Screentone

Three shapes overlaid with different screentone patterns

Screentone is a technique for applying textures and shades to drawings, used as an alternative to hatching. In the conventional process, patterns are transferred to paper from preprinted sheets.[1] It is also known by the common brand names Zip-A-Tone (1937, now defunct[2]), Chart-Pak (1949[3]), and Letratone (1966, from Letraset[4]).

A dry transfer screentone sheet, sometimes informally known as a "tone", consists of a flexible transparent backing, the printed texture, and a wax adhesive layer. The sheet is applied to the paper, adhesive down, and rubbed with a stylus (also called a burnishing tool) on the backing side. The backing is then peeled off, leaving the ink adhered to the paper where pressure was applied.

  1. ^ Kinsella, Sharon (2000). Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon. p. 59. ISBN 0-7007-1003-5. OCLC 42579410.
  2. ^ U.S. Trademark 71,456,830 Zip-A-Tone: Registration Certificate – Manufacturer-supplied first use date
  3. ^ U.S. Trademark 72,055,435 Chart-Pak: Registration Certificate – Manufacturer-supplied first use date
  4. ^ U.S. Trademark 72,322,600 Letratone: Registration Certificate – Manufacturer-supplied first use date