Method of making a multilevel halftone screen

A method performed, at least in part by one or more computers, for generating a multilevel halftone screen, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving tile definition data describing a tile definition such tile definition includes a tile shape, a tile angle, screen dot nuclei frequency, and a tile size;
• generating a tile based at least upon the tile definition data, the tile having a plurality of screen dot nuclei;
• improving locations of the plurality of screen dot nuclei in the tile;
• growing peripheral regions around each of the screen dot nuclei in each of a plurality of successive planes of the halftone screen such planes having a shape and a size consistent with the tile shape and the tile size;
• rotating the plurality of successive planes to zero degrees;
• generating copies of the plurality of planes;
• and
• logically merging the copies of the plurality of planes side-by-side to cover an image to be subjected to halftone processing.