The Smooth Stochastic raster is a matrix-based method, which places the dot matrix in the most homogenous way and is recommended for all types of inkjet printers. It is however also a complicated method since, especially with n-level printheads (e.g. 2bit, 3 levels, "grayscale" printheads), the nozzle can suffer from stress. The new Smooth Stochastic method is a complete re-development from very scratch based on the original, previous Smooth Stochastic halftoning. It provides many options to control individual drop levels and drop coverage as well as activating or deactivating single drops. This explanation should give you an overview of the many settings and combinations that can be done mainly to prevent specific printing issues or linearity behavior.


The button '...'  on the right of the list allows setting different types of dots.

NOTE: The following settings are available only when the printer driver supports 2 bpp (bits per pixel). Otherwise it uses the standard settings as is explained for diffusion and other dithering.


  • Set drop configuration for the full ink set in coverage (%) and drop weight. 
  • Default coverage values are 80 %, for small and medium droplet sizes, and 100 % for large ones. Drop weight corresponds with each droplet size ratio, where default values are 1.00, 2.00, and 3.00, accordingly. DropRelaxer® relieves the heads using an averaged % value, which is set to 5 % as default, as that is the best rate proved to keep print heads away from stress. Also, the configuration can be done per ink when checking to Customize per ink.
  • The button 'Legacy…' opens the dialog to set extra halftone settings in dot gain compensation.

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