Patent ID: 8780413

Claim:
A method comprising: processing, by a halftone image generation module, a first pixel of a continuous tone image to generate a first error, the first error representative of a difference between an input level and an output level associated with the first pixel; and in response to processing the first pixel, assigning, by the halftone image generation module, a random error to a second pixel that is neighboring the first pixel, wherein the random error assigned to the second pixel is independent of the first error that is representative of the difference between the input level and the output level associated with the first pixel, and wherein the random error assigned to the second pixel is useable by the halftone image generation module to generate an halftone output level for the second pixel, wherein said assigning the random error to the second pixel comprises determining that input levels of (i) at least a threshold number of pixels neighboring the first pixel and (ii) the first pixel substantially represent a white color, and in response to determining that input levels of (i) at least the threshold number of pixels neighboring the first pixel and (ii) the first pixel substantially represent the white color, assigning the random error to the second pixel.