Why the surface matters
A knit swallows small dots and gains 15 to 35% of ink as it prints. A flat sheet of paper holds fine dots and gains only 3 to 10%. A lino block has no mesh at all. One set of settings cannot be right for all three, so the tool has a tab for each and sets the sensible defaults for you.
| Textile | Paper & posters | Lino & block | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film | Halftone dots | Halftone dots, finer | Solid shapes, no dots |
| Mesh choices | 110 (24 LPI), 156 (35 LPI), 230 (48 LPI) | 156 (35), 230 (55), 305 (70), 355 (80 LPI) | Not used |
| Tones kept (156 mesh) | 12 to 88% | 10 to 90% | Not applicable |
| Ink gain to expect | 15 to 35% | 3 to 10% | Not applicable |
| Mirrored | Yes, for emulsion-down | Yes, for emulsion-down | Yes, a block prints mirrored |
| Registration | Crosshairs and crop ticks | Crosshairs and crop ticks | Kento marks on every layer |
| Number of inks means | Screens | Screens | Blocks or stages |
| Extra | Dark shirt? Add white underbase | Finer meshes for editions | The film is a carving guide |
Textile
156 mesh at 35 LPI is the standard for shirts. 110 mesh at 24 LPI is for beginners and opaque ink, and 230 mesh at 48 LPI is for fine detail. Dots stay coarser and the tonal range is clipped harder than on paper, because the fabric will fill in what the mesh cannot hold. On a dark shirt, tick Dark shirt? Add white underbase and the tool adds a white silhouette film as screen 1. See the underbase guide.
Paper & posters
Paper takes finer dots. 156 mesh suits bold posters with heavy coverage, 230 mesh is general poster work, 305 mesh suits fine art editions and 355 mesh is for very fine detail with thin ink. The finer the mesh, the less of the tonal range is clipped. The paper guide goes deeper.
Lino & block
A block has no mesh, so there is nothing to screen. The tool turns the halftone off and makes each layer a solid shape. Number of inks means number of blocks or stages you plan to carve. Kento marks, a corner mark and an edge mark in the same spot on every layer, are on so you can transfer them onto each block. Films are mirrored, because a block prints the mirror of what you carve. Read the lino and block guide for the layer strategy.
Switching tabs on the same artwork
Your artwork stays loaded and the films rebuild by themselves. That makes it cheap to compare: look at the same design as a textile set, as a poster set and as carving guides, and decide which one you want to make. Only the download counts toward the free trial.
Which tab for which job
- A shirt, tote or hoodie: Textile.
- A poster, card or art edition: Paper & posters.
- A linocut, woodcut or stamp: Lino & block.
- A print on fabric with very fine detail: Textile with 230 mesh, and test first.
Common questions
What is the difference between the Textile and Paper tabs?
Mesh choices and tonal limits. Textile uses 110, 156 and 230 mesh and clips more of the tonal range because fabric gains more ink. Paper offers 156 to 355 mesh at higher line frequencies with less clipping.
Why are lino films solid shapes?
A block has no mesh, so there is nothing to screen. Each layer becomes a solid shape, mirrored, with kento marks so you can register the block.
Can I switch tabs after I uploaded my artwork?
Yes. The artwork stays loaded and the films rebuild by themselves. Only the download counts toward the free trial.
Try your design on all three
Switch the tab and watch the films change. Free trial.
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