Where is an artifact likely to appear during plate processing?

An artifact during plate processing is likely to appear across the entire plate axis because these artifacts often result from issues that affect the entire imaging process uniformly. Factors contributing to artifacts can include inconsistencies in the plate material, improper calibration, or systematic errors during the exposure and processing phases. When artifacts are present due to such systematic reasons, they tend to manifest in a consistent pattern across the plate's surface, thereby impacting the overall axial representation of the image.

The option indicating that artifacts could appear intermittently on certain images pertains more to random errors or isolated incidents rather than a consistent and uniform issue. This means artifacts can vary from image to image instead of being uniformly present across a specific axis. Similarly, while artifacts may occur around the edges of the image or perpendicular to the direction of plate travel under certain circumstances, these outcomes are typically not as common as those found across the entire axis when considering consistent processing issues. Therefore, the reasoning behind why artifacts likely appear across the entire plate is rooted in the nature of systematic processing problems affecting the entirety of the imaging area.