Lithographer to offset printer
A lithographer already meets 42% of what the offset printer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.7/ 100
1 How much of what an offset printer is expected to do is already part of a lithographer’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 offset printer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An offset printer role treats 7 of its required skills as things a lithographer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- follow production schedule
- follow safety precautions in printing
- offset printing
- prepare printing form
- printing techniques
- produce prepress proof
What stands in the way is 11 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 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An offset printer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a lithographer background worth leading with.
- already held offset printing arts and humanities
- already held print stripping arts and humanities
- already held screen printing inks arts and humanities
- already held prepare printing form working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held maintain lithographic printing plates working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held printing plate making arts and humanities
All 18 carried skills, including the 7 the offset printer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 8 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 offset printing machine required
- still to learn monitor automated machines required
- still to learn prepare offset printing machine required
- still to learn supply machine required
- optional, not held operate letterpress optional
- optional, not held perforate printed media optional
- still to learn polygraphy required
- still to learn printing on large scale machines required
- still to learn clean ink rollers required
- optional, not held cut page edges optional
- optional, not held handle chemical cleaning agents optional
- optional, not held pack goods optional
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- still to learn perform test run required
- still to learn types of paper required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an offset printer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 operate offset printing machine practise this
- 02 polygraphy study 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 18 skills that carry over
- already held follow production schedule skill
- already held follow safety precautions in printing skill
- already held offset printing knowledge
- already held prepare printing form skill
- already held printing techniques knowledge
- already held produce prepress proof skill
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held maintain lithographic printing plates skill
- already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
- already held manage offset printing process skill
- already held perform machine maintenance skill
- already held prepare colour mixtures skill
- already held print stripping knowledge
- already held printing materials knowledge
- already held printing media knowledge
- already held printing plate making knowledge
- already held screen printing inks knowledge
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn set up the controller of a machine required
- optional, not held inspect printing output optional
- optional, not held process printing input optional
- optional, not held consult technical resources optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- optional, not held record production data for quality control optional
- optional, not held report defective manufacturing materials optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held operate letterpress optional
- optional, not held cut page edges optional
- optional, not held inspect printing output optional
- optional, not held perforate printed media optional
- optional, not held process printing input optional
- optional, not held consult technical resources optional
- optional, not held handle chemical cleaning agents optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- optional, not held pack goods optional
- optional, not held record production data for quality control optional
- optional, not held report defective manufacturing materials optional
25 held skills the offset printer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply opaque skill
- not needed by the target role digital printing knowledge
- not needed by the target role edit negatives skill
- not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
- not needed by the target role ink printing plates skill
- not needed by the target role lay out digital written content skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
- not needed by the target role mix ink skill
- not needed by the target role operate laser plate maker machine skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
- not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
- not needed by the target role photoengraving knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare films for printing plates skill
- not needed by the target role prevent paper jams skill
- not needed by the target role printed goods processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role proofing methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role read job ticket instructions skill
- not needed by the target role reduce dots skill
- not needed by the target role scale copies skill
- not needed by the target role scan negatives 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 train employees skill
- not needed by the target role use colour printing programs 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 polygraphy required
- still to learn printing on large scale machines required
- still to learn types of paper required
Common questions about this move
Can a lithographer become an offset printer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A lithographer already covers 42% of what an offset printer is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 7 of which the offset printer role treats as required.
What skills does a lithographer need to become an offset printer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is operate offset printing machine.
How hard is the move from lithographer to offset printer?
Its learning distance is 60.7 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.