Raster modes and dot patterns

Open the Image ribbon with a single photo selected. The mode determines how its tones become requested laser output.

Choose a mode family

Mode family	How it represents tone
Grayscale power	Vary requested power with pixel intensity.
Error diffusion	Spread tonal error to neighbouring pixels. Modes include Floyd–Steinberg, Jarvis–Judice–Ninke, Stucki, Atkinson, Burkes and the Sierra variants.
Bayer ordered	Apply a repeating 4 × 4 or 8 × 8 threshold pattern.
Clustered-dot halftone	Group pixels into repeating clusters that grow with darker tones.
Black / white threshold	Use a single cutoff to make a binary image. This legacy option is available in the mode selector.

Compare the same tones across modes

Smooth grayscale sphere, gradient and eight tone steps — Source tones

Floyd–Steinberg sample with dispersed black dots — Floyd–Steinberg

Bayer sample with a regular repeating dot pattern — Bayer ordered 8 × 8

Halftone sample with dots grouped into clusters — Clustered-dot halftone

The examples were generated with LaserStudio’s processing algorithms. They illustrate the patterns. The generated job samples your artwork using its physical size and chosen spacing.