Mode 2 · knock-out + choked underbase + highlight white
Black shirt halftone knockout tool
Remove the black from dark-shirt art so the garment prints it for you, choke the white underbase 1–3 px so it never peeks out, and add a highlight white for the brightest tones.
Your artwork or a worked example — load one, then change anything
Design file vintage-black-tee-portrait
Print simulation
Free · made in your browser
Pro film pack · screen-ready files
Unlock screen-ready film positives
- 1:1 film PDF, one page per plate, with registration crosshairs, plate headers and a 10-step exposure strip
- 600 DPI 1-bit transparent PNG films with 0 grey edge pixels, including the choked white underbase
- Plate-grouped true vector SVG: real circle, path and polygon dots at print size
- Unlimited designs while your pass is active
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Recommended · Mesh ÷ 4.5 = 34.7
Emulsion and print size
Shadow clip
WASH-OUT SAFE Min Dot Diameter: 146 μm Limit 96 μm = 1.5 × 64 μm thread
- Mesh
- Screen Mesh: 156T
- Output
- Output LPI: 35 LPI @ 22.5°
- Thread
- Thread: 64 μm · Opening: 99 μm
- Emulsion
- Emulsion: Dual-cure
- Risk
- Risk zones: 0 cells
- Vector nodes
- Vector Nodes: 0 dots
- Knock-out
- Knocked out: 0% of artwork
- Output size
- 11.00 × 13.75 in · 6600 × 8250 px @ 600 DPI
600 DPI 1-Bit · Grey pixels: 0Vector SVG ready
Free vs Pro, file by file
- Proof PNG Free
- Opaque shirt mockup up to 1000 px, stamped CLIENT MOCKUP PROOF ONLY — NOT FOR SCREEN EXPOSURE
- Settings TXT Free
- Mesh, LPI, angle, gain and clips to pin next to the press
- 1:1 Film PDF Pro
- One page per plate with crosshairs, plate header and a 10-step strip
- 600 DPI PNGs Pro
- Transparent 1-bit films with 0 grey edge pixels
- Vector SVG Pro
- Plate-grouped circle, path and polygon dots at print size
Settings sheet preview
Settings appear here.
How it works
From artwork to film in four steps
- 01
Load art on black.
Use the Vintage Black Tee Portrait or upload art with a solid black background. Mode 2 is already selected.
- 02
Set the knock-out threshold.
Luminance at or below the threshold prints nothing; 15% removes true blacks and the darkest shadows.
- 03
Choke the underbase.
Pick 1, 2 or 3 px at 300 ppi. The underbase film shrinks inside the art so the top color covers it.
- 04
Check both films.
Plate 1 is the choked underbase, Plate 2 the highlight white. Click a thumbnail to inspect it in the loupe.
Why knock out
Let the shirt print the black
On a black tee, printing black ink is printing the garment's own color on top of itself.
A typical vintage portrait has 30–60% of its area in deep shadow. Printed with a black screen, all of that is extra ink, an extra screen to coat and an extra color change. Knocked out, those areas carry no ink, and the remaining white dots fade into the shirt the way the original shadows fade into black.
The hand improves too. Two thin white layers in halftone feel far softer than a solid white underbase plus a solid black on top, and the print breathes where the shirt shows through.
Choke
Choke in pixels and millimeters
The choke is an erosion of the art mask at 300 ppi: a dot survives only if every mask pixel within the choke radius is inked.
| Choke | Millimeters | Inches | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 px | 0.08 mm | 0.0033 in | Tight registration, fine detail, auto press |
| 2 px | 0.17 mm | 0.0067 in | Default for manual presses |
| 3 px | 0.25 mm | 0.0100 in | Loose registration, heavy ink, stretchy fabric |
Two plates
Underbase vs highlight white
Mode 2 always produces two films, both printed in white ink.
- Plate 1 · Choked White Underbase
- Halftone of the luminance after knock-out, clipped to the choked art mask. It sets the overall image and the base for the top white.
- Plate 2 · Highlight White Halftone
- Halftone of the tones above 50%, rescaled so pure white prints solid. It brightens faces, chrome and lettering.
Press order
Flash and cure order
A safe starting order for plastisol on a manual press.
- Print Plate 1 with a firm, single pass; the underbase should look slightly translucent.
- Flash until the surface is dry to a light touch, typically a few seconds under the flash unit.
- Print Plate 2 on the flashed underbase with a lighter pass so the dots stay sharp.
- Cure the whole print to the ink maker's full-cure temperature and dwell time.
Where it fits
Jobs this page is built for
Band and tour shirts
Grayscale portraits on black that print with two white screens instead of white plus black.
Open the main studioDistressed vintage prints
A coarse elliptical screen on 125–156 mesh gives the soft, worn look with very little ink.
Try other dot shapesDTF on dark garments
The same knock-out logic drops the black from DTF art and keeps the transfer soft.
Switch to the DTF generatorChecking the white mesh
White underbases usually go on 110–156 mesh; check what the mesh can hold first.
Use the mesh to LPI calculator
Shop questions
Frequently asked questions
What does knocking out the black do?
Every pixel at or below the knock-out threshold prints no ink, so the black shirt itself fills those areas. You save a screen, a color change and a lot of ink, and the print feels softer because large dark areas carry no ink at all.
What threshold should I use?
Start at 15% luminance. Raise it to 20–30% if dark grey haze around the art prints as muddy dots; lower it to 5–10% if deep shadows that should show detail disappear. The knocked-out percentage updates as you type.
Why choke the underbase?
Presses never register perfectly. If the white underbase is exactly as big as the art, a slight shift shows a white edge. Shrinking it 1–3 px at 300 ppi (0.08–0.25 mm) keeps the white hidden under the top print.
How many px of choke do I need?
Use 1 px on an automatic press with tight registration, 2 px on most manual presses and 3 px for heavy ink or stretchy garments. The studio measures choke at 300 ppi, the usual separation resolution.
What is the highlight white plate?
A second white film that only prints tones above 50% luminance, scaled so the brightest parts get full coverage. Printed after the flashed underbase, it pushes the highlights to a brighter, cleaner white.
Which mesh and LPI for the underbase?
Most shops run the underbase on 110–156 mesh, which gives 25–35 LPI. The Vintage preset uses 156 mesh at 35 LPI with an elliptical dot at 22.5°, a minimum dot of 146 μm against a 96 μm wash-out limit.
Do I need to flash between the plates?
Usually yes: print the underbase, flash until the surface is just dry to the touch, then print the highlight white and cure. Water-based and discharge underbases follow their own ink maker’s flash guidance.
Can I see the print on other shirt colors?
Yes. Switch the garment to navy or heather grey in step 1. Knock-out is designed for black and very dark shirts; on heather grey you may want a lower threshold so the grey of the shirt does not read as part of the art.
Same engine, other jobs