Choose a DTF halftone by reviewing a declared pattern at its final print size and testing it through the actual production process. Prepare the screened artwork in the source editor or documented RIP workflow. For NestSheet, upload the approved transparent PNG, review its placed dimensions and inspect the W1 backing in the production TIFF.
First, identify where the artwork is screened
A halftone pattern can be part of the visible source artwork or part of the receiving RIP’s output process. Record which stage creates the pattern. The operator needs to know whether an edit changes the approved design, the white backing or the printer’s screening.
For NestSheet, prepare the intended artwork in the source editor and deliver an approved transparent PNG. NestSheet handles its size, copies, sheet layout and DTF white choke. The Production DTF preset exports a mirrored 300 dpi CMYK + W1 TIFF for MainTOP.
Keep the editable master and the exported PNG together. Record the intended physical dimensions, the artwork pixel dimensions and the screening method used upstream. After placing the PNG, check its size before judging dot spacing or fine detail.
Keep PPI, DPI and LPI separate
| Quantity | What it describes | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Image PPI | Artwork pixels across the intended physical size | Pixel dimensions and placed width and height |
| Printer DPI | The selected device output mode | Printer, driver and receiving queue |
| Halftone LPI | The requested frequency of a screen pattern | The source tool, method and frequency setting |
| Raster cell | Pixel dimensions of a repeated pattern unit | The full-resolution exported artwork |
For a regular raster screen, dividing image PPI by the requested LPI gives a nominal cell size in pixels. Rounding, the selected pattern method, angle and later resizing affect the actual raster. Inspect the resulting file to see the pattern that will enter the production workflow.
NestSheet’s production file is 300 dpi. Approve screened artwork at its final physical size before nesting, then inspect how that pattern and its white backing appear in the exported file. Keep the original pixel dimensions in the job record so a repeat order can use the same source.
Record the controls in your screening tool
Read the actual labels in the source tool and keep a record of the settings used. Identify the screened target, method, frequency or cell size, angle where relevant, and how the output represents transparent areas.
If a tool uses density metadata to calculate its pattern, confirm the document’s interpreted print size. If a tool operates directly on pixels, inspect the raster at the intended physical size. Keep any resampling step explicit in the artwork record.
Approve the resulting PNG against the original design. Check solid tones, gradients, small lettering and intentional gaps. Save the approved screened file as its own source revision so the next operator can use the same artwork without reconstructing the effect.
Compare the actual pattern each method produces
A regular screen places a repeated structure across the artwork. Other dithering methods distribute discrete dots differently. The useful comparison is the exported raster and physical result produced by the tool, method and settings chosen for the job.
Keep a representative solid area, a smooth tonal transition, fine text and a hard boundary in the sample. View them at full resolution and final physical size. Inspect both the visible artwork pattern and the intended open areas before handing the file to prepress.
Ask the source-tool supplier how its method uses frequency, cell size and angle. Keep that documentation beside the approved source. This makes later comparisons traceable when an application version or export setting changes.
Compare one deliberate change at a time
- Fix the artwork’s pixel dimensions and intended print size.
- Choose the screening stage and record the tool and method.
- Export a reference candidate and inspect its visible pattern and alpha.
- Change one pattern setting while keeping the artwork size and receiving setup fixed.
- Compare both files at full resolution and through the same small physical test.
- Record the setting that passes the artwork and material approval, then keep that source file.
Use an approval sheet with a row for each candidate. Record the source revision, pattern setting, physical dimensions, export filename, receiving queue and observed result. Describe the actual difference: a broken stroke, a visible pattern interaction, an unwanted solid region or a change in white backing.
Keep the interpretation tied to the job. A pattern approved for one garment and artwork size deserves a fresh check when either changes. Use the smallest relevant sample that includes the features being evaluated so the comparison remains manageable and repeatable.
Inspect the exported raster at final size
A reduced screen image is useful for composition, while the full-resolution file shows the actual pixel pattern. Inspect hard boundaries, small lettering, gradients and intended transparent openings in the PNG you will upload. Then check the physical dimensions of the placed artwork in NestSheet.
Use Normal, White only, Art + White and Fabric for canvas inspection. The White only view shows coverage before export choke. Export the Production DTF preset and inspect W1 to judge final backing under the screened artwork, including fine details and isolated dots.
Keep the approved PNG and production TIFF together. If the result changes later, compare the source, placed size, selected choke and receiving queue against that saved pair before altering the pattern itself.
Decide who owns screening downstream
First-party CADlink documentation lists a “Halftone for Spot Colors” job action. That establishes that screening can also exist in a RIP-side workflow; it does not establish its method, range, or result for your version. Record whether the source editor or the receiving RIP queue creates the pattern. If both are enabled, treat that combination as a distinct test configuration rather than assuming the second stage is neutral.
Adobe’s conventional-print guidance distinguishes image PPI, output-device DPI, and halftone LPI, and tells operators to confirm output settings with the print provider. Adobe also warns that an on-screen separation preview does not reproduce halftone screens or output resolution. Those principles support a proof-first method, not DTF settings copied from plate printing.
Approve the result through the material process
Use the same printer, queue, film, ink, powder, curing and transfer setup for a controlled comparison. Inspect the film and the transferred garment for the features declared in the test: tone pattern, fine detail, white coverage and the intended appearance on the material. On stretch fabrics, add a stretch test: the DTF peeling and cracking guide explains why halftoned areas flex where solid areas crack.
Record observations in concrete terms and keep the approved sample. When the artwork size, source pattern, software version or material changes, repeat the checks affected by that change. This gives the operator a usable production record for the next order.
The controlled DTF test-file guide describes the source-to-sample procedure. The white-choke comparison focuses on NestSheet’s current sheet-wide settings.
Sources
- Adobe, Print images to a commercial printing press: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/printing-images-commercial-printing-press.html
- Adobe Illustrator, Print color separations: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/printing-color-separations.html
- CADlink Digital Factory, Jobs menu — Output: https://help.cadlink.com/website/digital_factory/en/production/menus/jobs_menu_output.htm
