What is dot gain in printing?
Dot gain is when halftone dots print larger than they are in the file, as ink spreads into the paper, so tones and photos print darker than they look on screen.
What it means for your file
It is greatest in the midtones and depends on the press and paper: lowest on coated stock, more on uncoated and most on newsprint. The ISO printing standards call it tone value increase. Printers’ color profiles allow for it, which is one more reason to convert with their profile.
The paper makes the biggest difference: see coated vs uncoated paper.
An example
A portrait with soft shadows looks right on screen and on a coated proof. Printed on uncoated paper, the ink soaks in and every dot spreads, so the midtones darken, the shadows fill in and lose detail, and the skin looks heavier. The same photo converted with the printer’s uncoated profile is prepared for that spread and prints closer to the proof.
A common mistake
Lightening every photo by eye to make up for dot gain without knowing the paper, which can leave images washed out on a coated sheet. Ask the printer which profile to use for the stock, let the conversion do the compensating, and check a hard proof on the real paper.
How to fix it
If your printer sent the file back saying “The text is too small to print,” the fix page has the step-by-step way to do it yourself, and a fixed price if you’d rather have it done.
Related terms
All print terms in the glossary, or run your file through the free print-ready checker.
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