Which item is considered a hardware error in radiography?

• A. Dirty or damaged cassettes
• B. Use of incorrect technical factors
• C. Improper collimation
• D. Failure to measure the patient with caliper

Answer: (A)

Hardware issues are problems with the imaging system’s physical components rather than how you expose or position the patient. Dirty or damaged cassettes fit this category because they are part of the image receptor hardware. Dirt or wear on a cassette or its screens can transfer artifacts to the image, reduce sharpness, or cause uneven densities, and these problems originate from the device itself rather than how you set exposure or collimate. The other options involve technique or exposure decisions: incorrect technical factors change the amount of radiation reaching the receptor and affect brightness/contrast; improper collimation concerns beam size and patient dose; and not measuring the patient with a caliper affects exposure calculations. Therefore, dirty or damaged cassettes are the hardware-related issue.