A method for enabling a program that communicates a document description from a composition system to a printing system to manage variable-dot halftones for use with variable-dot printing devices, comprising the steps of using a selected halftone cell size to choose an array comprising at least one string defining a halftone cell intensity value, said string comprising at least one pixel imbution value, wherein said pixel imbution value is in the range of 0 to P, wherein P is the number of physical appearances that a painted pixel can have; using a selected halftone cell intensity value to choose a string; and painting at least one pixel within a halftone cell according to a pixel imbution value within the chosen string.