more than operate a single piece of equipment. You will have the opportunity to work across digital print, wide-format, finishing, shipping, variable-data production, and other areas of a modern print and marketing-services company. For the right person, this can become a key production role within Boyds Direct.

Starting compensation: $18–$22 per hour, based on experience and demonstrated capabilities. A candidate who demonstrates strong proficiency across digital print, wide-format, prepress, finishing, and independent production may be considered at up to $24 per hour.

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About the Opportunity

Boyds Direct is looking for a motivated person who wants to build a career in the printing and graphics industry.

This is an entry-level production position designed for someone who may have recently completed a vocational or technical school program, or who has some hands-on experience in graphic communications, digital printing, wide-format printing, bindery, or a related field.

You do not need to know everything when you arrive. We will train the right person. What matters most is that you are dependable, comfortable working with computers and equipment, willing to learn, attentive to details, and interested in understanding how a job moves from a digital file to a finished product delivered to a customer.

What You'll Learn & Do

You will work alongside experienced members of our production team and provide support in several areas of our operation.

Digital Printing

You will learn to:

• Prepare and process digital print jobs.
• Operate and assist with production digital printing equipment.
• Check printed work for color, registration, image quality, quantity, and accuracy.
• Understand variable-data and personalized printing workflows.
• Assist with cutting, folding, booklet making, and other finishing operations.
• Follow job tickets and production instructions from file through finished product.

Wide-Format Printing & Finishing

You will learn to:

• Assist with production of signs, banners, posters, displays, decals, and other wide-format products.
• Work with roll-fed and rigid materials.
• Load and handle substrates safely and correctly.
• Perform basic finishing, trimming, mounting, and preparation of completed work.
• Learn how wide-format jobs are produced, finished, packaged, and prepared for installation or delivery.

Bindery & Finishing

Depending on production needs, you may assist with:

Shipping & Production Support

You will also help make sure completed work gets where it needs to go. Responsibilities may include:

• Packaging completed jobs.
• Preparing UPS, FedEx, local delivery, and other shipments.
• Verifying quantities and shipping instructions.
• Organizing completed work for customer pickup or delivery.
• Helping receive and organize paper, substrates, and production materials.
• Keeping production and shipping areas clean, organized, and ready for the next job.

Graphic & Computer Skills

Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud — particularly Adobe Acrobat, Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop — is a plus. You do not need to be a professional graphic designer, but you should be comfortable working with computers and interested in learning how digital files become printed products. Experience with digital printing, wide-format printing, RIP software, prepress, finishing equipment, or print-production software is also helpful, but not required.

Who We're Looking For

A strong candidate will:

• Be dependable and arrive ready to work.
• Pay attention to details.
• Be comfortable working with computers and mechanical equipment.
• Enjoy learning how things work.
• Be willing to ask questions rather than guess.
• Take pride in producing quality work.
• Be able to follow written and verbal instructions.
• Be comfortable working independently once trained.
• Be willing to help wherever needed when production priorities change.
• Understand that quality and accuracy matter just as much as speed.
• Be able to safely lift and handle paper, boxes, signs, and production materials encountered in a printing environment.

Previous experience is helpful, but aptitude, attitude, reliability, and a willingness to learn are more important to us than years of experience.

A Good Fit for a Recent Trade-School Graduate

This position could be an excellent next step for someone coming from a vocational or technical program in:

We are especially interested in someone who enjoys both the creative and mechanical sides of production — someone who is equally comfortable looking at a file on a computer and figuring out how to produce the finished piece.

How We Work at Boyds Direct

Boyds Direct is a small company, which means every person makes a difference. We believe in continually improving how we work. We look at problems, understand what happened, improve the process, share what we learned, and use that knowledge to make the next job better.

We don't expect a trainee to know everything. We do expect people to care about the work, learn from mistakes, ask questions, and take increasing ownership as they gain experience. Our goal isn't simply to get jobs out the door. It is to produce work we are proud of, provide exceptional service to our customers, and keep finding better ways to do both.

Growth Opportunity

This is intended to be a training and development position, not simply a general labor job. As you develop your skills, you will have opportunities to become more independent in digital printing, wide-format production, finishing, shipping, and other areas of the company. Someone who demonstrates strong technical ability, reliability, quality awareness, and initiative can take on greater production responsibility as their skills grow.

Starting compensation: $16–$18 per hour, based on experience and demonstrated skills.

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