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

prepress operatortoimagesetter

A prepress operator already meets 57% of what the imagesetter role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

From prepress operator
57%
Overlap1
To imagesetter
26 Skills carried over
10 Required, not held
53.1 Difficulty2
Career overlap Partial match

57%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

53.1/ 100

1 Share of the imagesetter role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the prepress operator 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 imagesetter role treats 18 of its required skills as things a prepress operator 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 10 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 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A imagesetter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a prepress operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held arrange printer sheets working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held output electronic files information skills
  • already held maintain lithographic printing plates working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held prepress processes arts and humanities
  • already held interpret illustration needs communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held reprography arts and humanities

All 26 carried skills, including the 18 the imagesetter role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 26 missing skills fall into 7 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 arts and humanities 3 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held print stripping required
  • required, not held graphic design required
  • required, not held typography required
  • optional, not held printing plate making optional
  • optional, not held printing media optional
02 working with computers 3 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held operate digital printers required
  • required, not held use typesetting software required
  • required, not held apply desktop publishing techniques required
  • optional, not held digitise documents optional
  • optional, not held use word processing software optional
03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 required, 6 supplementary
  • required, not held operate imagesetter required
  • required, not held prepare imposition required
  • optional, not held operate scanner optional
  • optional, not held prepare films for printing plates optional
  • optional, not held reduce dots optional
  • optional, not held reproduce documents optional
  • optional, not held set colour profiles optional
  • optional, not held use a telecine optional
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held align content with form required
  • optional, not held create digital images optional
  • optional, not held develop film optional
  • optional, not held track changes in text editing optional
05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required
  • required, not held typesetting machines required
06 business, administration and law 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held printed goods processes optional
  • optional, not held publishing industry optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a imagesetter 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 26 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 arrange printer sheets skill
  • already held follow safety precautions in printing skill
  • already held graphics editor software knowledge
  • already held interpret illustration needs skill
  • already held lay out digital written content skill
  • already held operate printing machinery skill
  • already held output electronic files skill
  • already held printing materials knowledge
  • already held printing techniques knowledge
  • already held produce prepress proof skill
  • already held quality standards knowledge
  • already held reprography knowledge
  • already held communicate with customers skill
  • already held inspect printing output skill
  • already held maintain lithographic printing plates skill
  • already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
  • already held perform image editing skill
  • already held prepress processes knowledge
  • already held proofread text skill
  • already held use colour printing programs skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held follow work schedule optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held operate scanner optional
  • optional, not held prepare films for printing plates optional
  • optional, not held printing plate making optional
  • optional, not held reduce dots optional
  • optional, not held reproduce documents optional
  • optional, not held set colour profiles optional
  • optional, not held use a telecine optional
  • optional, not held create digital images optional
  • optional, not held develop film optional
  • optional, not held digitise documents optional
  • optional, not held follow work schedule optional
  • optional, not held printed goods processes optional
  • optional, not held printing media optional
  • optional, not held publishing industry optional
  • optional, not held track changes in text editing optional
  • optional, not held use word processing software optional
16 held skills the imagesetter role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role calibrate electronic instruments skill
  • not needed by the target role cut page edges skill
  • not needed by the target role digitization knowledge
  • not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
  • not needed by the target role manage offset printing process skill
  • not needed by the target role manage process of flexographic print skill
  • not needed by the target role mix ink skill
  • not needed by the target role perform machine maintenance skill
  • not needed by the target role proofing methods knowledge
  • not needed by the target role provide customised products skill
  • not needed by the target role screen printing process knowledge
  • not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
  • not needed by the target role types of paper knowledge
  • not needed by the target role use markup languages skill
  • not needed by the target role use microsoft office skill
  • not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill
8 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 print stripping required
  • required, not held typesetting machines required
  • required, not held graphic design required
  • required, not held typography required
  • optional, not held printing plate making optional
  • optional, not held printed goods processes optional
  • optional, not held printing media optional
  • optional, not held publishing industry 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.