Benday process

9.9

A printing method using many small dots to make shades

noun

Archaic

: proceso Benday

The artist used the Benday process to create subtle shading in the background of the illustration.

Examples

Many early comic books relied on the Benday process to produce colorful images with limited printing technology.
Learning about the Benday process reveals how vintage advertisements achieved their distinctive look.
The Benday process creates an illusion of depth in images.
I love the Benday process!
Many early comic books relied on the Benday process to produce colorful images with limited printing technology.
Learning about the Benday process reveals how vintage advertisements achieved their distinctive look.
The artist used the Benday process to create subtle shading in the background of the illustration.

Synonyms

halftone

vsBenday process

Specialized

1 7.4

A printed image made of small dots that show shades like a photo

uses dots or patterns to add texture, tone, and shading in printed images

Surface Forms

Benday process singular

Benday processes plural

Morphology

benday + process

The noun combines the specific technique name 'benday' (apply dot patterns for image reproduction) with the general noun 'process' (a sequence of steps), so the meaning 'a printing technique using small dots or patterns' is directly derivable from its parts. The pattern 'X process' is a transparent compositional device in English (and similar in other languages), so a learner who knows both constituents will infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Benday process may come from the printer Ben Day, whose name became Benday. It uses lots of tiny dots printed close together to make 'shading' and colour, so the name now means 'a way of making tones with dots'.