Halftone vs Dithering vs Stippling vs Mezzotint: What's the Difference?

Halftone

Halftone is the standard for screen printing and commercial printing. It works by laying down a uniform grid and varying the size of each dot. Dark parts of the image get big dots, light parts get small ones. Because the dots are on a grid, they print predictably and consistently.

The grid can be rotated (called the screen angle) to avoid moire patterns when printing multiple colors. In screen printing, different angles are used for each ink color so the dots do not clash. That is getting into advanced territory, but it is good to know the system is built for this.

Key advantage: It works. Screen printers have been using halftones for decades. The technique is proven, the tools are mature, and the results are repeatable.

Dithering

Dithering uses fixed-size dots placed at varying positions to create the illusion of shades. Think of old-school video games — the checkerboard patterns in Super Nintendo games, the grainy look of early computer graphics. That is dithering.

The dots are the same size everywhere. To make a darker area, you cram more dots closer together. To make it lighter, you spread them out. There are various algorithms for this — Floyd-Steinberg, Bayer, Atkinson — each producing a different pattern.

Dithering is making a comeback in pixel art and retro-style design. But for actual screen printing, it is rarely the right choice. The inconsistent dot placement makes it harder to burn clean screens, and the results are less predictable on fabric.

Key advantage: Great for digital art and low-color environments. Not ideal for production printing.

Stippling

Stippling is a hand-drawn technique where an artist creates an image by placing thousands of individual dots. Each dot is the same size — the darkness comes from how densely the dots are placed. It is incredibly time-consuming but produces beautiful, organic results.

There are digital tools that try to automate stippling, but they rarely look as good as the real thing. The problem is that human-made stippling has intentional irregularity — the artist instinctively varies density based on what looks right, not what an algorithm calculates.

For screen printing, stippling is impractical unless you are doing a small run of highly artistic prints. The irregular spacing can cause issues with screen burning and ink flow.

Key advantage: Gorgeous hand-crafted look. Impractical for production work.

Mezzotint

Mezzotint is an engraving technique from the 17th century. Instead of dots, the artist roughens the surface of a metal plate with a tool called a rocker, creating a textured surface that holds ink. Smoother areas print lighter, rougher areas print darker.

Modern digital mezzotint filters try to simulate this by adding random noise and texture to an image. They rarely look convincing. Real mezzotint has a depth and richness that digital filters cannot quite replicate.

Unless you are making fine art prints, you probably do not need mezzotint. It is more of a historical technique that occasionally gets referenced in modern design.

Key advantage: Rich, deep tones. Niche use case in the digital age.