epaper-dithering
Dithering algorithms for e-paper/e-ink displays
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are building e-paper or e-ink display applications. The library is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, uses a permissive MIT license, and provides a well-documented API with pre-built wheels for modern Python versions. Install friction is moderate but manageable. Not relevant for general image processing or non-display use cases.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.11 or later; pillow must be installed as a runtime dependency.
- Medium install friction due to compiled Rust extension requiring platform-specific wheels, but wheels are pre-built for Python 3.11–3.13 across macOS, Linux (x86_64, aarch64, armv7l), Windows, and musl systems.
- Active maintenance with recent release.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in commercial and private projects with minimal obligations.
last release 2026-07-23 (22 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-23 · 10 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 89,340 downloads/mo, #13,669 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
from epaper_dithering import dither_image, ColorScheme, DitherMode
import pillow
image = pillow.Image.open("photo.jpg")
dithered = dither_image(image, ColorScheme.BWR, mode=DitherMode.FLOYD_STEINBERG)
dithered.save("output.png")- Whether the ~30ms performance claim for 800×480 images holds across all supported platforms and dithering modes.
- Whether OKLab color matching actually eliminates the achromatic-attractor bug mentioned, or if this is a relative improvement.
- Exact behavior and visual quality differences across the ten dithering algorithms in practice.
What it is and what it does
epaper-dithering is a Python library that dithers images for e-ink and e-paper displays with limited color palettes. It wraps a Rust core to apply one of ten dithering algorithms (from simple ordered dithering to Jarvis-Judice-Ninke) across ten color schemes ranging from monochrome to 7-color Spectra displays. The library uses perceptually weighted OKLab color matching to preserve hue and includes pre-dithering adjustments for exposure, saturation, shadows, highlights, dynamic-range compression, and gamut compression.
Typical use is loading an image with pillow, calling dither_image() with a chosen color scheme and algorithm, and saving the result. The library handles RGBA compositing automatically and supports serpentine scanning to reduce directional artifacts. It targets developers building e-paper display applications who need fast, high-quality image conversion without manual color space tuning.
Use it for
- Convert photographs for e-ink price tags or shelf displays that support 3–7 color palettes.
- Batch-process images for e-paper photo frames with grayscale or limited-color output.
- Prototype dithering results across multiple algorithms and color schemes to find the best visual match for a specific display.
- Apply tone and gamut compression to images before dithering to compensate for e-paper's limited luminance range.
- Generate monochrome or 3-color dithered previews for testing e-ink display firmware or hardware designs.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are building e-paper or e-ink display applications.
The library is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, uses a permissive MIT license, and provides a well-documented API with pre-built wheels for modern Python versions. Install friction is moderate but manageable. Not relevant for general image processing or non-display use cases.
Install
epaper-dithering on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled Rust extension requiring platform-specific wheels, but wheels are pre-built for Python 3.11–3.13 across macOS, Linux (x86_64, aarch64, armv7l), Windows, and musl systems. Active maintenance with recent release.
Requires Python 3.11 or later; pillow must be installed as a runtime dependency.
License in practice
MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in commercial and private projects with minimal obligations.
Quickstart
from epaper_dithering import dither_image, ColorScheme, DitherMode
import pillow
image = pillow.Image.open("photo.jpg")
dithered = dither_image(image, ColorScheme.BWR, mode=DitherMode.FLOYD_STEINBERG)
dithered.save("output.png")Verify before relying
- Whether the ~30ms performance claim for 800×480 images holds across all supported platforms and dithering modes.
- Whether OKLab color matching actually eliminates the achromatic-attractor bug mentioned, or if this is a relative improvement.
- Exact behavior and visual quality differences across the ten dithering algorithms in practice.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.11 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagepillow |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 22 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 89,340 / month, #13,669 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Topic :: Multimedia :: GraphicsTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_12_x86_64.macosx_11_0_arm64.macosx_10_12_universal2.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_armv7l.manylinux2014_armv7l.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_12_x86_64.macosx_11_0_arm64.macosx_10_12_universal2.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_17_armv7l.manylinux2014_armv7l.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp312-cp312-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp312-cp312-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp313-cp313-macosx_10_12_x86_64.macosx_11_0_arm64.macosx_10_12_universal2.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp313-cp313-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp313-cp313-manylinux_2_17_armv7l.manylinux2014_armv7l.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp313-cp313-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp313-cp313-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; epaper_dithering-6.0.0-cp313-cp313-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl
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