What is halftone?
A halftone breaks a continuous tone — a gradient, a shadow, a photograph — into dots of varying size so that one ink colour can appear lighter or darker depending on dot density. It is how screen printing, which prints solid ink, simulates tone.
Why it matters
It lets a two- or three-colour screen print suggest depth and shading. But it is a compromise: fine halftones are hard to hold on fabric, and a true photograph is better printed by DTG or DTF.
On our floor
We use halftones for shading within a limited palette. For photographic artwork we recommend digital and say so on the quote.
Common questions
- Can screen printing print a photograph?
- Through halftones, approximately. For real photographic quality, DTG or DTF.
- What mesh is needed for halftones?
- Finer mesh than solid prints — 230 and above — which limits ink deposit and opacity.
- Do halftones work on dark garments?
- With an underbase, yes, but detail is harder to hold. Digital methods are cleaner.
- Is a halftone print more expensive?
- Not per screen, but it often needs more screens to look right, which is where the cost rises.
Related terms
screen printing
Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh screen stencilled with your artwork, one screen and one pass per colour. Setup is per…
DTG printing
DTG — direct-to-garment — prints water-based ink directly into the fabric with a large inkjet printer. The ink sits in the fibre rather…
underbase
An underbase is a layer of white ink laid down before the colours so that the design stays bright and opaque on a dark garment instead of…
colour separation
Colour separation splits your artwork into one layer per ink colour — each layer becomes its own screen and its own pass on the press. A…
Where this applies
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