Halftone
Halftone is a printing technique that uses tiny dots of varying sizes and spacing to create the illusion of continuous shades of gray or color. Instead of printing every shade individually, halftone patterns trick the eye into seeing gradients, shadows, and smooth transitions in images. This technique is commonly used in newspapers, magazines, packaging, and other printed materials to reproduce photos and detailed graphics.
Why it matters:
Halftone allows printers to reproduce complex images and gradients using only a few inks, making printing more efficient and cost-effective. It ensures that images look detailed and smooth, even when using limited colors, and helps maintain consistent quality across different materials and printing methods.
Benefits:
- Cost-efficient: Uses fewer inks while creating the appearance of full shading
- High detail: Preserves image clarity and texture
- Versatile: Works for both black-and-white and color printing
- Consistent results: Produces uniform shades and gradients across prints
Use cases in print and packaging:
- Product packaging: Detailed photos, illustrations, or textures on boxes and labels
- Marketing materials: Magazines, brochures, flyers with photographic images
- Newspapers and manuals: Black-and-white images with smooth shading
- Brand visuals: Logos or images that need gradient effects without full-color printing
Halftone is a smart printing technique that turns tiny dots into smooth images, allowing detailed visuals and gradients while keeping printing efficient and cost-effective.

See Other Guides

The Ultimate Guide to Prepress Quality Control: From Preflight to Perfect Prints
Excellent quality control before printing turns a good business into a great one. Catching mistakes early and keeping your standards high makes every project run smoothly. Clients will be impressed by your reliable and detailed work.

How Can File Comparison Software Improve Your Print Ready Files?
While some experienced graphic designers might be very familiar with print-ready work, this concept still represents a terrifying and intimidating aspect of graphic design for many newcomers.

How Modern Prepress Software Is Changing the Packaging Industry
When flipping through a brochure or any sort of packaging, you probably think that to get a design printed all you have to do is press the print button.
Streamline Artwork Proofing From Prepress to Production
Elevate labeling and packaging accuracy with the market-leading artwork inspection software.

