Equipment Performance Flashcards
7 cards from real GMI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Equipment Performance flashcards as text
The ISO 12647-2 standard for offset printing primarily governs:
Answer: Colorimetric aims and tolerances for process color printing
ISO 12647-2 defines the colorimetric targets (Lab values), dot gain curves, and tolerances that offset printers must achieve for standardized color output.
In screen printing, 'off-contact distance' refers to:
Answer: The slight gap between the screen mesh and the substrate during printing
Off-contact distance is the small gap that allows the screen to snap away from the substrate after the squeegee passes, producing a clean, crisp print.
What does 'FIRST' stand for in the context of flexographic printing standards?
Answer: Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications and Tolerances
FIRST (Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications and Tolerances) is the industry standard document published by FTA that provides specifications for flexographic printing.
When a press operator notices 'ghosting' on a printed sheet, the most likely cause is:
Answer: Ink starvation caused by a heavy ink form demanding more ink than the rollers can replenish in one rotation
Mechanical ghosting occurs when a heavy ink demand from one area of the form depletes the rollers, causing a fainter ghost image to appear in a nearby area on the same sheet.
In large-format inkjet printing, 'banding' artifacts are most commonly caused by:
Answer: Clogged or misfiring printheads causing uneven ink deposition in swath lines
Banding appears as repeating horizontal or vertical streaks corresponding to printhead swaths when individual nozzles are clogged or not firing correctly.
The 'ink-water balance' in offset lithography is critical because:
Answer: Too much water emulsifies into the ink, weakening color density; too little allows ink to spread to non-image areas
The ink-water balance governs whether the hydrophilic non-image areas stay clean (require adequate water) and whether ink retains full strength (requires minimal water emulsification).
Which press maintenance practice best prevents 'ink skin' from forming in the ink fountain during a press run?
Answer: Covering the fountain with plastic film when the press is idle and agitating ink regularly
Covering the ink fountain when idle prevents air exposure that causes oxidative skinning, and regular agitation keeps ink at the surface from drying out.