Halftone Newsprint Abstract Vector Filter
Halftone Newsprint samples source-image brightness on a regular physical grid. Darker samples receive larger marks and lighter samples receive smaller marks. By default, each mark remains on the Rasterizer swatch layer owning that location. Black Only instead sends every mark to the official Black layer for a conventional monochrome halftone.
Multicolor and Black-only output
Leave Black Only disabled to retain the existing color-owned matrix, where each position uses its matching Rasterizer swatch. Enable Black Only to keep the same dot centers and luminance-driven sizes while assigning every mark to the official Black layer.
For a LightBurn project, the selected Material Library or saved palette must assign the official Black swatch to a Cut Setting Entry. SVG-only jobs can use the built-in Black layer without laser settings.
Dot size and spacing
Cell Size MM controls the fixed center-to-center spacing of the matrix. Minimum and Maximum Dot Ratio control the smallest and largest mark sizes inside those cells. Tone Curve and Contrast reshape how source brightness maps between those limits.
Non-Black Dot Density multiplies the engraved area of color marks after tone calculation. Its default of 2.30 increases non-Black coverage while leaving Black unchanged, and every mark remains confined to its matrix cell. Black Only changes layer ownership and uses the original tone-calculated sizes.
Closely spaced large dots produce denser dark regions, while smaller marks expose more unengraved material in lighter regions.
Physical testing
A dot that is valid geometry may still be too small for a particular laser setting, spot size, focus, material, or oxide-color process. Begin with a small test and increase Cell Size MM or Minimum Dot Ratio when the smallest marks do not reproduce consistently.
Control reference
Ranges and defaults below come directly from the current filter implementation.
Cell size
Sets the physical spacing of the shared halftone matrix in millimeters. Smaller values preserve finer tonal detail but create more marks, larger files, and longer processing times.
Analogy: Choosing a coarse or fine screen for a printed newspaper image.
Minimum dot ratio
Sets the smallest mark diameter or width as a fraction of one matrix cell. The default 0.48 keeps bright-color marks near half-cell width so they remain practical to engrave.
Analogy: Choosing how small the faintest printable ink dot may become.
Maximum dot ratio
Sets the largest mark diameter or width as a fraction of one matrix cell. Values below 1 retain space between even the darkest marks.
Analogy: Limiting how much of each screen cell the darkest ink dot can occupy.
Non-Black dot density
Multiplies the engraved area of every non-Black halftone mark without changing the matrix spacing. The default 2.30 increases color-mark area while Black remains at its tone-calculated size. Marks are capped at the cell boundary so neighboring dots cannot overlap.
Analogy: Increasing ink coverage for process colors while leaving the Black plate unchanged.
Tone curve
Shapes how quickly marks grow between light and dark source values without changing the selected minimum and maximum sizes.
Analogy: Adjusting a photographic curve to emphasize highlights or shadows.
Contrast
Expands or compresses the tonal difference between light and dark marks around the midpoint.
Analogy: Increasing print contrast so pale dots shrink while dark dots grow.
Grid angle
Rotates the entire shared dot matrix while preserving exclusive ownership of each cell by one swatch.
Analogy: Turning a sheet of halftone screen before exposing an image through it.
Square dots
Changes the marks from circles to grid-aligned squares.
Analogy: Switching a printing screen from round ink dots to square pixels.
Invert
Reverses the tonal relationship so lighter source areas receive larger marks and darker areas receive smaller marks.
Analogy: Making a photographic negative of the screen pattern.
Black only
Places every generated mark on the official Black swatch layer while retaining source-luminance-driven dot sizes. A Material Library or saved palette must have an assigned Black Cut Setting Entry.
Analogy: Printing a conventional newspaper halftone with only black ink.