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halftone

halftone

1 7.4
A printed image made of small dots that show shades like a photo
  • noun
  • /ˈhæfˌtoʊn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : semitono
  • Comparison of the halftones on the proof with those on the printed sheet is a good method for control.
  • halftone dots
  • halftone printing
  • halftone screen

The picture was a halftone cut of a hideous stone image, almost identical with that which La Grasse had found in the swamp.

Examples

  • The facsimile image is much like the halftones that newspapers use.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Gray-scale printers have the advantage of not requiring halftone patterns to produce a gray scale.

    Academic text (1992)
  • You can actually see the halftone patterns of the colour plates.

  • The halftone printing press reproduction used here cannot really show the quality of the original photo.

    Academic text (1992)
  • In commercial printing, these patterns, or halftone "dots," are quite small: there are typically 120 to 175 dots.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Any proofing system intended for commercial printing must use halftones because printing presses use halftones, as discussed earlier.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The photograph was printed as a halftone, allowing for smooth gradients in the image.

  • In graphic design, artists often utilize halftone techniques to create depth and texture in their prints.

  • Many modern magazines use halftone images to reproduce photographs with varying shades of grey.

Synonyms

halftone engraving
vshalftone
  • Specialized
9.6

A printed picture made of small dots that show light and dark

is the general printing method using dots to create photographic shades and gradients
Benday process
vshalftone
  • Archaic
9.9

A printing method using many small dots to make shades

focuses on photographic tonal gradation using precise dot sizes rather than simple patterns
process printing
vshalftone
  • Specialized
5.6

A way of making full-color images using four color inks

uses small dots mainly to render tones, not necessarily full color reproduction
photoengraving
vshalftone
  • Archaic
8.4

A metal plate made using a photograph to print clear pictures

is about using dots to form tones rather than simply making plates photographically

Compounds

halftone engraving
  • Specialized
9.6

A printed picture made of small dots that show light and dark

How Solid

solid color
  • US
2 3.0
nonsolid color
  • Specialized
7.5
dithered color
  • Specialized
8.2
halftone
  • Specialized
1 7.4

Surface Forms

halftone singular
halftones plural

Morphology

halftone = half + tone (semi-transparent) = half + tone

The components 'half' + 'tone' are clear, but the specialised printing meaning (a pattern of dots creating tonal gradations) is technical and not immediately inferable by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Halftone is made of half ('part' or 'between') and tone ('shade'). Printers use tiny dots to make the middle shades between black and white, so a halftone is the printed image or method that creates smooth tones.