Patent ID: 8004718

Claim:
An image processing method, comprising: obtaining image data representing an image; performing raster image processing on the image data, the raster image processing converting the image data into a color bitmap and a highlight bitmap; and after the raster image processing, assigning to pixels eligible to be trapped a bitmap value copied from a nearby pixel that is separated from the pixels eligible to be trapped by a trapping radius, the pixels eligible to be trapped and the nearby pixel being in the same of the color bitmap or the highlight bitmap, wherein the step of assigning updates a bitmap value of a subject highlight pixel as follows: H ′( i,j )=max{ H ( k,l )|∥( i,j )−( k,l )∥= r,T ( i,j )=1} r is the trap radius, (i,j) is the subject highlight pixel, (k,l) is the nearby pixel at a distance of r from the subject pixel (i,j), T(i,j)=1 indicates the subject highlight pixel is eligible for to be trapped, H(k,l) is the bitmap value for the nearby highlight pixel, and H′(i,j) is the newly assigned bitmap value of the subject highlight pixel after trapping.