Imagesetter to prepress operator
An imagesetter already meets 70% of what the prepress operator role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
36.2/ 100
1 How much of what a prepress operator is expected to do is already part of an imagesetter’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the prepress operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A prepress operator role treats 18 of its required skills as things an imagesetter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- GIMP (graphics editor software)
- Microsoft Visio
- SketchBook Pro
- Synfig
What stands in the way is 5 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A prepress operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an imagesetter background worth leading with.
- already held arrange printer sheets working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held output electronic files information skills
- already held prepress processes arts and humanities
- already held maintain lithographic printing plates working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held interpret illustration needs communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held reprography arts and humanities
All 26 carried skills, including the 18 the prepress operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn follow a brief required
- still to learn provide customised products required
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
- still to learn use microsoft office required
- optional, not held use markup languages optional
- still to learn proofing methods required
- still to learn types of paper required
- optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held manage offset printing process optional
- optional, not held perform machine maintenance optional
- optional, not held cut page edges optional
- optional, not held mix ink optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a prepress operator 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 · The rest of the record
All 26 skills that carry over
- 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 inspect printing output skill
- already held interpret illustration needs skill
- already held lay out digital written content skill
- already held operate printing machinery skill
- already held perform image editing skill
- already held prepress processes knowledge
- already held printing techniques knowledge
- already held produce prepress proof skill
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held maintain lithographic printing plates skill
- already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
- already held output electronic files skill
- already held printing materials knowledge
- already held proofread text skill
- already held reprography knowledge
- already held use colour printing programs skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held screen printing process optional
- optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
- optional, not held digitization optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held cut page edges optional
- optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
- optional, not held mix ink optional
- optional, not held screen printing process optional
- optional, not held use markup languages optional
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held digitization optional
- optional, not held manage offset printing process optional
- optional, not held perform machine maintenance optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
- optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
26 held skills the prepress operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role align content with form skill
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques 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 digitise documents skill
- not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
- 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 prepare films for printing plates 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 printed goods processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role printing media knowledge
- not needed by the target role printing plate making knowledge
- 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 set colour profiles 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 typography knowledge
- not needed by the target role use a telecine skill
- not needed by the target role use typesetting software skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn proofing methods required
- still to learn types of paper required
- optional, not held screen printing process optional
- optional, not held digitization optional
Common questions about this move
Can an imagesetter become a prepress operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An imagesetter already covers 70% of what a prepress operator is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 18 of which the prepress operator role treats as required.
What skills does an imagesetter need to become a prepress operator?
5 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is proofing methods.
How hard is the move from imagesetter to prepress operator?
Its learning distance is 36.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.