What should I do if my scanned artwork has a visible dot or halftone pattern from original printing?

When you scan a piece that was originally produced with 4-color process printing, the halftone dot pattern from that first print can reappear in your digital file. It is most visible in high-resolution scans and can create a distracting moire effect if you print the file again.

• Soften it in Photoshop: apply filters such as Despeckle, Median, or a slight Gaussian Blur selectively to the areas showing the pattern.
• Photograph instead of scanning: shooting the original with a camera often captures less of the dot pattern than a flatbed scan.
• Scan smarter: try a lower DPI or a slightly different angle to reduce how strongly the halftone grid registers.
• Rebuild if possible: for logos or text, recreating the element as clean vector art avoids the pattern entirely.

If you are unsure whether the scanned artwork will print acceptably, review a proof of the file before committing to a full run.