Is the halftone generator really free?

Yes. Preview and download are both free, with no account and no watermark. It runs in your browser, so it costs us nothing to run.

Is my image uploaded anywhere?

No. Your design is processed on your own device and the PNG is created there. Nothing is sent to our servers.

What LPI should I use for DTF halftones?

Start at 35 LPI. If your printer struggles with fine detail, go down to 25. High-end printers with tight dot control can use 45–55. Below 20 gives a deliberate vintage, comic-book look.

Why does my DTF print have a white haze around glows and shadows?

DTF can't print partly transparent ink — white underbase goes under every pixel that isn't fully clear, at full strength. Soft glows and shadows therefore print as a milky box. Fades & shadows mode turns them into solid dots, which print cleanly and still read as a fade.

Will a halftone make my print look worse?

From normal viewing distance the dots blend into smooth tone. Up close you can see the pattern, as with any screen print. Use “Actual size” to judge the dots before you download, and raise the LPI for a finer pattern.

What angle should DTF halftone dots use?

22.5° is the usual choice: it hides the grid well and avoids patterns with fabric weave. 45° is classic and also works well. 0° makes a visible grid, which can be a deliberate style.

Free tool

DTF halftone generator

Turn your design into solid dots for a soft, screen-print feel — or fix the white haze on glows and shadows. Free download, no account, and nothing is uploaded.

Drop your design here or choose a file

PNG with a transparent background works best. JPG and WebP work too. Your file stays on your device — nothing is uploaded, and the download is free.

Want it done for you?

Send us the file and a designer will prepare a print-ready halftone and clean up the edges — usually within a day.

We’ll do it for you

Why halftone a DTF transfer?

A solid DTF transfer is a continuous layer of ink and adhesive. Over a large area it feels like a rubber patch, it doesn’t move with the fabric, and it can crack after washing. Breaking the design into dots lets the shirt breathe and flex between them, so the print feels softer and lasts better — the reason screen prints feel the way they do.

It also fixes white haze. DTF printers lay solid white under anything that isn’t fully clear, so glows, gradient fades and drop shadows print as a milky box. Solid dots print cleanly, and from arm’s length your eye still sees the fade. And with less ink on the film, each transfer costs a little less.

The settings

Full design or fades & shadows

Full design halftones everything for a soft, breathable transfer; dark areas drop out so the shirt shows through. Fades & shadows leaves solid artwork untouched and only turns glows, gradient fades and drop shadows into dots.

Ink level

More ink gives bolder, more saturated colour with a stiffer feel. Less ink is softer and closer to a screen print. Balanced suits most designs.

Dot size (LPI)

Lines per inch of the dot grid. Lower means bigger, more forgiving dots and a more visible pattern; higher means smoother fades but needs a fine printhead. 25–35 LPI suits most DTF printers.

Knockout

Choose which tones drop out to the shirt: dark areas (standard for dark shirts), light areas (for light shirts) or none. You can also remove one exact colour, such as a black background.

Advanced: levels, angle and dot shape

Levels set where tones drop out completely, where they print solid, and how much ink the midtones get. Change the dot angle, or switch from round dots to diamonds or lines for a different texture.

Print safety

Dots under about 0.4–0.5 mm hold too little adhesive powder and can wash off, so the tool never prints a dot smaller than the size you set. It also allows for dot gain — ink spreading under the press — and prints solid past the largest dot instead of leaving pinholes that fill in. Download a test strip to check your printer before a full run.

Zoom and live preview

Scroll on the preview to zoom in and drag to move around: zoomed in, you see your real file at full resolution, dot for dot. On a slow computer, turn live preview off and update it when you're ready.

Questions

Is the halftone generator really free?: Yes. Preview and download are both free, with no account and no watermark. It runs in your browser, so it costs us nothing to run.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?: No. Your design is processed on your own device and the PNG is created there. Nothing is sent to our servers.
What LPI should I use for DTF halftones?: Start at 35 LPI. If your printer struggles with fine detail, go down to 25. High-end printers with tight dot control can use 45–55. Below 20 gives a deliberate vintage, comic-book look.
Why does my DTF print have a white haze around glows and shadows?: DTF can't print partly transparent ink — white underbase goes under every pixel that isn't fully clear, at full strength. Soft glows and shadows therefore print as a milky box. Fades & shadows mode turns them into solid dots, which print cleanly and still read as a fade.
Will a halftone make my print look worse?: From normal viewing distance the dots blend into smooth tone. Up close you can see the pattern, as with any screen print. Use “Actual size” to judge the dots before you download, and raise the LPI for a finer pattern.
What angle should DTF halftone dots use?: 22.5° is the usual choice: it hides the grid well and avoids patterns with fabric weave. 45° is classic and also works well. 0° makes a visible grid, which can be a deliberate style.

Check the rest of your file too with the free DTF file checker, or let us prepare it with PNG cleanup.