Wearing apparel presser
Also known as: garment presser, apparel presser, ironer, steam flattener, hand pressing operator, ironing lady
About this occupation
Wearing apparel pressers use steam irons, vacuum pressers, or hand pressers to shape wearing apparel.
Essential skills and knowledge
- coordinate manufacturing production activities
- iron textiles
- prepare production prototypes
- manufacture wearing apparel products
- distinguish accessories
- perform process control in the wearing apparel industry
- distinguish fabrics
- manufacturing of made-up textile articles
- manufacturing of wearing apparel
- alter wearing apparel
Typical tasks and preparation
From the related US occupation profile Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials (O*NET 51-6021.00). Linked by an official crosswalk: related, not identical; details vary by country.
- 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.
- Typical education (US)
- Less than a High School Diploma
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Interests
- Realistic, Conventional, Artistic
Top skills: Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving
US median pay: US$35,060 a year (2025), 26,120 employed. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Preparation needed
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Most common education (US)
- Less than a High School Diploma
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
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Occupations O*NET links to this one by similar work, skills and knowledge.
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O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.