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Boston Career Explorer

Office and Administrative Support

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer

Operate one or more of a variety of office machines, such as photocopying, photographic, and duplicating machines, or other office machines.

Also called: Copy Center Operator, Copy Machine Operator, Copy Technician, Graphics Production Specialist, Key Operator, Machine Operator

Median pay in Greater Boston
$47,470
$22.82/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
Not published
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−17.0%
30 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$36,400$40,960$47,470$57,130$60,340

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Read job orders to determine the type of work to be done, the quantities to be produced, and the materials needed.
  • Deliver completed work.
  • Place original copies in feed trays, feed originals into feed rolls, or position originals on tables beneath camera lenses.
  • Sort, assemble, and proof completed work.
  • Operate office machines such as high speed business photocopiers, readers, scanners, addressing machines, stencil-cutting machines, microfilm readers or printers, folding and inserting machines, bursters, and binder machines.
  • Complete records of production, including work volumes and outputs, materials used, and any backlogs.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure33 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 33
  • Language-model AIOE 31
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 35

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is lower for this job, and observed AI use is some. Reading job orders and checking work can be helped by software. Running machines, loading originals, and delivering finished work are hands-on tasks AI tools do not do. Federal projections expect fewer of these jobs as offices go paperless.

Likely to change

  • Reading and tracking job orders
  • Scanning and filing documents digitally

Still relies on people

  • Loading and running copy and binding machines
  • Proofing, assembling, and delivering finished work

What federal projections say

“Demand change - share decreases as more offices become paperless and continue to use technology such as electronic filing systems.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Printing Press Operators

    Reading job orders and running print equipment carry over directly. This move offers somewhat higher pay and moderate-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$4,710 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Industrial Machinery Mechanics

    Your familiarity with machines helps when learning to repair and maintain them. This job pays much more and has strong projected growth, but training is long-term.

    Pay difference
    +$27,730 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +17.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Semiconductor Processing Technicians

    Following work orders and checking products for defects carry over. This move offers higher pay and lower AI exposure.

    Pay difference
    +$11,640 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +1.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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