Screen printer to flexographic press operator
A screen printer already meets 72% of what the flexographic press operator role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
34.7/ 100
1 How much of what a flexographic press operator is expected to do is already part of a screen printer’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 flexographic press operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A flexographic press operator role treats 13 of its required skills as things a screen printer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- determine colour shades
- follow production schedule
- follow safety precautions in printing
- monitor automated machines
- perform test run
- polygraphy
What stands in the way is 5 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 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A flexographic press operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a screen printer background worth leading with.
- already held polygraphy arts and humanities
- already held determine colour shades handling and moving
- already held screen printing inks arts and humanities
- already held prepare printing form working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held mix ink handling and moving
- already held inspect printing output information skills
All 27 carried skills, including the 13 the flexographic press operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 missing skills fall into 5 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 produce prepress proof required
- still to learn clean ink rollers required
- still to learn printing materials required
- optional, not held narrow web flexographic printing press optional
- optional, not held wide web flexographic printing press optional
- optional, not held printing plate making optional
- still to learn operate flexographic printing machine required
- optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
- optional, not held tend laser marking machine optional
- still to learn flexography required
- optional, not held process printing input optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a flexographic press operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 flexography study this
- 02 operate flexographic printing machine practise this
- 03 printing materials 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 27 skills that carry over
- already held determine colour shades skill
- already held follow production schedule skill
- already held follow safety precautions in printing skill
- already held monitor automated machines skill
- already held perform test run skill
- already held polygraphy knowledge
- already held prepare printing form skill
- already held printing on large scale machines knowledge
- already held printing techniques knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held set up the controller of a machine skill
- already held supply machine skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held consult technical resources skill
- already held handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- already held inspect printing output skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
- already held mix ink skill
- already held pack goods skill
- already held perform machine maintenance skill
- already held printing media knowledge
- already held record production data for quality control skill
- already held report defective manufacturing materials skill
- already held screen printing inks knowledge
- already held types of paper knowledge
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held narrow web flexographic printing press optional
- optional, not held wide web flexographic printing press optional
- optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
- optional, not held printing plate making optional
- optional, not held process printing input optional
- optional, not held tend laser marking machine optional
14 held skills the flexographic press operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust drying process to goods skill
- not needed by the target role check quality of raw materials skill
- not needed by the target role clean equipment skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role monitor conveyor belt skill
- not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
- not needed by the target role operate screen printing press skill
- not needed by the target role prepare screen printing skill
- not needed by the target role printed goods processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role screen printing machines knowledge
- not needed by the target role screen printing process knowledge
- not needed by the target role use colour printing programs skill
- not needed by the target role use doctor blade skill
- not needed by the target role verify feasibility skill
5 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 flexography required
- still to learn printing materials required
- optional, not held narrow web flexographic printing press optional
- optional, not held wide web flexographic printing press optional
- optional, not held printing plate making optional
Common questions about this move
Can a screen printer become a flexographic press operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A screen printer already covers 72% of what a flexographic press operator is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 13 of which the flexographic press operator role treats as required.
What skills does a screen printer need to become a flexographic press operator?
5 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is flexography.
How hard is the move from screen printer to flexographic press operator?
Its learning distance is 34.7 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.