display panel that natively supports only 18-bit color (6 bits per channel) can represent a 24-bit color image (8 bits per channel). Dithering such as this, in which the computer's display hardware is the primary limitation on color depth, is commonly employed in software such as web browsers. Since a web browser may be retrieving graphical elements from an external source, it may be necessary for the browser to perform dithering on images with too many colors for the available display. It was due to problems with dithering that a color palette known as the web-safe color palette was identified, for use in choosing colors that would not be dithered on systems capable of displaying only 256 colors simultaneously. But even when the total number of available colors in the display hardware is high enough to properly render full-color digital photographs, banding may still be evident to the eye, especially in large areas of smooth shade transitions. Modest dithering can resolve this without making the image appear grainy. High-end still image processing software commonly uses these techniques for improved display. Another useful application of dithering is for situations in which the graphics file format is the limiting factor. In particular, the commonly used GIF format is restricted to the use of 256 or fewer colors. Images such as these have a defined color palette containing a limited number of colors that the image may use. For such situations, graphical editing software may be responsible for dithering images prior to saving them in such restrictive formats. Dithering is analogous to the halftone technique used in printing. For this reason, the term dithering is sometimes used interchangeably with the term halftoning, particularly in association with digital printing. The ability of inkjet printers to print isolated dots has increased the use of dithering in printing. A typical desktop inkjet printer can print, at most, just 16 colors as this is the combination of dot or no dot from cyan, magenta, yellow and black print heads. To reproduce a large range of colors, dithering is used. In densely printed areas, where the color is dark the dithering is not always visible because the dots of ink merge producing a more uniform print. However, a close inspection of the light areas of a print where dots are further apart reveals dithering patterns. Algorithms There are several algorithms designed to perform dithering. One of the earliest,