Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

imagesettertoprepress technician

A imagesetter already meets 63% of what the prepress technician role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From imagesetter
63%
Overlap1
To prepress technician
33 Skills carried over
9 Required, not held
48.6 Difficulty2
Career overlap Strong match

63%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

48.6/ 100

1 Share of the prepress technician role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the imagesetter profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A prepress technician role treats 20 of its required skills as things a imagesetter already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • GIMP (graphics editor software)
  • Microsoft Visio
  • SketchBook Pro
  • Synfig

What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 33 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A prepress technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a imagesetter background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held output electronic files information skills
  • already held use typesetting software working with computers
  • already held prepare films for printing plates working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held set colour profiles working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held align content with form communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held prepress processes arts and humanities

All 33 carried skills, including the 20 the prepress technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 24 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 working with machinery and specialised equipment 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held operate laser plate maker machine required
  • required, not held prepare printing form required
  • required, not held scale copies required
  • required, not held scan negatives required
  • optional, not held ink printing plates optional
  • optional, not held manage offset printing process optional
  • optional, not held prepare offset printing machine optional
02 working with computers 2 required, 5 supplementary
  • required, not held set scanner controls required
  • required, not held develop digital content required
  • optional, not held create digital files optional
  • optional, not held edit photographs optional
  • optional, not held scan photos optional
  • optional, not held manage digital documents optional
  • optional, not held use presentation software optional
03 arts and humanities 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held printing on large scale machines required
  • optional, not held offset printing optional
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held troubleshoot required
  • optional, not held apply opaque optional
05 business, administration and law 1 required
  • required, not held proofing methods required
06 management skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held prevent paper jams optional
  • optional, not held meet deadlines optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a prepress technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 33 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held Adobe Illustrator knowledge
  • already held Adobe Photoshop knowledge
  • already held GIMP (graphics editor software) knowledge
  • already held Microsoft Visio knowledge
  • already held SketchBook Pro knowledge
  • already held Synfig knowledge
  • already held align content with form skill
  • already held follow safety precautions in printing skill
  • already held graphics editor software knowledge
  • already held lay out digital written content skill
  • already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
  • already held operate printing machinery skill
  • already held output electronic files skill
  • already held prepare films for printing plates skill
  • already held prepress processes knowledge
  • already held printing plate making knowledge
  • already held produce prepress proof skill
  • already held reprography knowledge
  • already held set colour profiles skill
  • already held typography knowledge
  • already held communicate with customers skill
  • already held digitise documents skill
  • already held graphic design knowledge
  • already held interpret illustration needs skill
  • already held maintain lithographic printing plates skill
  • already held printed goods processes knowledge
  • already held printing materials knowledge
  • already held printing media knowledge
  • already held printing techniques knowledge
  • already held quality standards knowledge
  • already held use colour printing programs skill
  • already held use typesetting software skill
  • already held use word processing software skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held handle scanning material safely optional
08 handling and moving 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held store negatives optional
09 information skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held process printing input optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held apply opaque optional
  • optional, not held create digital files optional
  • optional, not held edit photographs optional
  • optional, not held handle scanning material safely optional
  • optional, not held ink printing plates optional
  • optional, not held offset printing optional
  • optional, not held prevent paper jams optional
  • optional, not held process printing input optional
  • optional, not held scan photos optional
  • optional, not held store negatives optional
  • optional, not held manage digital documents optional
  • optional, not held manage offset printing process optional
  • optional, not held meet deadlines optional
  • optional, not held prepare offset printing machine optional
  • optional, not held use presentation software optional
19 held skills the prepress technician role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role arrange printer sheets skill
  • not needed by the target role create digital images skill
  • not needed by the target role develop film skill
  • not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
  • not needed by the target role inspect printing output skill
  • not needed by the target role operate digital printers skill
  • not needed by the target role operate imagesetter skill
  • not needed by the target role operate scanner skill
  • not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare imposition skill
  • not needed by the target role print stripping knowledge
  • not needed by the target role proofread text skill
  • not needed by the target role publishing industry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role reduce dots skill
  • not needed by the target role reproduce documents skill
  • not needed by the target role track changes in text editing skill
  • not needed by the target role typesetting machines knowledge
  • not needed by the target role use a telecine skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • required, not held printing on large scale machines required
  • required, not held proofing methods required
  • optional, not held offset printing optional
Index
Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.