Presser / Textile / Garment / Related Material

Press or shape articles by hand or machine.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Boarder; Dry Cleaner Presser; Garment Presser; Ironing Machine Operator; Ironing Worker; Pants Presser; Presser; Pressing Machine Operator; Shirt Presser; Silk Presser

Tasks

• 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.
• Finish fancy garments such as evening gowns and costumes, using hand irons to produce high quality finishes.
• Push and pull irons over surfaces of articles to smooth or shape them.
• Finish pants, jackets, shirts, skirts and other dry-cleaned and laundered articles, using hand irons.
• Slide material back and forth over heated, metal, ball-shaped forms to smooth and press portions of garments that cannot be satisfactorily pressed with flat pressers or hand irons.
• Select appropriate pressing machines, based on garment properties such as heat tolerance.
• Spray water over fabric to soften fibers when not using steam irons.
• Position materials such as cloth garments, felt, or straw on tables, dies, or feeding mechanisms of pressing machines, or on ironing boards or work tables.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
• Production and Processing

Abilities

• Manual Dexterity
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Control Precision
• Near Vision
• Finger Dexterity
• Multilimb Coordination
• Reaction Time
• Trunk Strength