Patent ID: 7342685

Claim:
A method for creating K printing masters for reproducing an electronic image having colour pixels, each colour pixel being represented by K spatially corresponding component pixels, K>1, each component pixel having an input pixel value, the printing masters being capable of rendering Nj intensity levels for a component pixel 1≦j≦K, thereby defining N1*N2* . . . *NK intensity level combinations, the method comprising the steps of: computing for any colour pixel a scalar value which is a function of at least one of said input pixel values of said spatially corresponding component pixels; quantizing said scalar value by a multilevel halftoning process to obtain for said colour pixel a quantized scalar value; using said quantized scalar value to select, out of all said intensity level combinations, a subset of intensity level combinations; selecting one combination out of said subset; using said selected combination for creating K printing masters by: providing K printing master precursors, selectively creating ink-carrying and non ink-carrying areas on said printing master precursors according to the selected combination by means of an inkjet printing system printing dots on the printing master precursors.