How to Halftone Affinity Designs for DTF

A practical guide for halftoning Affinity artwork for DTF printing

STEP 1 — Set Up Affinity Correctly (This Determines Print Quality)

DTF quality starts with document setup. Affinity gives you true control over size and resolution — use it.

Create your document at final print size

In Affinity Designer or Affinity Photo:

• File → New

• Choose your final size in inches and set DPI to 300

• Common examples:

  • Shirt front: 15" × 18" @ 300 DPI

  • 15" wide print: 15" wide @ 300 DPI (height as needed)

If you already designed at a smaller size: upscale early (before effects), not at export.

Use quality source images

• Use high-res artwork (avoid screenshots)

• If you scale a bitmap up and it looks soft in Affinity, it will print soft.

STEP 2 — Export from Affinity (DTF-safe export)

Best export settings for DTF

• File → Export

• Choose PNG

• Settings:

  • Area: Whole Document (or Selection Only if you need)

  • Resample: Bicubic (or “Nearest Neighbor” only for pixel art)

  • DPI: 300

  • Transparency: ON (if needed)

Do not export JPG for DTF. JPG compression creates artifacts that become ugly dots.

✅ Result: a clean, high-resolution PNG ready for halftoning

STEP 3 — Open the Affinity Export in Photopea (Free Photoshop Clone)

• Open the exported PNG in Photopea

• If the file already has transparency, continue

• If not: remove the background first (Magic Cut / selection tools) until you see the checkerboard transparency

STEP 4 — Create a Halftone Source Layer

1. Duplicate your artwork layer

2. Rename the duplicate HALFTONE SOURCE

3. Duplicate that layer into a new document

This isolates tonal processing and mirrors the standard Photoshop workflow.

STEP 5 — Convert to Grayscale + Levels (Contrast Control)

In the halftone document:

• Convert to Grayscale

• Apply Levels to increase contrast

Goal:

• Strong blacks

• Clean highlights

• No muddy mid-tones

This directly controls dot clarity and prevents that “foggy/hazy” DTF look.

STEP 6 — Convert to True Halftone Dots (Bitmap Method)

Convert the image to Bitmap using Halftone Screen:

• Frequency: 20–35

  • 20–25 = bold / gritty

  • 30–35 = smoother

• Angle: 45°

• Shape: Round

This creates real black/white dots (no semi-transparent pixels).

STEP 7 — Apply the Halftone as a Mask

1. Select All + Copy the halftone dots

2. Return to the original document

3. Add a Layer Mask to the artwork layer

4. Click the mask thumbnail + Paste

5. Invert if needed

White prints. Black does not.

STEP 8 — Final Export for DTF

• Background must be transparent

• Export as PNG

• Do not resize/resample after halftoning

Your file is now RIP-ready with clean halftones and no transparency issues.

A Better, Faster Option (Strongly Recommended)

The Affinity + Photopea method works — but it’s manual, slow, and easy to mess up. One missed setting (Levels, Bitmap, masking, resampling) can cause haze, soft edges, or inconsistent dots that waste transfers and shirts.

If you want the same outcome with far less effort, use DTPrep.com instead.

Why DTPrep is the smarter choice

• Built specifically for DTF / DTG

• Interactive halftone preview (dial in dots visually)

• Eliminates common DTF issues like white haze

• No bitmap conversions, no mask-pasting, no guesswork

• Works right in your browser and accepts Affinity exports instantly

Better results. Fewer steps. More consistent prints.
If you’re halftoning regularly, DTPrep saves real time and prevents costly reprints.