Patent ID: 7110144

Claim:
A method for performing halftone gamma correction in a printing environment, the method comprising: obtaining one or more print tone reproduction functions, each of the print tone reproduction functions defining a relationship between set color levels and image units; selecting at least one of the print tone reproduction functions from the one or more print tone reproduction functions; determining an initial quantity of the image units for each of the set color levels using an ideal toner reproduction function; determining a first quantity of image units for each of the set color levels based on the selected one or more print tone reproduction functions; and adjusting the initial quantity of image units for the set color levels to the first quantity of image units for each of the set color levels when at least one condition is satisfied, wherein said selection comprises selecting, from the obtained print tone reproduction functions, at least one of: a print tone reproduction function which in a shoulder portion in each of the print tone reproduction functions represents a lowest function with respect to the ideal print tone function, and a print tone reproduction function which in a toe portion in each of the print tone reproduction functions represents a highest function with respect to the ideal print tone function.