Hand Roller and Silk Screen Printer (Textile)
Impact: Creating unique printed textiles that bring pattern, colour, and craft to fashion and interior design
Design and print original textile patterns using hand-screen printing, block printing, and discharge printing techniques for fashion, interior design, and fine art. Develop original repeat patterns; prepare screens and blocks; mix and apply specialist textile dyes and pigments; and finish printed fabrics. Undertake commissions for fashion designers, interior designers, and galleries; produce limited-edition printed textile collections; and teach textile printing workshops.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 25% Team / 75% Solo
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- 10-20% travel to fashion events and clients
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 38-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $40,000
- Entry-level
- $20,000 - $30,000
- Senior
- $65,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 4% (luxury fashion and interior design sustaining demand for hand-printed textiles)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- High
- Salary growth potential
- High -- 100-225% growth from studio assistant to established textile printer with fashion and interior design clients
- Typical student debt
- $10,000 - $30,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Screen printing (flat-bed and rotary)
- Block printing
- Discharge printing
- Textile dye chemistry
- Repeat pattern design
- Fabric preparation and finishing
Soft skills
- Artistic vision
- Colour perception
- Pattern design
- Client communication
- Business acumen
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Certificate or Vocational Training
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 4-7 years
- Years to senior
- 8-15 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
- Textile Artist and Weaver
- Graphic Designer
Where you can go from here
- Textile Designer
- Surface Pattern Designer
Typical progression
- Studio Assistant
- Textile Printer
- Senior Printer
- Established Textile Artist / Studio Owner
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 20% -- digital textile printing is growing but hand printing for luxury and limited-edition applications remains valued
- AI disruption risk
- Moderate
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 8.2/10
- Meaning
- 8.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 7.5/10
- Prestige
- 7/10
- Social perception
- High