Free tool

Photocopy Effect

Hard dots, crushed midtones, and the feeling of having been copied from a copy.

Looked after by Sponge, a sponge.

A photocopier has no patience for subtlety. Toner either lands or it does not, so the midtones go first: light greys drop to white, dark greys fill to black, and the picture loses everything it was keeping in the middle.

A tight dot grid multiplied hard at high opacity is a fast way to that. It is the texture of a flyer that has been through a machine at a corner shop, which is exactly what people want it for.

What this look is made of: Dot grid at 5px spacing with a 2px dot, in near-black, multiplied at 60%. Every one of those is a control below, so this is a starting point rather than a filter.

Choose an image

Drop an image or click to upload

JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, SVG, BMP

or try one of ours:

Looks

Base Color
#0a0a0a

Add Layer

How it works

  1. 1Add an imageJPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, SVG or BMP.
  2. 2Press a lookNine of them. Each sets the pattern, the colour, the blend and the opacity at once.
  3. 3Layer a backgroundStack patterns with their own colour and opacity.
  4. 4ExportPNG or JPEG, at 1x, 2x or 3x.

Questions

How do I make it look like a third-generation copy?
Push the opacity up past 60 per cent and keep the dots tight. The more the dots close up, the more the midtones disappear, which is precisely what happens when you copy a copy of a copy.
What is the difference between this and newsprint?
Newsprint varies its dot to hold tone. A photocopier does not — it has one dot and one decision, on or off — so this look uses a regular grid rather than a halftone, which is why it reads as harsh where newsprint reads as printed.
Is this good for zine artwork?
It is what the look is for. Push it hard, export at 1x rather than 3x so the dots stay coarse relative to the page, and print it on cheap stock.

Other looks in this tool

Newsprint EffectRisograph FilterFilm Grain OverlayEtching EffectLaid Paper TextureCRT ScanlinesScreen Print EffectBlueprint EffectAll nine, one editor →
Add texture and depth to any image

Nine named looks — newsprint, risograph, etching, film grain, CRT — each one press. Underneath them are thirteen hand-made patterns, five blend modes, and every parameter the look set, still yours to move. Everything runs in your browser, so your images never leave your device.

13 texture presets

Crosshatch, Woven, Linen, Halftone, Diagonal, Dot Grid, Scanlines, Noise, Fabric, Herringbone, Checker and Grid.

Background layers

Stack pattern layers with their own colour, opacity and visibility.

High-quality export

2x resolution as PNG or JPEG, for social, print and client work.

This tool is looked after by Sponge.Soaks up every texture it meets. Squishy, and delighted about it.

More Free Tools

YouTube Thumbnail PreviewPodcast Guest Release FormCrop Video to VerticalImage ConverterReels Cover CreatorProject Folder Generator
View All Free Tools

Shorts by Slice

From the team behind these free tools

One video. A week of posts.

Upload an episode and get back the moments worth posting, cut and captioned.

  • Reads the whole episode, then picks the excerpts worth posting
  • Captions burned in and framed vertical, ready to post
  • Seven days free, no card
Try Shorts by Slice