<p>It's impractical to use a solid colour or shade of grey when printing manga and most other forms of printed media. Doing so would require using a separate ink to render each individual colour or shade. Instead most printing methods use a  limited number of inks that are combined with the background and other inks using dots (other shapes) to render other colours and shades. For example a typical ink jet printer combines cyan, magenta, yellow and black dots to produce various colours, while the black and white pages of most manga use only black ink. Different shades of grey rendered are using techniques like hatching and screentones.</p>

<p>For example here's the cover of the first volume of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokohama_Kaidashi_Kik%C5%8D" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou</a> tankoubon by Hitoshi Ashinano:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/fW3lf.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fW3lf.jpg" alt="Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou cover"></a></p>

<p>While it looks like the letters of the title are a solid colour, if you look closely they're actually made up of different coloured dots:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Iupi2.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Iupi2.jpg" alt="Zoomed in detail of cover showing halftoning"></a></p>

<p>The cover was probably produced by taking the original artwork, overlaying the title, and then using some sort of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halftone" rel="nofollow noreferrer">halftoning</a> process to produce something that can be reproduced the publisher's colour printing presses.</p>

<p>Inside, the manga is in black and white, and the use of dots and hatching to represent areas in various shades of grey is more obvious. When the manga was originally published it was in the manga anthology Monthly Afternoon, probably on cheap coloured newsprint. The printing process here doesn't support the fine, almost impossible to see with the naked eye, halftoning used on the cover of the tankoubon volume. </p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/xFY7k.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/xFY7k.jpg" height="500" alt="B&amp;W detail from inside the manga" />
</a></p>

<p>You can see the shadows on the character's arms drawn using a hand drawn hatching, while <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screentone" rel="nofollow noreferrer">screentones</a> are used to shade her pants, her hair and the guard rail in the background. You can also see where hand drawn details were added to the screentoned clouds in the background.</p>

<p>If solid greyscale fills were used in these areas it would require using a separate ink for shade used. Separate printing plates would have to be produced for each shade, and the printing process would have to ensure that each was applied precisely on the page so they don't shift relative to each other. This would dramatically increase the cost of printing of what originally was a cheap disposable magazine.</p>

<p>Alternatively, the greyscale filled pages could be halftoned or digitally dithered in a fashion similar to the cover. This would allow a single plate with black ink to be used, keeping printing costs the same, but the result would look pretty crude. The dots can't be as fine as used on the cover. On cheap newsprint they'd just bleed together to make the entire page black. With larger dots, it would end up looking like a fuzzy low resolution image. It wouldn't be anywhere near as good what can be produced through the judicious use of screentones and hand drawn shading.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-04T17:58:17.487Z
You're confusing halftoning for printing with screentoning. The principle's the same, but halftoning for printing colors (gray included) is a reproduction process (to make multiple copies) which the original artist has no control over (it's decided by the printer), while actively using screentone beforehand is a shading process which the artist has full control over (in choosing screen frequency and whatnot).
Vun-Hugh Vaw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-04T19:46:38.270Z
@Vun-HughVaw No, I'm using both terms correctly.
Ross Ridge
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T13:39:59.033Z
Not really. "The halftone pattern for the color" part is decided by the printer. No one their right mind literally paint in halftone. They paint in good old watercolor or whatever medium they're accustomed to. Therefore if you see color in halftone, it's reproduced - NOT the original. Compare this to screentone, which is added right from the START. Artists buy sheets of halftone-dotted screentone and apply them to the black and white drawings, so those halftone dots ARE original.
Vun-Hugh Vaw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T13:42:10.727Z
And who on earth prints using separate (gray, I suppose?) ink like you suggested anyway? I've heard there could be one more gray cartridge to use along with default black one, but it would be absolutely insane to print with a separate ink for every single shade of gray.
Vun-Hugh Vaw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T13:44:45.577Z
Think of it this way: for colored artworks - paint with whatever you like, the halftone patterns is none of your concern and completely irrelevant because it's what printers make (which is why there's no sense in including this part in your answer). For black and white artworks, use screentone sheets beforehand.
Vun-Hugh Vaw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T13:58:09.853Z
The "gray ink" part is not worth bringing up either. You're making an argument against something that no one does to begin with.
Vun-Hugh Vaw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T14:00:07.010Z
@Vun-HughVaw You've completely misunderstood what I've written.
Ross Ridge
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T14:21:23.423Z
I would have only if you're implying that artists literally paint in halftone, which no one does. Why is that part (For example... publisher's colour printing presses.) in your answer anyway? Please do enlighten me on what I've misunderstood. Note that the OP asked about **applying screentone right in the process of making manga** (watch the video, in case you're still confused), while what you've described is how **printing and reproduction of manga for mass publishing** works. The former is what the artist does, the latter is what the printing shop does. Don't confuse them.
Vun-Hugh Vaw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T14:31:23.220Z
To clear up your confusion, let me make this clear: the gray shade on her pants and the pattern on the clouds in your second example, it's there **in the first place**. It was the artist who applied it there with screentone sheets, NOT solid fill. It has nothing to do with the next part about "printing with separate ink" ("If solid greyscale... disposable magazine.). Nor does it have anything to do with the previous part. Watch the linked video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK1qRP_E7Is): the artist is not using any solid fill whatsoever.
Vun-Hugh Vaw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T14:35:51.020Z
@Vun-HughVaw I never said anyone painted in halftones. I never said that the screentoning wasn't done by the artist. No reasonable interpretation of my answer could conclude I said either of these things. Since you're being unreasonable I'm not going to waste any more time with you. I'm just going to ask you to downvote and move on. You haven't pointed out any problems with my answer that I need to address.
Ross Ridge
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T14:41:36.750Z
You clearly don't even understand what you wrote. Feel free not waste time with me if you're failing to see the problems with your answer (which for the most part is completely irrelevant to the OP's question) that I have pointed out three times now. I'm not trying to change your mind, I'm trying to at least give people who read this answer of yours some warning about its usefulness. There's a reason I wanted to point the problems of this answer of yours, and not the other one above.
Vun-Hugh Vaw
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-04T00:08:16.817Z
2015-12-04T03:05:56.707Z
2015-12-04T03:05:56.707Z
Ross Ridge
<p>These are called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Day_dots" rel="noreferrer">Ben-Day dots</a>. Depending on the size and spacing of the dots, you can create different shades using a single colour - or, with a limited colour palette you can produce different shades not available to you.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/mFGIe.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/mFGIe.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>This is often used to <strong>save on printing costs</strong>, as you can get a wide range of shades/colours with a smaller usage of ink and no need for different levels of pressure.</p>

<p>Because manga is often a <a href="http://www.japanator.com/do-manga-magazines-have-to-be-disposable--13724.phtml" rel="noreferrer">disposable medium</a>, keeping costs low is often a priority for magazines and such to pull a profit - without increasing the prices for consumers.</p>

<p>You may see this in other non-manga print mediums as well - like free/low-cost newspapers:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/rpbIR.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/rpbIR.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>It has become associated with comics both East and West - so often shows will use it for artistic purposes as well.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/PljHM.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/PljHM.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>Other screentones exists, like speed markings, <em>shoujo sparkles</em> and such - and simply, they are used because it is both easier and faster to get your desired effect.</p>

<p>As well as providing particular aesthetics, it ensures a colour is solidly evenly shaded, whereas when colouring manually it is easy to have uneven shades by angling or pressuring differently across an image.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T15:14:37.043Z
Also note that making manga for big publishers is also a collaborative process, and shading can be delegated to less-skilled assistants. So it's best to use something that can produce consistent and acceptable results - screentone - without the risk of lost quality due to unskilled shading.
Vun-Hugh Vaw
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-03T21:20:29.857Z
2015-12-03T21:56:25.033Z
2015-12-03T21:56:25.033Z
Toshinou Kyouko
<p>I was recently introduced to the screen-tone process. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK1qRP_E7Is" rel="nofollow">Here's a short video for reference.</a> Why was this, and why is this still the prominent technique for coloring manga? What advantages do screen-tones have over grayscale fills?
<br />&nbsp;
<hr />
To clarify, a fill is when an artist uses a solid color to completely color one area (with marker, paint, pencil, etc...). </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-03T20:43:14.657Z
I'm not familiar with the terminology - is a "grayscale fill" when you have a digital image and fill a region with a color (e.g. using the bucket tool)? Or is it a thing you can do purely with analog tools (pen, paper, ink, etc.)? If it's the former, I suspect the reason is basically that manga drawing has been a largely non-digital process since its inception, and the industry is slow to change.
senshin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-03T20:48:01.923Z
I'd say it's for flexibility and artistic value. [Screentones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screentone) are not limited to adding shades of gray to an image, whereas a grayscale fill probably is (I'm only guessing based on the name, since I don't actually know what it is). Also, an image using truly grayscale tones looks quite different from one that uses screentones. You might as well ask: *why are manga drawn by hand and not computer generated graphics?* There are a number of manga with CG in it, and they're usually referred to as "cold". CG also tends to be less popular among fans.
Nolonar
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-03T21:02:50.620Z
Ah sorry. A fill, whether digital or not, denotes that an entire area is one shade. I've updated the question to specify the definition.
Bento
<manga-production>
Why is manga typically created with screentones rather than grayscale fills?
# Why is manga typically created with screentones rather than grayscale fills?
Posted by: username_0 on 2015-12-03
I was recently introduced to the screen-tone process. [Here's a short video for reference.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK1qRP_E7Is) Why was this, and why is this still the prominent technique for coloring manga? What advantages do screen-tones have over grayscale fills?
  
 

---

To clarify, a fill is when an artist uses a solid color to completely color one area (with marker, paint, pencil, etc...).
**Tags:** manga-production
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm not familiar with the terminology - is a "grayscale fill" when you have a digital image and fill a region with a color (e.g. using the bucket tool)? Or is it a thing you can do purely with analog tools (pen, paper, ink, etc.)? If it's the former, I suspect the reason is basically that manga drawing has been a largely non-digital process since its inception, and the industry is slow to change.  
> **username_2**: I'd say it's for flexibility and artistic value. [Screentones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screentone) are not limited to adding shades of gray to an image, whereas a grayscale fill probably is (I'm only guessing based on the name, since I don't actually know what it is). Also, an image using truly grayscale tones looks quite different from one that uses screentones. You might as well ask: *why are manga drawn by hand and not computer generated graphics?* There are a number of manga with CG in it, and they're usually referred to as "cold". CG also tends to be less popular among fans.  
> **username_0**: Ah sorry. A fill, whether digital or not, denotes that an entire area is one shade. I've updated the question to specify the definition.  
---
## 2 answers
### Answer by username_5 on 2015-12-03. Score: 12 | Accepted answer
These are called [Ben-Day dots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Day_dots). Depending on the size and spacing of the dots, you can create different shades using a single colour - or, with a limited colour palette you can produce different shades not available to you.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/mFGIe.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/mFGIe.jpg)

This is often used to **save on printing costs**, as you can get a wide range of shades/colours with a smaller usage of ink and no need for different levels of pressure.

Because manga is often a [disposable medium](http://www.japanator.com/do-manga-magazines-have-to-be-disposable--13724.phtml), keeping costs low is often a priority for magazines and such to pull a profit - without increasing the prices for consumers.

You may see this in other non-manga print mediums as well - like free/low-cost newspapers:
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/rpbIR.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/rpbIR.jpg)

It has become associated with comics both East and West - so often shows will use it for artistic purposes as well.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/PljHM.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/PljHM.jpg)

Other screentones exists, like speed markings, *shoujo sparkles* and such - and simply, they are used because it is both easier and faster to get your desired effect.

As well as providing particular aesthetics, it ensures a colour is solidly evenly shaded, whereas when colouring manually it is easy to have uneven shades by angling or pressuring differently across an image.
> **Comments:**
> **username_4** (2018-05-05): Also note that making manga for big publishers is also a collaborative process, and shading can be delegated to less-skilled assistants. So it's best to use something that can produce consistent and acceptable results - screentone - without the risk of lost quality due to unskilled shading.  
---
### Answer by username_3 on 2015-12-04. Score: 7
It's impractical to use a solid colour or shade of grey when printing manga and most other forms of printed media. Doing so would require using a separate ink to render each individual colour or shade. Instead most printing methods use a limited number of inks that are combined with the background and other inks using dots (other shapes) to render other colours and shades. For example a typical ink jet printer combines cyan, magenta, yellow and black dots to produce various colours, while the black and white pages of most manga use only black ink. Different shades of grey rendered are using techniques like hatching and screentones.

For example here's the cover of the first volume of the [Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokohama_Kaidashi_Kik%C5%8D) tankoubon by Hitoshi Ashinano:

[![Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou cover](https://i.sstatic.net/fW3lf.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/fW3lf.jpg)

While it looks like the letters of the title are a solid colour, if you look closely they're actually made up of different coloured dots:

[![Zoomed in detail of cover showing halftoning](https://i.sstatic.net/Iupi2.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/Iupi2.jpg)

The cover was probably produced by taking the original artwork, overlaying the title, and then using some sort of [halftoning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halftone) process to produce something that can be reproduced the publisher's colour printing presses.

Inside, the manga is in black and white, and the use of dots and hatching to represent areas in various shades of grey is more obvious. When the manga was originally published it was in the manga anthology Monthly Afternoon, probably on cheap coloured newsprint. The printing process here doesn't support the fine, almost impossible to see with the naked eye, halftoning used on the cover of the tankoubon volume.

[![B&W detail from inside the manga](https://i.sstatic.net/xFY7k.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/xFY7k.jpg)

You can see the shadows on the character's arms drawn using a hand drawn hatching, while [screentones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screentone) are used to shade her pants, her hair and the guard rail in the background. You can also see where hand drawn details were added to the screentoned clouds in the background.

If solid greyscale fills were used in these areas it would require using a separate ink for shade used. Separate printing plates would have to be produced for each shade, and the printing process would have to ensure that each was applied precisely on the page so they don't shift relative to each other. This would dramatically increase the cost of printing of what originally was a cheap disposable magazine.

Alternatively, the greyscale filled pages could be halftoned or digitally dithered in a fashion similar to the cover. This would allow a single plate with black ink to be used, keeping printing costs the same, but the result would look pretty crude. The dots can't be as fine as used on the cover. On cheap newsprint they'd just bleed together to make the entire page black. With larger dots, it would end up looking like a fuzzy low resolution image. It wouldn't be anywhere near as good what can be produced through the judicious use of screentones and hand drawn shading.
> **Comments:**
> **username_4** (2018-05-04): You're confusing halftoning for printing with screentoning. The principle's the same, but halftoning for printing colors (gray included) is a reproduction process (to make multiple copies) which the original artist has no control over (it's decided by the printer), while actively using screentone beforehand is a shading process which the artist has full control over (in choosing screen frequency and whatnot).  
> **username_3** (2018-05-04): @Vun-HughVaw No, I'm using both terms correctly.  
> **username_4** (2018-05-05): Not really. "The halftone pattern for the color" part is decided by the printer. No one their right mind literally paint in halftone. They paint in good old watercolor or whatever medium they're accustomed to. Therefore if you see color in halftone, it's reproduced - NOT the original. Compare this to screentone, which is added right from the START. Artists buy sheets of halftone-dotted screentone and apply them to the black and white drawings, so those halftone dots ARE original.  
> **username_4** (2018-05-05): And who on earth prints using separate (gray, I suppose?) ink like you suggested anyway? I've heard there could be one more gray cartridge to use along with default black one, but it would be absolutely insane to print with a separate ink for every single shade of gray.  
> **username_4** (2018-05-05): Think of it this way: for colored artworks - paint with whatever you like, the halftone patterns is none of your concern and completely irrelevant because it's what printers make (which is why there's no sense in including this part in your answer). For black and white artworks, use screentone sheets beforehand.  
> **username_4** (2018-05-05): The "gray ink" part is not worth bringing up either. You're making an argument against something that no one does to begin with.  
> **username_3** (2018-05-05): @Vun-HughVaw You've completely misunderstood what I've written.  
> **username_4** (2018-05-05): I would have only if you're implying that artists literally paint in halftone, which no one does. Why is that part (For example... publisher's colour printing presses.) in your answer anyway? Please do enlighten me on what I've misunderstood. Note that the OP asked about **applying screentone right in the process of making manga** (watch the video, in case you're still confused), while what you've described is how **printing and reproduction of manga for mass publishing** works. The former is what the artist does, the latter is what the printing shop does. Don't confuse them.  
> **username_4** (2018-05-05): To clear up your confusion, let me make this clear: the gray shade on her pants and the pattern on the clouds in your second example, it's there **in the first place**. It was the artist who applied it there with screentone sheets, NOT solid fill. It has nothing to do with the next part about "printing with separate ink" ("If solid greyscale... disposable magazine.). Nor does it have anything to do with the previous part. Watch the linked video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK1qRP_E7Is): the artist is not using any solid fill whatsoever.  
> **username_3** (2018-05-05): @Vun-HughVaw I never said anyone painted in halftones. I never said that the screentoning wasn't done by the artist. No reasonable interpretation of my answer could conclude I said either of these things. Since you're being unreasonable I'm not going to waste any more time with you. I'm just going to ask you to downvote and move on. You haven't pointed out any problems with my answer that I need to address.  
> **username_4** (2018-05-05): You clearly don't even understand what you wrote. Feel free not waste time with me if you're failing to see the problems with your answer (which for the most part is completely irrelevant to the OP's question) that I have pointed out three times now. I'm not trying to change your mind, I'm trying to at least give people who read this answer of yours some warning about its usefulness. There's a reason I wanted to point the problems of this answer of yours, and not the other one above.  
---
