Rasterpunkter

Rasterpunkter is a term used in Swedish to describe the small, discrete dots that form a raster image. In printing, rasterpunkter refer to halftone dots arranged on a regular grid to simulate continuous tones. By varying dot size or density, printers reproduce shades of gray or colors in a single pass of ink on paper. In modern practice, rasterpunkter are most commonly discussed in relation to halftone screening and color reproduction.

Halftone screening works by using a repeating dot pattern. Each color channel (typically cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) may have its own grid, placed at a specific angle to minimize moiré. The apparent tone depends on dot size, dot density, viewing distance, and dot gain. The screen ruling, measured in lines per inch (or lines per centimeter), determines the resolved detail of the reproduced image.

In digital workflows, the concept persists as a reference to how raster images are formed from discrete points. On screens, the electronic counterpart is the pixel. Designers may simulate rasterpunkter to predict print results or to compare screening options for tonal accuracy and color fidelity.

Historically, halftone raster screening emerged in the late 19th century and became essential for photographic reproduction in print. While digital printing and display technologies have evolved, the ideas behind rasterpunkter—dot size, spacing, and color separation—remain central to achieving high-quality images.