Dot gain is a phenomenon that happens on the printing press. It is where the dot size of text or an image increases. This results in the text being less sharp than acceptable, and images to become dense or less clear.
Printing on a rough or paper with tooth, will produce an effect seen here.
When dots are printed on a smooth paper surface they might appear like seen here.
It occurs on the printing press, with a variety of causes, some of which can be rectified with software. Uncoated stocks are more prone to dot gain than coated ones.
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