Prepress operator to imagesetter
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.
53.1/ 100
1 How much of what an imagesetter is expected to do is already part of a prepress operator’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 imagesetter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An imagesetter role treats 18 of its required skills as things a prepress operator 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 10 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. An 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.
- 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 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 7 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 print stripping required
- still to learn graphic design required
- still to learn typography required
- optional, not held printing plate making optional
- optional, not held printing media optional
- still to learn operate digital printers required
- still to learn use typesetting software required
- still to learn apply desktop publishing techniques required
- optional, not held digitise documents optional
- optional, not held use word processing software optional
- still to learn operate imagesetter required
- still to learn 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
- still to learn 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
- still to learn typesetting machines required
- optional, not held printed goods processes optional
- optional, not held publishing industry optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an imagesetter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 operate imagesetter practise this
- 02 operate digital printers practise this
- 03 prepare imposition practise this
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 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
- optional, not held follow work schedule optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- 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
- 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.
- still to learn print stripping required
- still to learn typesetting machines required
- still to learn graphic design required
- still to learn 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
Common questions about this move
Can a prepress operator become an imagesetter?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A prepress operator already covers 57% of what an imagesetter is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 18 of which the imagesetter role treats as required.
What skills does a prepress operator need to become an imagesetter?
10 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by arts and humanities. The single most important is operate imagesetter.
How hard is the move from prepress operator to imagesetter?
Its learning distance is 53.1 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.