Table 1Transition record

prepress techniciantoimagesetter

A prepress technician already meets 69% of what the imagesetter role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From prepress technician

69%

Overlap1

To imagesetter

33 Skills carried over

7 Required, not held

41.9 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 41.9

This move: 41.9 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the imagesetter role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the prepress technician 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.

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 imagesetter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a prepress technician 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 maintain lithographic printing plates working with machinery and specialised equipment

All 33 carried skills, including the 21 the imagesetter role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 19 missing skills fall into 8 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 3 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held operate imagesetter required
required, not held arrange printer sheets required
required, not held prepare imposition required

optional, not held operate scanner optional
optional, not held reduce dots optional
optional, not held reproduce documents optional
optional, not held use a telecine optional

02 working with computers 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held operate digital printers required
required, not held apply desktop publishing techniques required

optional, not held perform image editing optional

03 arts and humanities 1 required

required, not held print stripping required

04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required

required, not held typesetting machines required

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 supplementary

optional, not held create digital images optional
optional, not held develop film optional
optional, not held proofread text optional
optional, not held track changes in text editing optional

06 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held publishing industry optional

2 further areas 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 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 graphic design knowledge
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 typography knowledge
already held use typesetting software skill
already held communicate with customers skill
already held digitise documents skill
already held maintain lithographic printing plates skill
already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
already held prepare films for printing plates skill
already held prepress processes knowledge
already held printed goods processes knowledge
already held printing media knowledge
already held printing plate making knowledge
already held set colour profiles skill
already held use colour printing programs skill
already held use word processing software skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 information skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held inspect printing output optional

08 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held follow work schedule optional

12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held inspect printing output optional
optional, not held operate scanner optional
optional, not held reduce dots optional
optional, not held reproduce documents optional
optional, not held use a telecine optional
optional, not held create digital images optional
optional, not held develop film optional
optional, not held follow work schedule optional
optional, not held perform image editing optional
optional, not held proofread text optional
optional, not held publishing industry optional
optional, not held track changes in text editing optional

24 held skills the imagesetter role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role apply opaque skill
not needed by the target role create digital files skill
not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
not needed by the target role handle scanning material safely skill
not needed by the target role ink printing plates skill
not needed by the target role manage digital documents skill
not needed by the target role manage offset printing process skill
not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
not needed by the target role offset printing knowledge
not needed by the target role operate laser plate maker machine skill
not needed by the target role prepare offset printing machine skill
not needed by the target role prepare printing form skill
not needed by the target role prevent paper jams skill
not needed by the target role printing on large scale machines knowledge
not needed by the target role process printing input skill
not needed by the target role proofing methods knowledge
not needed by the target role scale copies skill
not needed by the target role scan negatives skill
not needed by the target role scan photos skill
not needed by the target role set scanner controls skill
not needed by the target role store negatives skill
not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
not needed by the target role use presentation software 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 print stripping required
required, not held typesetting machines required
optional, not held publishing industry optional

Index

Other moves recorded from prepress technician

Full index of moves from prepress technician

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.