File Formats and Preflighting Questions and Answers

Answer: D

The format suited to vector graphics is EPS.

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) describes images as mathematical paths, curves and fills, so a vector drawing such as a logo can be scaled to any size without loss of quality, and it can also carry type and embedded bitmaps. It has long been a standard exchange format for vector artwork in prepress.

JPEG, PNG and TIFF are raster (bitmap) formats that store images as grids of pixels, so they are suited to photographs and lose sharpness when enlarged.

Answer: B

WAV is not an image format.

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is an audio format, used for uncompressed sound recordings.

The others are all image formats: BMP is the Windows bitmap format, TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is widely used for high-quality images in printing, and JPEG is the common compressed format for photographs.

Answer: C

The one that is not a pre-press problem is ghosting.

Ghosting is a faint, unwanted repeat of an image on the printed sheet. It arises on the press, for example when the form rollers cannot re-ink the plate fully after a heavy image area, or from mechanical or chemical causes during printing and drying.

The other three are typical pre-press faults in supplied files: scans in the wrong file format, files set up in the wrong colour mode (for example RGB instead of CMYK), and missing or unlinked graphics.