Prepress technician to lithographer
A prepress technician already meets 61% of what the lithographer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.1/ 100
1 How much of what a lithographer is expected to do is already part of a prepress technician’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 lithographer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A lithographer role treats 13 of its required skills as things a prepress technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- follow safety precautions in printing
- ink printing plates
- maintain lithographic printing plates
- offset printing
- operate laser plate maker machine
- prepare films for printing plates
What stands in the way is 8 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 lithographer 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.
- already held ink printing plates working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held operate laser plate maker machine working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held scale copies working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held apply opaque communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held scan negatives working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held offset printing arts and humanities
All 26 carried skills, including the 13 the lithographer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 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 photoengraving required
- still to learn print stripping required
- still to learn screen printing inks required
- optional, not held digital printing optional
- still to learn mix ink required
- still to learn prepare colour mixtures required
- still to learn read job ticket instructions required
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn follow production schedule required
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- still to learn perform image editing required
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a lithographer 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 follow safety precautions in printing skill
- already held ink printing plates skill
- already held maintain lithographic printing plates skill
- already held offset printing knowledge
- already held operate laser plate maker machine skill
- already held prepare films for printing plates skill
- already held prepare printing form skill
- already held printing materials knowledge
- already held printing plate making knowledge
- already held printing techniques knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held scale copies skill
- already held set scanner controls skill
- already held apply opaque skill
- already held edit photographs skill
- already held lay out digital written content skill
- already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
- already held manage offset printing process skill
- already held prevent paper jams skill
- already held printed goods processes knowledge
- already held printing media knowledge
- already held produce prepress proof skill
- already held proofing methods knowledge
- already held scan negatives skill
- already held store negatives skill
- already held use colour printing programs skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held reduce dots optional
- optional, not held perform machine maintenance optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held digital printing optional
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- optional, not held reduce dots optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held perform machine maintenance optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
31 held skills the lithographer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Adobe Illustrator knowledge
- not needed by the target role Adobe Photoshop knowledge
- not needed by the target role GIMP (graphics editor software) knowledge
- not needed by the target role Microsoft Visio knowledge
- not needed by the target role SketchBook Pro knowledge
- not needed by the target role Synfig knowledge
- not needed by the target role align content with form skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers 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 digitise documents skill
- not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
- not needed by the target role graphics editor software knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle scanning material safely skill
- not needed by the target role interpret illustration needs skill
- not needed by the target role manage digital documents skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role operate printing machinery skill
- not needed by the target role output electronic files skill
- not needed by the target role prepare offset printing machine skill
- not needed by the target role prepress processes knowledge
- 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 reprography knowledge
- not needed by the target role scan photos skill
- not needed by the target role set colour profiles skill
- not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
- not needed by the target role typography knowledge
- not needed by the target role use presentation software 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 photoengraving required
- still to learn print stripping required
- still to learn screen printing inks required
- optional, not held digital printing optional
Other moves recorded from prepress technician
Common questions about this move
Can a prepress technician become a lithographer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A prepress technician already covers 61% of what a lithographer is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 13 of which the lithographer role treats as required.
What skills does a prepress technician need to become a lithographer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by arts and humanities. The single most important is photoengraving.
How hard is the move from prepress technician to lithographer?
Its learning distance is 46.1 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.