Method for maintaining uniform spatial frequency over a dataglyph block

1. A method for reducing the obtrusiveness of artifacts appearing in a glyph shape code image space, comprising:

encoding digital data values as a glyph shape code, said code being composed of glyphs having shapes that encode digital data values, such that each distinct data value that is encoded by said code is represented by the shape of a respective glyph, said glyphs being spatially distributed in a bitmap image space;

analyzing said bitmap image space for determining the presence of artifacts within said bitmap image space; and

generating a raster image of said bitmap image space, wherein not less than one dot is placed within not less than one of the artifacts.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein encoding digital data values comprises encoding said digital data values as blocks of “0”s and “1”s.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein analyzing said bitmap image space comprises examining successive scan lines within said bitmap image space to identify artifacts appearing therein.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein artifacts comprise glyph shape patterns.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said glyph shape patterns comprise a plurality of glyphs configured to form a geometric shape.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said geometric shape comprises a diamond.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein placing not less than one dot comprises replacing not less than one of said plurality of glyphs configured to form a geometric shape with not less than one replacement glyph configured to include a dot with said replacement glyph.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein placing not less than one dot comprises replacing each of said plurality of glyphs configured to form a geometric shape with individual replacement glyphs configured to include a dot with each said individual replacement glyph.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said individual replacement glyphs are selected from a table.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said individual replacement glyphs comprise halftone generators.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein placing not less than one dot comprises placing a plurality of dots tightly clustered in the region of the center of not less than one of the artifacts.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein placing not less than one dot comprises placing a plurality of dots dispersed within the interior region of not less than one of the artifacts.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said glyph code image space appears within a halftone image.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising providing a gray scale image for the creation of a raster image of the image space.

15. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising providing a color image for the creation of a raster image of the image space.

16. A system for reducing the obtrusiveness of artifacts appearing in a glyph shape code image space, comprising:

a processor for executing control instructions and image editing and manipulation instructions comprising:

an encoder for encoding digital data values as a glyph shape code, said code being composed of glyphs having shapes that encode digital data values, such that each distinct data value that is encoded by said code is represented by the shape of a respective glyph, said glyphs being spatially distributed in a bitmap image space;

means for analyzing said bitmap image space for determining the presence of artifacts within said bitmap image space; and

means for manipulating said bitmap image space to create a bitmapped image file wherein not less than one dot is placed within not less than one of the artifacts;

a main memory;

a mass memory; and

at least one printer for mapping the digital values of a bitmapped image file into the spatially corresponding pixels of the image it prints on a recording medium.

17. The system according to claim 16 , wherein said processor further comprises a page description language driver for transferring descriptions of electronic document files selected for printing to said printer.

18. The system according to claim 16 , wherein said printer further comprises a page description language decomposer for decomposing page description language descriptions to produce corresponding bitmapped image files.

19. The system according to claim 16 , further comprising a user interface for enabling a user to interact with said processor.

20. The system according to claim 16 , wherein said printer includes a user interface.

21. The system according to claim 16 , further comprising an input device for providing a bitmap image.

22. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer program code, comprising:

code for encoding digital data values as a glyph shape code, said code being composed of glyphs having shapes that encode digital data values, such that each distinct data value that is encoded by said code is represented by the shape of a respective glyph, said glyphs being spatially distributed in a bitmap image space;

code for analyzing said bitmap image space for determining the presence of artifacts within said bitmap image space; and

code for generating a raster image of said bitmap image space, wherein not less than one dot is placed within not less than one of the artifacts.