Patent ID: 7079290

Claim:
A method of halftoning comprising: receiving input data comprising a first plurality of pels having a first plurality of intensities, wherein said first plurality of intensities (Iin) are chosen from K intensity levels; converting the first plurality of pels having said first plurality of intensities into a second plurality of pels having a second plurality of intensities, wherein said second plurality of intensities (Iout) are chosen from L intensity levels, where L<K, and wherein the number of pels of the first plurality of pels is equal to the number of pels of the second plurality of pels; wherein at least some pels of said second plurality of pels are grouped into at least one basic cell, each basic cell comprising n pels of said second plurality of pels; and wherein a maximum number of densities per each basic cell is greater than (1+n×(L−1)) for a full range of constant input intensities (0 to K) (Iin), and each said intensity out (lout) is chosen without reference to an intensity out of a neighboring pel and n pels of the first plurality of pels contribute to the output intensities of the n pels within each basic cell.