Ed #2 > charts

Full tonal range

Full tonal range – consists of everything from the very lowest tone density–the lightest highlight–to the very highest tone density–the darkest shadow, such as the holes in the colanders pictured above. The range of tones created by halftone printing can be greater or smaller than the range of tones in the original image.

Highlights – the parts of the image formed with small, light dots that occupy no more than one-third of the surface of the area. Unprinted white paper has a 0% dot area.

Midtones – are formed by dots that make up from one-third to two-thirds of the dot area, 33-66% dots.

Shadows – the darkest areas of the image are made up of dots that occupy 66 to 99% of the area. A solid black ink creates a 100% dot.

Image Credit: Tony Armour