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Halftone dot shapes

The dot shape changes the character of a halftone and how its midtones print. Each page opens the generator with that shape selected.

Dot — dot halftone example — Round, line, square, diamond and cross on a vertical grey ramp.

Line — line halftone example — Round, line, square, diamond and cross on a vertical grey ramp.

Halftone dotsThe round dot is the classic halftone: dots grow from tiny specks in the highlights to touching circles around 78% and fill solid in the shadows. Round dots hide misregistration well and are the default for print, screen printing and comic art.
Line halftoneA line screen replaces dots with parallel lines whose thickness follows the image — thick in the shadows, hairline in the highlights. It is the look of banknote engravings, vintage posters and modern line-art portraits.
Square halftoneSquare dots give a crisp, digital, architectural look. At 0° they line up like LED pixels; at 45° they become a dense, woven texture. Squares touch only at 100%, so the darkest tones keep a fine grid of white lines until fully solid.
Diamond halftoneDiamond dots are squares rotated against the screen. Their corners meet exactly at 50% coverage, forming a checkerboard in the midtones — which is why print shops use diamond and elliptical dots to smooth the tone jump that round dots show at 70–80%.
Cross halftoneCrosses make an unusual, graphic halftone: small plus signs in the highlights, longer arms in the midtones and a woven grid in the shadows. It is popular for posters, album covers and textile patterns.