All tutorials

Photoshop tutorial

How to Make This Frosted PrintScan Effect in Photoshop

Take a flat type layout and run it through a stack of textures, a threshold pass and PrintMachine until it reads like a photocopy that has been scanned through frosted glass. The build is mostly layer work, and PrintMachine handles the print bleed and ink fade at the end.

  • 9 steps
  • PrintMachine
  • High Fidelity Grunge Brush Pack
How to Make This Frosted PrintScan Effect in Photoshop

Setup

Document

Photoshop document: 16 in x 20 in, 300 dpi, 16-bit.

Document

Settings

  • Size 16 in x 20 in (4800 px x 6000 px)
  • Resolution 300 dpi
  • Color mode RGB, 16-bit

Step 1

Threshold + Gaussian Blur

Add a background layer underneath your image, and a Threshold Adjustment layer above. Then add a slight Gaussian Blur to your image.

Threshold + Gaussian Blur
UI — Layers
UI — Layers
UI — Gaussian Blur
UI — Gaussian Blur

Gaussian Blur

  • Radius 4.3 Pixels
  • Preview On

Layers

  • Threshold 1 Adjustment layer, top
  • main text Your artwork (selected)
  • Color Fill 1 Background fill, bottom

Step 2

Photocopy + Grunge Textures

Add a photocopy and grunge texture between your image and the Threshold layer. I set the photocopy layer to Overlay and the grunge to Screen. Add another slight Gaussian Blur to the grunge, then use a layer mask to paint in where you want the grunge. Then merge these layers into a single layer.

Photocopy + Grunge Textures
UI — Layers
UI — Layers
UI — Gaussian Blur
UI — Gaussian Blur

Gaussian Blur

  • Radius 3.8 Pixels
  • Preview On

Layers

  • Threshold 1 Adjustment layer, top
  • grunge Screen, layer mask, Smart Filters: Gaussian Blur + Invert
  • photocopy texture Overlay, Smart Filters: Gaussian Blur + Levels
  • main text Your artwork
  • Color Fill 1 Background fill, bottom

Step 3

Inner Glow + Paper Stains

Use the Magic Wand to delete the white background of your merged image. Then apply an Inner Glow layer style. Put this single layer into a group, then add paper stain textures set to Overlay or Soft Light. Clip these layers to the group.

Inner Glow + Paper Stains
UI — Layers
UI — Layers
UI — Inner Glow
UI — Inner Glow

Inner Glow

  • Blend Mode Screen
  • Opacity 24 %
  • Noise 0 %
  • Fill Solid color (white)
  • Method Smooth
  • Technique Softer
  • Source Center
  • Choke 0 %
  • Size 207 px
  • Contour Linear (default)
  • Anti-aliased Off
  • Range 100 %
  • Jitter 0 %

Layers

  • paper stains Clipped, Smart Filters: Levels + Hue/Saturation
  • paper stains6 Clipped, Smart Filters: Levels + Hue/Saturation
  • Group 2 Contains the merged artwork
  • main text merged Effects: Inner Glow

Step 4

Printer Lines

Add a white background layer underneath your group. Then add printer lines textures above all your layers, set to Screen. The textures I used are from PrintMachine. Merge all these layers together.

Printer Lines
UI — Layers
UI — Layers

Layers

  • PM_03 Printer lines texture, Screen
  • PM_02 Printer lines texture, Screen
  • paper stains Clipped, Smart Filters: Levels + Hue/Saturation
  • paper stains6 Clipped, Smart Filters: Levels + Hue/Saturation
  • Group 2 Artwork group
  • Color Fill 2 White background, bottom

Step 5

PrintMachine Print

Open PrintMachine, select your final merged layer and click Print. Adjust the settings to you liking. Do not click Finish yet.

PrintMachine Print
UI — PrintMachine
UI — PrintMachine

CMYK Settings

  • Black Ink Level 100 %
  • White Threshold 5 %
  • Use Photoshop ICC Profile Off

Print Settings

  • Print Scale 50 %
  • Dot Gain 15 %

Step 5 (cont.)

Ink Bleed

Hide the 'DIGITAL PRINT' layer. Enable Ink Bleed and use these settings (or any settings you like). Then click Finish.

Ink Bleed
UI — Layers
UI — Layers
UI — Ink Bleed
UI — Ink Bleed

Ink Bleed

  • Enable Ink Bleed On
  • Target Layer main text final textured
  • Bleed Texture Ink Bleed 3
  • Intensity 3
  • Ink Fade 100 %

Layers

  • DIGITAL PRINT 1 Hidden
  • INK FADE 1 Visible
  • PRINT BLEED 1 Visible
  • main text final textured 1 Visible

Step 6

Blend If

Group the INK FADE, PRINT BLEED, and your original image. Double click on the INK FADE layer and apply these Blend If settings. Then move the DIGITAL PRINT layer below the group.

Blend If
UI — Layers
UI — Layers
UI — Blend If
UI — Blend If

Blend If

  • Blend If Gray
  • Current Layer 0 — 255
  • Underlying Layer 0 — 246 / 255

Layers

  • Group 4 INK FADE 1, PRINT BLEED 1, main text final textured 1
  • INK FADE 1 Selected, Blend If applied
  • DIGITAL PRINT 1 Moved below the group

Step 7

Mask the Ink Bleed

Add a layer mask to your Ink Bleed group, then invert the mask. Use a grunge brush to paint in the mask where you want your ink bleed. I used HF_GRUNGE8 from my High Fidelity Grunge Brush Pack.

Mask the Ink Bleed
UI — Layers
UI — Layers

Layers

  • Group 4 Inverted layer mask, grunge brushed back in
  • DIGITAL PRINT 1 Below the group

Step 8

Blurred Darken Copy

Duplicate your 'DIGITAL PRINT' layer. Apply an 80 px Gaussian Blur and set the Blending Mode to Darken. Reduce the Opacity to around 80%.

Blurred Darken Copy
UI — Layers
UI — Layers

DIGITAL PRINT 1 copy

  • Gaussian Blur (Smart Filter) 80 px
  • Blend Mode Darken
  • Opacity around 80 %

Step 9

Levels + Paper Texture

Add a Levels Adjustment Layer above your group and use these settings. Add another paper texture at the top, set this to Overlay. This paper texture is also from PrintMachine.

Levels + Paper Texture
UI — Layers
UI — Layers
UI — Levels
UI — Levels

Levels

  • Channel Gray (RGB)
  • Input Levels 0 / 1.00 / 255
  • Output Levels Both handles pulled in, roughly 35 / 209 (no numeric values shown on the slide)

Layers

  • PM_08 Paper texture, Overlay, Smart Filters: Levels
  • Levels 1 Adjustment layer
  • Group 4 Ink bleed group
  • DIGITAL PRINT 1 copy Darken, Smart Filters: Gaussian Blur
  • DIGITAL PRINT 1 Base print layer

Finish

Result

Done. Get PrintMachine to run the same print scan on your own artwork.

Result

Used in this tutorial

More tutorials