Grainy or 'sandy' look in stochastic
Medium severitySymptoms
Skies, soft gradients and skin tones show visible grain, like noise
Probable causes
- FM dot size too large for the job (25-30 µm)
- excessive gain fattening the dots
- unsuitable paper
The Print Guy · 2026-10-05
Other problems in this category
High rulings/Stochastic · TPG-014
Moiré with conventional high-ruling screens
Interference pattern visible in images, especially fabrics, fine textures and gradient backgrounds
High rulings/Stochastic · TPG-021
Visible transition in hybrid screening
A line or texture change is visible where the system switches from FM to AM
High rulings/Stochastic · TPG-011
Dot gain soars at high screen rulings
The print comes out far darker than the proof; plugged midtones despite correct densities
High rulings/Stochastic · TPG-012
Highlight loss (the dot won't print)
Gradients start abruptly: the 2-3% disappears and a visible step appears
High rulings/Stochastic · TPG-013
Plugged shadows (loss of dark detail)
From 85% to 100% everything looks the same: shadow detail disappears
High rulings/Stochastic · TPG-016
Accelerated plate wear at high rulings
Highlight loss mid-run; the job starts well and degrades