Method and apparatus for producing a halftone dot by selectively

Abstract

A predetermined number of sections of an original corresponding to a predetermined number of halftone dot sub-cells are scanned to generate an image signal for each section. If the image signal for a given section is greater than a highlight level reference value (Hi), the corresponding halftone dot sub-cell is made one of two colors, black or white. If the image signal for the given section is less than a shadow level reference value (S), the corresponding halftone dot sub-cell is made the other of the two colors, white or black. If the image signal for the given section falls between the highlight and shadow level reference values, it is compared witha value (Y) representing the average density of the predetermined number of sections of the original to determine whether the corresponding halftone dot sub-cell should be made black or white. When a binary density image is to be reproduced, the highlight and shadow level reference values are selected to be so close together that none of the image signals falls between them. In another embodiment which improves the fidelity of the reproduced image, the number of halftone dot sub-cells which are determined to be the one of the two colors, black or white, by comparing the image signals with corresponding halftone dot sub-cell reference values is made to be equal to the number of halftone dot sub-cells which are determined to be the one of the two colors, black or white, by comparing each of the image signals with the average density value (Y). When an original contains picture, text, and line images and completely black and white areas, appropriate values of (Hi) and (S) and appropriate values of reproduction process control signals (a) and (b) are stored in a memory and read out as a scanning head scans the corresponding areas on the original.