Eager to create halftone designs for your next merch run? Perhaps you’re inspired by vintage comic book tees or have a photograph of your band that you need printed on a shirt. Whatever your inspiration, halftone designs are a timeless and unique way to upgrade your merch. In this blog, we’ll walk you through creating your own halftone designs and how to get them print-ready.
Screen printing is a technique that uses a mesh screen is used to transfer ink onto garments. It is most commonly used today to print artwork onto clothing and dates back centuries. Screen printing has a rich history with the use of halftones. The use of halftones rose to popularity in the 1800s to imitate the tone and subtle details of photographs. Halftones were most popular in printing newspapers and other reading material and remain prevalent in printing today.
Understanding Halftones
Halftones are a type of design style used in screen printing that uses a series of small dots varying in size and spacing that results in a gradient-like effect. Halftones, for the most part, are a visual illusion that tricks your brain into seeing different shades and shadows in the artwork you are looking at. By varying the size and spacing of the halftone dots, fine details and depth in the artwork are imitated. The dots are strategically arranged to create the illusion of a fully detailed image, or full-color artwork.
Making Halftone Designs for Screen Printing
Creating a successful halftone image starts with choosing the right software. Programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are popular choices but you can also create halftones in downloadable apps, like Apple’s Procreate.
To convert an image to halftones, follow a few essential steps:
Convert the image to grayscale: This ensures that the halftone process focuses on the image's values.
Adjust the contrast: Adjust the contrast to ensure that the details are clear and distinct. Adjusting the values of the image is crucial for the image to be legible when halftone is applied. This can be done in the curves of the selected layer.
Apply the halftone filter: Use the software's halftone filter to generate the halftone pattern, adjusting the frequency and angle as needed.
Adobe Photoshop: Effect > Pixelate > Halftone
Adobe Illustrator: Effect > Pixelate > Halftone
Procreate/Pocket: Modify > Adjustment > Effect > Halftone
Let us give you an example of what halftones look like when the curves are not adjusted properly. In the above images, you can see how the defined highlights/shadows are still visible, even with significant adjustments to the frequency. This example will show the importance of fine-tuning your design to maintain the clarity of your design.
If your image or artwork is not adjusted properly, you lose the definition needed to make it recognizable. If you want your design to look clear, the definition is crucial. When making adjustments, consider how the artwork will look from a few feet away. Can you easily tell what you’re looking at? Clarity at a distance is key to achieving an appealing and recognizable print.
When creating your halftone artwork, keep in mind acceptable artwork files for screen printing. Using the correct file types and sizes will help achieve the best possible print quality. Typically, vector files like AI or EPS are preferred because they can be resized without losing quality. High-resolution raster files, such as JPEG, PSD or TIFF, are also acceptable if they meet the necessary resolution standards, usually 300 DPI or higher. You can learn about the proper file types and sizes here.
Other Halftone Techniques
Another way halftones are used in screen printing is in a process called simulated separation. This process involves multiple layers of colored halftones that build up to a full-color design. By carefully layering, and coloring these halftone layers, experienced printers can create very detailed, colorful prints with a limited color pallet. You can find out more about simulated separation in this blog we did.
Halftones are a versatile tool when creating artwork for screen printing. From simple designs to photo-realistic prints, there’s a lot you can do by using halftones. Don’t be afraid to play experiment with different halftone effects.
If you’re interested in getting your own halftone designs printed, get in touch with us by using the form below.