Dot Shape: Pseudo-Euclidean

A Euclidean dot shape was traditionally produced with analog halftoning methods. It starts out as a circle, but as the tint approaches 50%, it transitions into a square. Therefore, at 50% tint, the halftone pattern is a checkerboard. At higher tint levels, the dots invert, with the gaps between the dots forming circles. Such a dot shape is difficult to implement as vector art as areas of tints greater than 50% would essentially have to form one large compound path. However, Phantasm’s Pseudo-Euclidean dot shape can often be an acceptable approximation when the DPI is set to a fairly high value.

Phantasm Halftone Dot Properties - Pseudo-Euclidean

Because the Pseudo-Euclidean dots assume many different shapes which must touch to give the illusion of a continuous, inverted field for tints over 50%, dot scaling is not allowed, and the scaling controls are dimmed. While the dot angle may be changed from the default of 0%, it generally leads to undesirable results. Relative Angle should always be enabled, for the same reason. The Blend parameter acts identically to the Circle dot shape (see above).

Phantasm Halftone Pseudo-Euclidean Comparison Example

Pseudo-Euclidean dots generally do a better job representing the tonality of the original artwork, especially in shadow areas, without the need to adjust the Dot Gain curve:

Phantasm Halftone Pseudo-Euclidean CMYK Comparison