How often is screen/film contact testing performed?

• A. Monthly
• B. Semi-annual
• C. Quarterly
• D. Yearly

Answer: (B)

Screen-film contact testing measures how well the imaging screen stays in contact with the film because gaps can blur details and reduce sharpness. In a routine QA program, this check is performed semi-annually—twice a year. The reason this interval fits well is that the physical contact between screen and film tends to stay stable for many months, and twice-yearly testing is enough to catch gradual wear or misalignment of cassette components without adding excessive workload. If you notice a drop in image quality or after any maintenance or replacement of components, you’d test sooner. Monthly or quarterly checks would be more than needed for typical wear, and yearly could miss evolving contact problems.