What to know first

  • Floyd-Steinberg uses a compact error-diffusion neighborhood and is a useful general baseline.
  • Jarvis spreads error more broadly and often produces smooth photographic transitions.
  • Stucki serves a similar photographic role with a somewhat different balance of sharpness and processing behavior.
  • The best choice is the one that preserves the subject at final size and survives the tested material process.

All three are error-diffusion dithers

Floyd-Steinberg, Jarvis, and Stucki convert continuous tone into black and white pixels. Each pixel decision creates an error relative to the original tone, and the algorithm distributes that error into neighboring pixels that have not yet been processed.

The methods differ in how broadly and with what weights they distribute that error. This changes dot texture, edge behavior, and tonal transitions. It does not change the underlying requirement: the source tone, output size, and material process still determine what detail can survive.

Sources: 1, 2

Floyd-Steinberg is the compact baseline

Floyd-Steinberg diffuses error through a relatively small neighborhood. That can produce a fine, active texture with good local detail, making it a useful baseline for portraits, pets, and objects with clear edges.

A compact pattern can also make local noise or abrupt transitions more visible when the source is poorly prepared. Fix exposure, gamma, contrast, and background separation before assuming the algorithm is the problem.

Sources: 1

Jarvis favors broad, smooth transitions

Jarvis distributes error across a wider neighborhood. Current xTool documentation describes it as producing softer transitions than Floyd and working well across many images. Current LightBurn guidance also presents Jarvis as a strong choice for smooth-shaded or photographic sources.

The broader pattern can make skin, skies, and gentle gradients feel smoother, but the material still has to resolve the marks. Dense dots that look elegant on screen may merge when line spacing, spot size, heat spread, or surface response is too broad.

Sources: 1, 2

Stucki balances smoothness and a cleaner texture

Stucki belongs to the same broad photographic family as Jarvis. xTool describes it as processing somewhat faster than Jarvis and producing a cleaner, sharper image. LightBurn also positions it as a smooth-shaded photo mode with behavior similar to Jarvis.

That makes Stucki worth comparing when Jarvis feels too soft or dense, but the description is not a guaranteed material outcome. Evaluate hair, eyes, texture, and midtone separation on the actual crop instead of choosing from the algorithm name alone.

Sources: 1, 2

Compare them without moving the goalposts

Use one nondithered source, one crop, one tonal treatment, one physical size, and one DPI. Export a Floyd-Steinberg, Jarvis, and Stucki version from those identical inputs. Compare the full composition first, then inspect the one-bit pixels at 1:1.

  1. Check the subjectLook for readable eyes, hair, fur, edges, and separation from the background.
  2. Check the tonal endsConfirm that important highlights stay open and deep shadows do not become one solid field.
  3. Check the midtonesCompare whether faces and curved surfaces transition naturally or become noisy and flat.
  4. Check the actual dotsLook for isolated noise, visible repeating texture, or clusters likely to merge on the material.
  5. Burn the finalistsTest the strongest two or three variants on the same scrap with the machine variables held constant.

Sources: 2, 3

Use a starting rule, then let the test decide

Start with Floyd-Steinberg when you want a familiar, compact baseline. Add Jarvis when smooth tonal transitions are central to the image. Add Stucki when you want another photographic option with a cleaner or sharper character.

If all three fail in the same regions, return to the source tone, crop, final dimensions, or physical process. Switching algorithms cannot restore clipped highlights, an out-of-focus face, merged scan lines, or detail smaller than the material can reproduce.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Apply one dither and preserve it

Once you choose a result, treat its one-bit pixels as the finished artwork. Do not resize it casually or apply another dither after import. Use the destination's preserve-pixels workflow and confirm the physical dimensions before engraving.

If the job size changes, return to the continuous-tone source and create a new dither for the new pixel grid.

Sources: 2

Common questions

Is Jarvis better than Floyd-Steinberg for laser engraving?

Not universally. Jarvis often produces smoother transitions, while Floyd-Steinberg is a compact baseline that can preserve local character. Compare both at the final size on the intended material.

What is the difference between Jarvis and Stucki dithering?

Both spread error across a broad neighborhood and suit photographic work. Their weights differ, producing somewhat different smoothness, sharpness, and dot texture. The practical difference should be judged on the same source and material test.

Can I resize a dithered image after choosing an algorithm?

Avoid it. Resizing can erase, merge, or duplicate the finished dots. Return to the nondithered source and generate a new one-bit image for the new dimensions.

Sources and further reading

Technical claims were checked against current first-party documentation. Product interfaces and guidance can change, so confirm the current documentation for the software and machine you use.

  1. How to Set Bitmap ModexTool Support Center. Checked August 19, 2026.
  2. Image ModeLightBurn User Guide. Checked August 2, 2026.
  3. Interval TestLightBurn User Guide. Checked August 2, 2026.