A halftone is a printing technique that combines dots of varying sizes to create a deliberate screen-like image. This image can be used to add shading to otherwise flat areas, such as in a black-and-white photograph. The printing process first requires that the image be separated into its component colors. Once each color has been isolated, a halftone screen is used to print that color.
The screen is a piece of film or glass that has been engraved with a fine grid of lines. The width of the lines and the spacing between them depends on the desired resolution of the final image. When the screen is placed over the paper, the ink is forced through the openings in the screen by the printing press. The size of the dots that are printed will depend on the width of the openings in the screen.
If the dots are printed closely together, they will appear to blend together and create a solid area of color. If the dots are spaced further apart, they will create a more screen-like effect. Halftone screens can be used to print both black-and-white and color images.
In printing, halftone is the technique of reproducing a continuous-tone photograph or image in a black-and-white print or publication by using dots of varying sizes and spacing. This technique is also used to give the illusion of continuous-tone images in color printing.
The term dot gain is sometimes used to describe the increase in the size of the halftone dots during printing, which results in a darker and less detailed image.
The purpose of halftone is to reproduce continuous-tone images in a print or publication. This technique is used to give the illusion of continuous-tone images in color printing. Halftone is also used to create a more realistic image in black-and-white print.