Halftone For Print: DPI And SVG Export

A halftone that looks perfect on screen can disappoint in print if the dots end up too small or too dense at the final size. Screens are typically around 72–96 pixels per inch, while print is usually prepared at 300 DPI or higher. That means the same dot grid will appear physically much smaller on paper. Plan your dot size around the printed dimensions and viewing distance — a poster seen from across a room can carry a much coarser grid than a postcard held in the hand.

If you are unsure, export a small test at the intended print size and check it before committing to a full run. It is far cheaper to adjust grid size now than to reprint later.

SVG export saves each halftone dot as an individual vector shape rather than as fixed pixels. Because vectors are resolution-independent, the dots stay perfectly crisp at any size, which is ideal for posters, stickers, apparel, and large-format print. SVG output is also editable: you can open it in a vector design tool to recolour dots, adjust spacing, or combine it with other artwork.

The trade-off is file size and complexity. An image with a very fine grid can contain tens of thousands of individual shapes, which can make the SVG heavy and slow to open. If you need a fine grid at a small size, a high-resolution PNG is often the more practical choice.

PNG exports the exact pixels you see in the preview, which makes it the simplest and most predictable option for screen-first work, social posts, and any case where the output size is fixed. For print, a PNG exported at a high enough resolution for your target DPI will reproduce well, especially for photographic dither where vector dots are not required.

A reliable workflow is to finalise the look in the workbench, export SVG when you need scalability or editability, and export a high-resolution PNG when you need a quick, fixed-size asset. Saving the settings as a preset means you can produce both from identical parameters.