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Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

Press or shape articles by hand or machine.

What you’d do

  • Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers.
  • Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles.
  • Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing.
  • Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.
  • Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons.
  • Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed.
  • Identify and treat spots on garments.
  • Shrink, stretch, or block articles by hand to conform to original measurements, using forms, blocks, and steam.

Skills that matter

  • Operation and Control
  • Critical Thinking
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Time Management
  • Monitoring
  • Complex Problem Solving

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Ironing Worker
  • Pants Presser
  • Presser
  • Shirt Presser
  • Boarder
  • Dry Cleaner Presser

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