What Does an Office Equipment Repair Technician Do?
Nobody calls the copier technician on a good day. Copiers, printers, scanners and mailroom machines all break down sooner or later, and office equipment repair technicians fix them in offices, schools and hospitals, usually driving between customers with a van full of parts. Staying polite with a stressed customer is part of the job.
Also known as: Office Machine Service Technician
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as ATM Technician (Automated Teller Machine Technician), Computer Repair Technician, Computer Technician, Copier Technician, Customer Service Engineer, Field Engineer, Field Service Engineer, Field Service Technician.
Office Equipment Repair Technician Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of an office equipment repair technician include:
- Answer service calls for jammed, streaking or dead copiers, printers and scanners.
- Replace fusers, drums, rollers and transfer belts on multifunction printers from makers such as Xerox, Canon and Ricoh.
- Clean, adjust and lubricate machines on preventive maintenance visits before parts wear out.
- Connect printers to the network, set up scan-to-email and install print drivers.
- Update firmware and security settings so shared devices do not expose stored documents.
- Service folders, inserters and postage machines in the mailroom.
- Read meter counts for billing and log every call in the service software.
- Stock the service van with common parts and toner, and order the rest.
- Show office staff how to clear jams and change supplies without a service call.
- Recommend replacing machines that cost more to fix than they are worth.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an office equipment repair technician, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Electromechanical troubleshooting
- Networking basics: IP addresses, drivers and scan settings
- Manufacturer training on Xerox, Canon, Ricoh or Konica Minolta equipment
- CompTIA A+ certification for the computer side of the job
- Reading service manuals and error codes
- Customer patience in busy offices
- Time management across many calls a day
- Clean driving record for the service van
Education and Training
While BLS lists some college without a degree as the typical background, dealers mostly want people who can learn a new machine fast and stay polite on a bad day. Training on each manufacturer's machines usually comes quickly, on the job and through dealer courses. If you do not have electronics coursework, you should also consider the CompTIA A+ certificate, which shows you can handle the networking and software side.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $38,900 - $59,870 per year, with a median of $47,810.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers.
BLS projects employment of computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers, the wider group that includes this job, to decline about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035. Many offices print less than they once did, and newer machines need fewer repairs. The same projections still show about 6,100 openings a year across the group. Technicians who can handle networked devices will fare best.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers.
Office Equipment Repair Technician Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $35,910 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $38,900 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $47,810 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $59,870 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $71,730 |
Highest-Paying States for Office Equipment Repair Technicians
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Connecticut ($61,190), New Hampshire ($60,570), South Dakota ($59,700), North Dakota ($58,720), California ($58,280). Pay is lowest in South Carolina ($39,060), West Virginia ($38,720), Nevada ($38,430).
Median pay in all 50 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $39,970 |
| Alaska | $46,680 |
| Arizona | $49,620 |
| Arkansas | $45,970 |
| California | $58,280 |
| Colorado | $49,650 |
| Connecticut | $61,190 |
| Delaware | $51,550 |
| Florida | $45,690 |
| Georgia | $45,390 |
| Hawaii | $49,270 |
| Idaho | $39,190 |
| Illinois | $44,860 |
| Indiana | $46,170 |
| Iowa | $47,330 |
| Kansas | $44,290 |
| Kentucky | $47,070 |
| Louisiana | $50,150 |
| Maine | $49,610 |
| Maryland | $54,120 |
| Massachusetts | $57,270 |
| Michigan | $47,570 |
| Minnesota | $50,540 |
| Mississippi | $42,920 |
| Missouri | $44,080 |
| Montana | $48,820 |
| Nebraska | $46,890 |
| Nevada | $38,430 |
| New Hampshire | $60,570 |
| New Jersey | $57,330 |
| New Mexico | $43,330 |
| New York | $57,290 |
| North Carolina | $46,890 |
| North Dakota | $58,720 |
| Ohio | $47,740 |
| Oklahoma | $51,880 |
| Oregon | $46,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,920 |
| Rhode Island | $49,700 |
| South Carolina | $39,060 |
| South Dakota | $59,700 |
| Tennessee | $42,330 |
| Texas | $45,480 |
| Utah | $41,810 |
| Vermont | $53,610 |
| Virginia | $44,750 |
| Washington | $49,050 |
| West Virginia | $38,720 |
| Wisconsin | $47,690 |
| Wyoming | $47,480 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 94% are on the phone every day
- 87% use email every day
- 77% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 70% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 66% spend more than half the workday on their feet
- 64% work against deadlines every day
- 35% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Associate's degree | 33% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 31% |
| Some college | 7% |
Tools and Software Office Equipment Repair Technicians Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Repairing, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Troubleshooting, Speaking.
Knowledge areas used most: Computers and Electronics, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Engineering and Technology, English Language.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for an Office Equipment Repair Technician Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 49-2011.00 (Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 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. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.