IR Talks To… Michaela Christmas, print technician at Moss UK

In honour of the upcoming International Women’s Day, we spoke to Michaela Christmas, a print technician, at Moss UK, on her experiences and career in the industry.

What is your role within the print industry and how did you come across this? What is your background?

My role within the industry is as a print production operative, working with wide-format digital print equipment. I started my journey into the industry in 2023, as a print technician apprentice.

My time as an apprentice was invaluable to my career, having offered me classes where we studied such a broad scope of print as a whole and all of the processes involved. As well as the classes I worked alongside people with so much knowledge and experience which made my time as an apprentice wonderful, learning from people who have so much skill and expertise to offer.

I chose to go down the route of apprenticeships after completing a BA degree in Fine Art. I knew that I wanted to use my creative skills and move into a trade that allowed me to continue to be hands on and to be part of an industry.

What do you enjoy most about your job on the shop floor, and working in the industry?

I love the variety of work that I get to make and being part of a team on the shop floor. Working alongside so many people, and seeing jobs go from
start to finish is really exciting and rewarding. As I’m sure most people would say, it’s so wonderful to see the work you’ve put so much time into alongside so many other people go out into the real world, and it has to be one of the best parts of the job.

Seeing a vision turn into reality and knowing the quality of work is such a fulfilling feeling. You were recently recognised as a rising star by the printing charity.

How did you feel about this and what does this mean for your future career in the print industry?

Receiving the Rising Star Award from the Printing Charity was one of the most exciting moment’s I have had so far in my career. It was such an incredible feeling, and really gave me confidence that I was a good fit for the industry and the career that I hope to have. Having the opportunity to meet the wonderful winners for 2025 was especially great. There was such a buzz of excitement in the room and it was a really great opportunity to network and get to know more of the young professionals within the industry and what they all do.

The funding granted through the award allowed me to complete training in Colour Management within digital print. The training I received has
fundamentally strengthened my knowledge of digital print as an operator, allowing me to understand more than just my own role within the
industry and really strengthened my skillset.

What advice do you have for other young people who want to work in the industry and specifically on the shop floor?

I think the main piece of advice I would have for any young people considering whether a career in the industry is something they want to pursue
would be to have a look into apprenticeships, work experience, or internships.

These types of education give you a really wonderful insight into the industry and which part of it you want to go into. They allow you the time
and pace to understand everything, learning not only from tutors but also from colleagues who have such an enormous amount of experience
and expertise to share, and whom are such an invaluable source of information to really get to know everything there is to know.

These entry points into the industry give you the chance to get hands on and stuck in, to get a full grasp of what each job is like, the type of environment it is and also how much fun it can be.

What skills and advice have you picked up over time that have stuck with you?

I think so far in the time I’ve had within the industry, the biggest thing that has stuck with me is just to say yes to every opportunity that you can.
Every chance to experience something new, learn new skills or to network with people have been some of the most crucial moments for me so far.
Whether or not every training and experience has been directly relevant to my role, they have all had a really big impact on different parts of my work,
how I think and to allow me a broader perspective which I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t said yes to them.

What do you enjoy most about working in the print industry?

Following on from above, I enjoy how much the print industry has to offer for anyone within it. From awards and training days on a really broad range of topics to the education you can gain within it and the people you meet along the way.

There is just so much that it has and so many exciting opportunities that are open to everyone within the industry. That has to be what I enjoy most about working within it. The people who I’ve had the chance to get to know and work alongside have made experiences and opportunities even more enjoyable, and most definitely make things that seem daunting at first a lot easier as a young person entering the industry.