Patent ID: 8749848

Claim:
A method for transforming a continuous-tone image, having a plurality of tone intensities, into a halftone image, the method comprising the step of: converting, using a computer processor programmed to perform such conversion, the continuous-tone image into the halftone image, the halftone image comprising a plurality of halftone dots, wherein the converting step comprises: expressing in the halftone image a transition tone intensity using a maximum population density of halftone dots in which all of the halftone dots are equal in size and have a transition dot size; expressing in the halftone image tone intensities darker than the transition tone intensity using the maximum population density of halftone dots in which all of the halftone dots are equal in size and have a dot size greater than the transition dot size, wherein each relatively darker tone comprises a larger dot size than each relatively lighter tone; and expressing in the halftone image at least a first portion of tone intensities lighter than the transition tone using a population density lesser than the first population density, wherein each relatively darker tone comprises a relatively smaller average dot size and a relatively larger population density than each relatively lighter tone.