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Odisha CHSE +2 Vocational Printing Technology study materials
Odisha CHSE +2 Vocational Printing Technology study resources

Odisha CHSE +2 Vocational Printing Technology practice questions

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Question 1Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

In printing technology, what does the abbreviation 'DPI' measure?

  1. The number of dots a printer can place within one linear inch Correct answer.
  2. The drying time of ink on a coated paper surface
  3. The pressure applied between two blanket cylinders
  4. The physical thickness of a printing plate in millimetres

Explanation

DPI stands for dots per inch and expresses the resolution of an output device, that is, how many individual dots can be laid down along one inch of a line. Higher DPI values generally allow finer detail reproduction in images and halftones.

Question 2Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

Which printing process uses a raised image area that receives ink and transfers it directly to paper?

  1. Screen printing
  2. Letterpress Correct answer.
  3. Offset lithography
  4. Gravure

Explanation

Letterpress is a relief process in which the image is raised above the non-image surface, so only the raised areas take ink and press against the sheet. Lithography and gravure rely on planographic and recessed image areas respectively.

Question 3Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

In the CMYK colour model used for process printing, what does the K stand for?

  1. Krome, the ink type
  2. Key, the black printing plate Correct answer.
  3. Kraft, the paper grade
  4. Kernel, the dot pattern

Explanation

K denotes the key plate, which carries the black separation and supplies density and detail. Black is added because overprinting cyan, magenta and yellow alone gives a muddy dark brown rather than a true neutral.

Question 4Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

What is the standard purpose of a halftone screen in reproducing a continuous-tone photograph?

  1. To break the image into variable-size dots that simulate tonal gradation Correct answer.
  2. To increase the physical size of the image without loss of detail
  3. To remove all colour information before platemaking
  4. To convert the photograph into a vector line drawing automatically

Explanation

A halftone screen converts continuous tone into discrete dots whose varying area, viewed from a distance, appears as different shades. Larger dots produce darker tones and smaller dots produce lighter tones.

Question 5Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

Which unit is traditionally used to express the thickness or calliper of a printing paper?

  1. Lumens per square metre
  2. Points on the Didot scale
  3. Newtons per square centimetre
  4. Micrometre or thousandths of an inch Correct answer.

Explanation

Paper calliper is a small linear dimension, normally reported in micrometres or in thousandths of an inch (mils). It is measured with a micrometer under standard pressure.

Question 6Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

What is the main function of a printing blanket in an offset press?

  1. To carry the inked image from plate cylinder to paper Correct answer.
  2. To cut the printed sheet to final size
  3. To dry the ink by passing it over a flame
  4. To store ink before it reaches the duct

Explanation

In offset lithography the blanket cylinder receives the image from the plate and transfers it to the substrate. This intermediate transfer is what gives the process its name and protects the plate from wear.

Question 7Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

Which type of ink drying occurs when the vehicle is absorbed into the pores of an uncoated paper, leaving pigment on the surface?

  1. Ultraviolet curing
  2. Evaporation drying
  3. Absorption drying Correct answer.
  4. Oxidation drying

Explanation

Absorption drying happens when the low-viscosity vehicle penetrates the fibrous structure of an uncoated sheet and the pigment remains bound at the surface. It is typical of news inks and other quick-setting letterpress or web inks.

Question 8Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

A job requires 5000 sheets of A4 size. If one A3 parent sheet yields two A4 sheets, how many A3 sheets must be cut to supply the job?

  1. 10000
  2. 5000
  3. 1250
  4. 2500 Correct answer.

Explanation

Each A3 parent sheet produces two A4 sheets, so the required number of parents is 5000 divided by 2, which equals 2500. Allowance for cutting waste would be added to this figure in practice.

Question 9Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

In a four-colour process print, which colour separation normally carries most of the fine detail and text edges?

  1. Magenta
  2. Yellow
  3. Cyan
  4. Black Correct answer.

Explanation

The black separation, often called the key, is used to give crisp edges, density and neutral shadow detail. Text and fine lines are usually printed in black so that slight misregistration of the chromatic inks is less visible.

Question 10Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

What does a densitometer measure on a printed sheet?

  1. The viscosity of the fountain solution
  2. The tensile strength of the substrate
  3. The optical density of an ink film Correct answer.
  4. The surface pH of the paper

Explanation

A densitometer measures how much light is absorbed or reflected by an ink film, giving a density reading that indicates ink film thickness and print consistency. It is a standard quality-control instrument on press.

Question 11Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

Why is a fountain solution used on an offset lithographic press?

  1. To speed up the oxidation of the ink film
  2. To harden the blanket surface before printing
  3. To dissolve the pigment so it flows more freely
  4. To keep the non-image areas of the plate ink-repellent Correct answer.

Explanation

Lithographic plates rely on the difference between ink-receptive image areas and water-receptive non-image areas. The fountain solution wets the non-image areas so that ink does not adhere to them.

Question 12Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

Which imposition scheme places pages so that after printing and folding, the pages read in correct sequence?

  1. Work-and-turn imposition
  2. Perfecting imposition
  3. Imposition layout Correct answer.
  4. Sheetwise imposition

Explanation

Imposition is the arrangement of page positions on a plate or forme so that the pages fall in the correct order after printing, folding and trimming. The other terms describe specific printing and turning methods rather than the general arrangement principle.

Question 13Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

A printer needs to match a spot colour that lies outside the CMYK gamut. Which approach is most appropriate?

  1. Increase the screen ruling of the black plate
  2. Reduce the ink film thickness on the yellow unit
  3. Use a pre-mixed spot ink on an additional unit Correct answer.
  4. Convert the colour to a duotone of cyan and magenta

Explanation

Spot colours that cannot be achieved by overprinting process inks are produced with a pre-mixed ink run on a dedicated unit. This gives a consistent, exact match that CMYK overprints cannot reach.

Question 14Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

What is the primary purpose of a colour bar printed on a press sheet?

  1. To hold the sheet in register during folding
  2. To add decorative colour to the finished product
  3. To indicate the customer's name and order number
  4. To provide a check for ink density and print quality Correct answer.

Explanation

A colour bar carries solid and tint patches of each process colour so the operator can measure density and check register. It is trimmed off before finishing and never appears in the final product.

Question 15Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

A 300-line-per-inch halftone screen is specified for a job. Compared with a 150-line screen, how does the finer screen behave?

  1. It eliminates the need for halftone dots entirely
  2. It reduces ink consumption because fewer dots are printed
  3. It reproduces coarser detail but tolerates rougher paper
  4. It reproduces finer detail but requires smoother paper and better press control Correct answer.

Explanation

A higher screen ruling means smaller dots and finer tonal steps, which resolves more detail. It also demands a smoother coated stock and tighter control of ink, water and impression to prevent dot gain and filling in.

Question 16Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

Which paper property most directly affects how much a printed sheet will stretch and misregister on a web press?

  1. Brightness
  2. Bulk
  3. Opacity
  4. Tensile strength Correct answer.

Explanation

Tensile strength describes how well the sheet resists pulling forces along the web. A sheet with low tensile strength stretches under tension, causing register drift and web breaks.

Question 17Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

In a two-colour job, the second colour is printing out of register with the first. Which press adjustment is the most direct remedy?

  1. Increase the fountain solution on the first unit
  2. Replace the blanket on the first unit
  3. Adjust the circumferential and lateral register controls on the second unit Correct answer.
  4. Reduce the drying temperature in the delivery

Explanation

Register errors are corrected by moving the plate or cylinder of the affected unit circumferentially and laterally until the images align. These are the dedicated register controls built into each printing unit.

Question 18Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

What is the main reason for applying a varnish or lacquer to a printed sheet?

  1. To increase the weight of the sheet for postage
  2. To make the ink dry more slowly
  3. To reduce the opacity of the paper
  4. To protect the print and modify its surface appearance Correct answer.

Explanation

A varnish or lacquer forms a protective film that resists scuffing and abrasion and can also change the gloss level of the printed surface. It is a finishing operation applied after printing.

Question 19Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

A designer supplies artwork with all text converted to outlines and all images embedded. Why is this done before sending to a printer?

  1. To reduce the file size to a fixed maximum
  2. To ensure the colours are automatically converted to spot inks
  3. To convert the document into a raster-only format
  4. To prevent font substitution and missing image links during output Correct answer.

Explanation

Converting text to outlines removes the dependency on installed fonts, and embedding images ensures the output device has the actual picture data. This prevents reflow, substitution and missing-link errors at RIP stage.

Question 20Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

A press sheet shows a grey patch that appears slightly green under standard viewing conditions. Which explanation is most consistent with process colour theory?

  1. The magenta ink film is too thin relative to cyan and yellow Correct answer.
  2. The screen ruling is too coarse
  3. The paper is too bright
  4. The black plate is over-inked

Explanation

Grey is produced by a balanced overprint of cyan, magenta and yellow. A green cast indicates a deficiency of magenta, which is the complementary colour of green, so the magenta film is likely too light.

Question 21Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

A printer observes dot gain of 22 percent at the midtone on a coated sheet, well above the expected 12 percent. Which combination of causes is most plausible?

  1. Too little fountain solution and a worn ink duct
  2. Too high a screen ruling and too smooth a paper
  3. Insufficient ink and low impression pressure
  4. Excessive ink film and impression pressure Correct answer.

Explanation

Dot gain increases when too much ink is laid down and when impression squeezes the dots outward on the blanket and sheet. Reducing ink film and impression pressure normally brings gain back toward the target.

Question 22Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

Why does a lithographic plate require a grained or anodised surface?

  1. To make the plate magnetic for cylinder mounting
  2. To allow the plate to be imaged by thermal transfer only
  3. To retain a film of water on the non-image areas while the image areas stay ink-receptive Correct answer.
  4. To increase the plate's electrical conductivity

Explanation

The grained or anodised surface holds a thin, even film of fountain solution across the non-image areas, which keeps them from accepting ink. It also improves coating adhesion and plate life.

Question 23Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

A customer complains that a finished book block has pages out of sequence after folding. Which stage should be investigated first?

  1. The hardness of the blanket
  2. The grain direction of the cover board
  3. The ink drying time in the delivery
  4. The imposition layout used for the plate Correct answer.

Explanation

Page sequence after folding is determined by the imposition, which fixes where each page sits on the sheet. An error in the imposition layout or in the folding scheme will produce missequenced pages regardless of press settings.

Question 24Fundamentals of Printing and Graphic Arts

Which statement best explains why process inks are printed in the order black, cyan, magenta, yellow on many presses?

  1. Dark ink is laid first so subsequent transparent inks trap and overprint cleanly Correct answer.
  2. Yellow must be printed last because it dries the fastest
  3. Black is printed first to protect the blanket from wear
  4. The sequence has no effect on colour appearance

Explanation

Printing the darkest ink first allows the later, more transparent inks to trap over it and build the intended colour. Ink sequence also affects trapping, drying and the final appearance of overprints.

Question 25Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

In offset prepress, a job specifies a 175 lpi screen ruling. What does this value describe?

  1. The thickness of the offset plate in micrometres
  2. The ink film weight transferred to the substrate
  3. The number of printing units on the press
  4. The number of halftone cells or lines per inch in the screened image Correct answer.

Explanation

Screen ruling states how many halftone lines or cells are packed into one inch, so it directly controls how fine the dot pattern appears. Higher rulings give finer detail but demand better paper, plate and press control. It has nothing to do with press units, plate thickness or ink weight.

Question 26Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A designer supplies a full-colour photograph for process printing. Which colour model should the prepress operator convert it to before outputting separated films or plates?

  1. RGB
  2. CMYK Correct answer.
  3. Indexed colour
  4. Grayscale

Explanation

Process colour printing uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks, so images must be separated into CMYK channels for plate or film output. RGB is a screen-additive space and cannot be output directly on a four-colour press. Indexed and grayscale modes do not carry full process colour information.

Question 27Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

What is the main purpose of a bleed allowance in a page layout for printing?

  1. To reserve space for the binding gutter inside the text area
  2. To increase the ink density of solid areas
  3. To extend artwork beyond the trim edge so slight cutting variation leaves no white border Correct answer.
  4. To reduce the total number of colours used in the job

Explanation

Bleed extends background elements past the final trim line so that small inaccuracies in guillotine or folder cutting do not reveal unprinted paper. Typical bleed is a few millimetres beyond trim. It does not affect ink density, gutter allowance or colour count.

Question 28Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

Which file format is most suitable for supplying a placed line-art logo that must stay sharp at any output resolution?

  1. A bitmap TIFF at screen resolution
  2. A low-resolution JPEG
  3. A vector format such as EPS or PDF Correct answer.
  4. A 72 ppi GIF

Explanation

Vector formats describe artwork mathematically, so edges remain crisp at any enlargement or output resolution. Raster formats such as JPEG, GIF and TIFF are resolution-dependent and will show pixels or soft edges when scaled. For logos and line art, vector supply is the prepress standard.

Question 29Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

In a page-composition program, what does the term 'leading' refer to?

  1. The space between individual letters in a word
  2. The width of the column measure
  3. The vertical distance between successive baselines of type Correct answer.
  4. The thickness of a rule used under a heading

Explanation

Leading is the baseline-to-baseline distance that sets the vertical rhythm of text lines. It is usually expressed in points and is normally slightly larger than the type size. Letter spacing, column measure and rule thickness are different typographic controls.

Question 30Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

What is the standard purpose of a densitometer in prepress and plate-making quality control?

  1. To trim the plate to register
  2. To count the number of pages in a signature
  3. To measure the pH of fountain solution
  4. To measure the optical density of films, proofs or printed patches Correct answer.

Explanation

A densitometer measures how much light is absorbed or reflected, giving optical density values for films, proofs and control patches. This lets the operator confirm that exposures and ink films fall within tolerance. Page counting, fountain pH and plate trimming are unrelated tasks.

Question 31Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

Which statement correctly describes the difference between raster and vector images?

  1. Raster images cannot be placed in a page layout, while vector images can
  2. Raster images are built from pixels, while vector images are built from mathematical paths Correct answer.
  3. Vector images lose quality when enlarged, while raster images do not
  4. Raster images are always black and white, while vector images are always colour

Explanation

Raster images are grids of pixels and are resolution-dependent, whereas vector images are defined by paths and coordinates and scale without loss. Colour capability is independent of this distinction, and both types can be placed in layouts. The defining difference is pixel grid versus mathematical description.

Question 32Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A prepress operator needs to enlarge a continuous-tone photograph for a poster. Which action best preserves quality?

  1. Reduce the image to 72 ppi and then scale it up
  2. Convert the image to indexed colour before scaling
  3. Resample upward in an image editor from the original high-resolution scan Correct answer.
  4. Enlarge the low-resolution screen preview repeatedly

Explanation

Enlarging from the highest-resolution original gives the resampling algorithm the most real data to work with, so interpolation artefacts are minimised. Repeatedly enlarging a preview, indexing the colour or downsampling first all discard detail that cannot be recovered. Quality depends on starting from the best source.

Question 33Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

In process-colour printing, what is the role of the black (K) separation?

  1. It adds density to dark areas and carries neutral text and fine detail Correct answer.
  2. It is used only for spot varnish areas
  3. It sets the screen angle for all other colours
  4. It replaces the cyan channel entirely

Explanation

The black plate deepens shadows, stabilises neutral tones and carries black text and fine lines that would otherwise need three inks in register. It does not replace cyan, apply varnish or define screen angles for other plates. Under colour removal and grey component replacement rely on a well-judged black channel.

Question 34Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A halftone uses a 175 lpi ruling and a 2400 dpi imagesetter. Approximately how many addressable device pixels fall along one halftone cell side?

  1. About 40
  2. About 175
  3. About 2
  4. About 14 Correct answer.

Explanation

The cell side in device pixels equals imagesetter resolution divided by screen ruling, that is 2400 divided by 175, which is roughly 13.7 or about 14 pixels. This determines how many grey levels the cell can represent. The other figures ignore the ratio entirely.

Question 35Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

Why are the four process screens normally set at different angles, for example 15, 75, 0 and 45 degrees?

  1. To allow each ink to dry at a different rate
  2. To ensure the black plate prints first on press
  3. To avoid the visible moiré pattern that arises when screens overlap at similar angles Correct answer.
  4. To make each plate a different physical size

Explanation

When two periodic dot patterns overlap at close angles they create an interfering pattern called moiré. Assigning widely separated angles, with the most visible colour usually at 45 degrees, suppresses this. Plate size, drying rate and printing sequence are governed by other factors.

Question 36Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A customer supplies artwork in which small black body text was built from four-colour process values. What is the correct prepress remedy?

  1. Increase the total ink coverage to 400%
  2. Change the text to a lighter tint of cyan
  3. Add a spot varnish over the text
  4. Convert the text to 100% black only and remove the other channels Correct answer.

Explanation

Small four-colour text is vulnerable to registration shifts, which produce coloured fringes and blurred edges. Setting such text to solid black on a single plate keeps it sharp. Raising total coverage, adding varnish or tinting the text does not solve the registration problem.

Question 37Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

What is the practical effect of total ink coverage (TAC) exceeding the limit a press and paper can handle?

  1. The paper grain direction reverses
  2. Ink may fail to dry, causing set-off, blocking and poor trapping Correct answer.
  3. The plate exposure time is halved
  4. Screen ruling automatically increases

Explanation

When the combined ink film is too heavy for the substrate, the press cannot dry or trap it properly, leading to set-off, blocking and mottling. Prepress therefore limits TAC in shadow areas through under colour removal or grey component replacement. Ruling, exposure and grain direction are unaffected.

Question 38Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A photograph is to be placed at 100% size on a press using a 150 lpi screen. What input resolution is generally recommended?

  1. About 300 ppi Correct answer.
  2. About 150 ppi
  3. About 1200 ppi
  4. About 72 ppi

Explanation

The common prepress guideline is to supply roughly twice the screen ruling in pixels per inch at final size, so 150 lpi calls for about 300 ppi. This provides enough data for good tone and detail without excessive file size. Much lower values lose detail and much higher values waste storage and processing time.

Question 39Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

In imposition, what does a 'signature' mean for a book printed on a sheet-fed press?

  1. A registration mark placed outside the trim
  2. The author's signed approval of the final proof
  3. The ink key setting used for the cover
  4. A printed sheet that, when folded and trimmed, forms a section of the book Correct answer.

Explanation

A signature is the large printed sheet carrying several pages arranged in imposition so that folding and trimming yield a correctly ordered section. Several signatures are gathered and bound into the book. Proof approval, register marks and ink keys are separate concepts.

Question 40Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A page layout must accommodate perfect binding. What allowance should the designer make?

  1. A smaller inside margin so more text fits on the page
  2. A larger inside margin to compensate for the loss of visible area near the spine Correct answer.
  3. No inside margin at all, because the spine is glued
  4. Equal margins on all four sides regardless of binding

Explanation

In perfect binding the glued spine pulls the page block inward, hiding part of the inner margin, so a larger gutter keeps text clear of the spine. Equal margins or reduced inner margins would let text disappear into the binding. The allowance is a layout decision made before imposition.

Question 41Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

What is the purpose of a registration mark in prepress film and plate work?

  1. To show the paper grain direction
  2. To mark the position of the fold only
  3. To provide a common reference so separate colour images can be aligned precisely Correct answer.
  4. To indicate the ink colour of each plate

Explanation

Registration marks are identical targets on every separation, allowing the operator or press to align the plates to a common position. Precise alignment prevents colour fringing and misregistration. They do not encode ink colour, grain direction or fold position.

Question 42Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A prepress operator must convert a scanned RGB image to CMYK and notices the saturated blues become duller. Which explanation is correct?

  1. The black generation setting has been disabled by the RIP
  2. The scanner has reduced the image resolution during conversion
  3. The image has been converted to indexed colour by mistake
  4. Some RGB colours lie outside the CMYK gamut and cannot be reproduced with process inks Correct answer.

Explanation

CMYK inks cover a smaller colour gamut than RGB displays, so highly saturated colours such as bright blues and greens must be brought into gamut, appearing duller. This is a normal consequence of the colour-space conversion. Resolution, black generation and indexed mode are separate matters.

Question 43Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

Which trapping decision is appropriate where a light yellow tint meets a dark blue solid?

  1. Use no trap at all because the colours differ strongly
  2. Spread the yellow into the blue so a small gap does not show as a white line Correct answer.
  3. Choke the yellow so the blue overlaps it heavily
  4. Reverse the plate order so blue prints first

Explanation

Trapping compensates for small registration errors by creating a slight overlap between adjacent colours. The lighter colour is normally spread into the darker one, because an overlap of light ink into dark is less visible than a gap showing paper. Choking the light colour or omitting the trap would risk white hairlines.

Question 44Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

Why is a hard proof such as a laminated colour proof preferred over a monitor soft proof when approving a critical colour job?

  1. It guarantees the press will not deviate during the run
  2. It removes the need for colour separation
  3. It uses the actual inks or a close ink simulation on the intended substrate, showing how the printed result will appear Correct answer.
  4. It always has a higher screen ruling than the final press sheet

Explanation

A hard proof reproduces colour with real or closely simulated inks on the substrate, so the customer and printer judge the expected printed appearance under standard viewing conditions. A monitor soft proof depends on display calibration and cannot show ink-on-paper effects. Neither proof type eliminates separation work or press variation.

Question 45Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A prepress file is described as 'imposed 8-up work-and-turn'. What does this mean?

  1. Eight copies are laid out so that after printing one side the sheet is turned and the reverse printed, then cut apart Correct answer.
  2. The sheet is folded eight times before trimming
  3. Eight plates are exposed from a single film
  4. Eight different colours are printed in one pass

Explanation

Work-and-turn imposition places multiple copies on a sheet so that after printing the first side, the sheet is turned over and printed again, then cut to yield the copies. It maximises sheet use and speeds production. It is not a colour count, a folding count or a plate exposure method.

Question 46Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A 300 ppi RGB image is to be printed at 150% of its original size on a 175 lpi job. What is the effective resolution at final size and is it adequate?

  1. 100 ppi, which is inadequate
  2. 450 ppi, which is far above requirement
  3. 200 ppi, which is adequate because it exceeds twice the ruling
  4. 200 ppi, which is inadequate because it falls below twice the ruling Correct answer.

Explanation

Enlarging to 150% reduces effective resolution by the same factor, so 300 divided by 1.5 gives 200 ppi at final size. The guideline of twice the 175 lpi ruling calls for about 350 ppi, so 200 ppi is short and the image should be rescanned or resampled. The other options misapply the scale factor or the guideline.

Question 47Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

In a colour-managed workflow, what is the function of an ICC profile assigned to a scanner or press?

  1. It defines the ink drying time on press
  2. It characterises how that device reproduces colour so conversions can be made through a reference space Correct answer.
  3. It stores the page layout geometry for imposition
  4. It sets the screen ruling for the imagesetter

Explanation

An ICC profile describes a device's colour behaviour, allowing a colour management system to convert between device spaces through a device-independent reference space such as CIELAB. This keeps appearance consistent across devices. Layout geometry, screen ruling and drying time are outside its scope.

Question 48Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

A prepress operator finds that a film negative shows a solid step-wedge patch reading denser than the target, while the highlight patch has filled in. Which conclusion is most reasonable?

  1. The exposure or development is excessive, so highlight dots are being lost Correct answer.
  2. The screen ruling is too coarse for the job
  3. The image was separated with too little black
  4. The film base is too thin to hold density

Explanation

Overexposure or overdevelopment raises density across the wedge and causes small highlight dots to fill in or disappear, which is exactly the pattern described. The remedy is to recalibrate exposure or developer strength against the step wedge. Ruling, base thickness and black generation do not explain both symptoms together.

Question 49Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

Why does stochastic (frequency-modulated) screening reduce the rosette and moiré problems associated with conventional amplitude-modulated halftones?

  1. It uses fixed-size dots placed at random positions rather than periodic dot grids at fixed angles Correct answer.
  2. It uses a coarser ruling than conventional screening
  3. It prints with fewer inks than conventional screening
  4. It eliminates the need for colour separation entirely

Explanation

Stochastic screening keeps dot size small and constant while varying dot frequency and position randomly, so there is no regular grid to interfere with another screen and no rosette pattern. It still requires full colour separation and can use the same number of inks. Ruling in the conventional sense does not apply.

Question 50Prepress, Composition and Image Preparation

Before a job is sent to plate-making, the prepress operator checks the page layout for 'bleed'. What does bleed refer to in a print layout?

  1. The unprinted margin kept inside the page for binding and reader comfort
  2. The overlap allowance added between two facing pages in a spread
  3. The extra sheet length gripped by the press feed mechanism
  4. Artwork that extends beyond the trimmed page edge so no white sliver appears after cutting Correct answer.

Explanation

Bleed is the extension of background colour or image past the final trim line, usually 3 mm, so small variations in guillotine cutting leave no unprinted edge. It is a layout allowance made before output, not a press gripper zone or an internal margin.