Patent ID: 7236267

Claim:
A method for selecting which rendering hint or tag to use when multiple input tags are used to create a single output tag, comprising: providing an original image comprising a plurality of input pixels, wherein each input pixel has input contone data associated with it and an input tag associated with it, wherein the original image has a predetermined set of input tags associated with it; prioritizing the predetermined set of input tags, such that each input tag has a unique priority relative to other input tags in the set; filtering the original image by selecting groups of input pixels, applying a filtering function to the contone data associated with each selected group of input pixels, and producing an output pixel having an output contone data for each selected group of input pixels; for each selected group of input pixels, comparing the priorities of the input tags associated with the selected group of input pixels and selecting as the output tag associated with the output pixel, that tag with the highest priority.