posterization

[poh-ster-uh-zey-shuh n]

noun Printing.

a process for producing a posterlike, high-contrast color reproduction from continuous-tone art by using separation negatives of various densities.
Photography. a printing process in which all tone values of a negative are reduced to a few and the tonal separation negatives produced are printed at different exposure levels on a high-contrast film so that a set of flat tones results.

Origin of posterization

First recorded in 1945–50; poster¹ + -ization