Imagesetter to prepress technician
An imagesetter already meets 63% of what the prepress technician role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
48.6/ 100
1 How much of what a prepress technician 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 technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A prepress technician role treats 20 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 9 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 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 an imagesetter background worth leading with.
- 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 · What you may need to learn
The 24 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 operate laser plate maker machine required
- still to learn prepare printing form required
- still to learn scale copies required
- still to learn 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
- still to learn set scanner controls required
- still to learn 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
- still to learn printing on large scale machines required
- optional, not held offset printing optional
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held apply opaque optional
- still to learn proofing methods required
- optional, not held prevent paper jams optional
- optional, not held meet deadlines optional
3 further areas in the appendix
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.
- 01 operate laser plate maker machine practise this
- 02 prepare printing form practise this
- 03 printing on large scale machines study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 33 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 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
- optional, not held handle scanning material safely optional
- optional, not held store negatives optional
- optional, not held process printing input optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- 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
- 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.
- still to learn printing on large scale machines required
- still to learn proofing methods required
- optional, not held offset printing optional
Common questions about this move
Can an imagesetter become a prepress technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An imagesetter already covers 63% of what a prepress technician is expected to do: 33 skills carry over, 20 of which the prepress technician role treats as required.
What skills does an imagesetter need to become a prepress technician?
9 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is operate laser plate maker machine.
How hard is the move from imagesetter to prepress technician?
Its learning distance is 48.6 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.