Patent ID: 8427698

Claim:
A method for forming an image on recording media, the image comprising a first halftone image having a first screen angle and a second halftone image having a second screen angle that is different than the first screen angle, the method comprising: providing a recording head comprising a plurality of recording channels, the recording head being adapted for forming a plurality of image swaths, wherein each image swath is formed during one of a plurality of scans, and each image swath is merged with another image swath at a merge line; selecting a row of first unit cells in the first halftone image; determining a first sub-scan pitch of the first unit cells in the row of first unit cells; operating the recording head to form the first halftone image on the recording media while forming a first group of the plurality of image swaths, wherein a first sub-scan spacing between two adjacent merge lines in the first group of the plurality of image swaths is equal to an integer multiple of the determined first sub-scan pitch; selecting a row of second unit cells in the second halftone image; determining a second sub-scan pitch of the second unit cells in the row of second unit cells; reconfiguring the recording head by disabling at least one of the recording channels; and operating the reconfigured recording head to form the second halftone image on the recording media while forming a second group of the plurality of image swaths, wherein a second sub-scan spacing between two adjacent merge lines in the second group of the plurality of image swaths is equal to a first integer multiple of the determined second sub-scan pitch.