Aside from Luoyang, places like Xiping and Chen County that already had book offices and schools also received the order to hold examinations, and all students who passed had to go to the book office for half a month of study.
The masters at the book offices taught them typesetting, inking, laying paper, printing and other tasks, and would also pick out promising ones from among them to learn character carving and casting.
During this half-month of study, the schools and book offices collected their preferences, then discussed them together, and assigned each person accordingly.
These students had a unified title—apprentice. They had a six‑month internship period, and only after passing it could they become formal craftsmen.
