How to Halftone in Affinity for perfect DTF prints

How to Halftone Images for DTF in Affinity: A Complete Guide

Working with Affinity Photo or Affinity Designer for DTF printing? Halftoning is essential for creating professional prints with softer hand feel, reduced ink cost, and polished fades. This guide walks you through why halftoning matters and shows you three practical methods—from manual workflows to automated tools.

Why Halftone Your DTF Artwork

DTF printing works by depositing solid inks onto transfer film. Unlike screen printing, which can blend colors naturally, DTF printers can't print semi-transparent ink or create true gradients on their own. This is where halftoning comes in.

Halftones solve this problem by using tiny dots of varying sizes to create the illusion of continuous tones and transparency. Instead of a thick, flat color, your design prints as a pattern of dots spaced just close enough that the human eye blends them together visually. The result? Professional-looking fades, softer prints, and significantly less ink usage.

The Real Benefits

Softer Hand Feel — Less ink coverage means your prints feel like part of the fabric, not a plastic sticker. Customers love the comfort difference.
Reduced Ink Cost — By breaking up solid coverage with dots, you use 30–50% less ink per print while maintaining visual quality.
Natural Fades and Gradients — Halftones eliminate the "white halo" effect around gradient designs. Shadows and fades blend seamlessly into garment color.
Better Breathability — The spaces between dots allow air circulation, preventing that sweaty, suffocating feeling under the print.
Professional Appearance — Clean halftone separation transforms amateur artwork into high-end, gallery-quality prints that command premium pricing.

Three Methods to Halftone in Affinity

Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer users have three main approaches. Each has different learning curves, flexibility levels, and time investments. Choose based on your workflow priorities and technical comfort.

Option 1: Manual Halftoning in Affinity Photo

The DIY Approach

Affinity Photo includes a native Halftone filter that you can apply directly to your artwork. While not DTF-specific, it gives you complete creative control and costs nothing.

Basic Workflow

Convert your image to Grayscale (Layer menu → Desaturate)
Adjust Levels to control which areas become halftone vs. solid vs. knocked out (Image → Adjustments → Levels)
Go to Filters → Distort → Halftone and configure:
- Frequency: 25–35 LPI for reliable DTF transfer
- Angle: 45° or 0° depending on design orientation
- Shape: Circle (standard) or line (vintage look)
Apply the halftone and refine as needed

✓ Advantages

Complete control over dot size, angle, shape
No software costs
Learn the fundamentals of halftoning
Customizable for unique aesthetics

✗ Limitations

Steep learning curve for DTF optimization
Time-consuming (30–60 min per design)
Easy to miss semi-transparent pixels
Inconsistent results without experience

Option 2: ActionSeps DTX for Affinity Photo

Recorded Actions for Automation

ActionSeps DTX is a set of recorded actions (Affinity's version of Photoshop macros) that automates halftone generation specifically for DTF. One click handles color separation, transparency elimination, and halftone creation. It's fast, reliable, and DTF-optimized.

How It Works

After purchasing ActionSeps DTX for Affinity Photo, you install the actions into your Affinity workflow. Simply:

Open your design file
Run the ActionSeps action
Get a fully separated, halftoned design ready to print

Price: $247 (one-time purchase, lifetime updates)

✓ Advantages

One-click automation
DTF-optimized settings built-in
Eliminates semi-transparent pixels
Consistent results every time
Professional-grade output

✗ Limitations

$247 upfront cost
Less customization than manual
Still requires Affinity Photo
Learning curve for the software itself

Option 3: DTPrep Web — The Easiest Path EASIEST

Browser-Based, No Software Required

DTPrep is a web-based halftone tool that works with any design software—Affinity, Canva, Procreate, even hand-drawn artwork uploaded as an image. Open your browser, upload your design, and get professionally halftoned artwork in seconds. EASY.

How It Works

Go to DTPrep.com
Upload your image or design file (PNG, JPG, PSD, etc.)
Adjust halftone settings (frequency, angle, dot shape) with live preview
Download the halftoned image ready for DTF printing

Why This Stands Out: You don't even need to open Affinity. Whether your design comes from Affinity, Canva, Procreate, or anywhere else, DTPrep's web interface handles it all. This is perfect for designers juggling multiple tools or managing client files from different sources.

✓ Advantages

Zero learning curve—intuitive interface
Works with any software (or none)
Real-time halftone preview
No installation required
Fastest workflow (under 1 minute per design)
Professional results instantly

✗ Limitations

Small Yearly fee
Requires internet connection
Not ideal for bulk batch processing

Our Recommendation

For most Affinity users: Start with DTPrep Web. You'll be halftoning designs in under a minute with zero friction. No learning curve, no installation, works with your entire design ecosystem (Affinity, Canva, Procreate—everything). It's the fastest path to professional output.

If you want one-click automation built into Affinity: ActionSeps DTX is the right choice. You pay once, and every design after that is a single action.

If you're committed to mastery and control: Learn manual halftoning. You'll understand the fundamentals and have complete creative flexibility. Just budget time for the learning curve.

Ready to Level Up Your DTF Prints?

Halftoning transforms ordinary DTF designs into professional-grade prints with softer hand feel, reduced ink cost, and polished aesthetics. Pick one of the three methods above and start experimenting today. Your prints (and your customers) will thank you.