A comprehensive digital dictionary with terms from sign and
related industries File format: A file format is indicated by a
period followed by a three- or four-letter suffix, for example,
.COM. The suffix indicates what type of file it is: a document,
spreadsheet, drawing, Internet web page, etc. By knowing the
properties of the various types of file formats, users can
determine which files to open and read, which to import into
other files and which offer the best options for scanning. FM
(frequency-modulated) screening: A dithering method that uses
uniform dot sizes and varies the distance between them. This
method is different from conventional halftone screening, which
aligns dots of varying sizes on a regular grid. Front end: Front
end refers to all the hardware and software &emdash; the scanner
and computer workstation up to, but not including, the output
device. Gradation: The transition between colors or shades.
Gradation occurs by mixing percentages of dominant and secondary
color and then altering t