halftone

[haf-tohn, hahf-] /ˈhæfˌtoʊn, ˈhɑf-/
noun
1.
Also called middle-tone. (in painting, drawing, graphics, photography, etc.) a value intermediate between light and dark.
2.
Printing.
  1. a process in which gradation of tone in an image is conveyed by first photographing the image through a screen to break up the continuous tones of the image into minute, closely spaced dots, then using the print obtained to produce a metal plate by photoengraving, and finally using the plate to reproduce the original image by letterpress or offset printing.
  2. the metal plate used in such a process.
  3. the print obtained in such a process.
    Compare line cut.
adjective
3.
pertaining to, using, used in, or produced by the halftone process:
a halftone screen; a halftone print.
Origin
1645-55; half + tone
Examples from the web for halftone
  • The magazine's editors shot the map in an on-site studio utilizing halftone, an early photographic technology.
British Dictionary definitions for halftone

halftone

/ˈhɑːfˌtəʊn/
noun
1.
  1. a process used to reproduce an illustration by photographing it through a fine screen to break it up into dots
  2. the etched plate thus obtained
  3. the print obtained from such a plate
2.
(art) a tonal value midway between highlight and dark shading
3.
(music, US & Canadian) another word for semitone
adjective
4.
relating to, used in, or made by halftone
halftone in Technology
graphics
The reproducion of greyscale images using dots of a single shade but varying size to simulate the different shades of grey.
Laser printers that cannot print different sized dots, halftones are produced by varying the numbers of dots in a given area.
This process is also used to produce a black and white version of a colour original using shades of grey in place of colours.
See also device independent bitmap.
(1996-09-20)