prepress techniciantolithographer
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.
61%
46.1/ 100
1 Share of the lithographer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the prepress technician profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.
Why this move works
A lithographer role treats 13 of its required skills as things a prepress technician already does. These are the ones it depends on most.
- 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 would need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.
- required, not held photoengraving required
- required, not held print stripping required
- required, not held screen printing inks required
- optional, not held digital printing optional
- required, not held mix ink required
- required, not held prepare colour mixtures required
- required, not held read job ticket instructions required
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- required, not held follow production schedule required
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- required, not held 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.
- 01 photoengraving knowledge · occupation specific
- 02 mix ink skill · sector specific
- 03 print stripping knowledge · sector specific
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.
- required, not held photoengraving required
- required, not held print stripping required
- required, not held screen printing inks required
- optional, not held digital printing optional
Other moves recorded from prepress technician
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.