This soap packaging combined line block, halftone and some mechanical tone. The green area and the lines were printed from a line block, which involved photographing an image and exposing it onto a light-sensitized metal plate, which was then relief-etched. For the halftone (for example, the black dots forming the face of the woman), the design was photographed through a screen to create a series of dots varying in size depending on the level of dark and light required. Separate plates were needed to print each colour.
A mechanical tone in the form of dots was applied to the design for this packaging. Developed in 1879 and also known as ‘Ben Day dots’ (named after Benjamin Henry Day, 1838–1916), these were applied to a drawing by burnishing the transparent sheet holding them to transfer them onto the design. The dots were then photographed along with the design and reproduced in line block. In this case they were printed in red. They can be distinguished from the halftone dots by their regular distribution, shape and size when viewed under a magnifier.