Multichannel DBS halftoning for improved texture quality

The paper aims to develop a method for multichannel halftoning based on the Direct Binary Search (DBS) algorithm. We integrate specifics and benefits of multichannel printing into the halftoning method in order to further improve texture quality of DBS and to create halftoning that would suit for multichannel printing. Originally, multichannel printing is developed for an extended color gamut, at the same time additional channels can help to improve individual and combined texture of color halftoning. It does so in a similar manner to the introduction of the light colors (diluted inks) in printing. Namely, if one observes Red, Green and Blue inks as the light version of the M+Y, C+Y, C+M combinations, the visibility of the unwanted halftoning textures can be reduced. Analogy can be extent to any number of ink combinations, or Neugebauer Primaries (NPs) as the alternative building blocks. The extended variability of printing spatially distributed NPs could provide many practical solution and improvements in color accuracy, image quality, and could enable spectral printing. This could be done by selection of NPs per dot area location based on the constraint of the desired reproduction. Replacement with brighter NP at the location could induce a color difference where a tradeoff between image quality and color accuracy is created. With multichannel enabled DBS haftoning, we are able to reduce visibility of the textures, to provide better rendering of transitions, especially in mid and dark tones.