Abstract: According to one embodiment, a differential amplifier includes a differential circuit, an output circuit, and a clipper circuit. The differential circuit generates a pair of differential currents in accordance with a difference in potential between a pair of input signals. The output circuit receives the pair of differential currents and generates an output voltage in accordance with the current difference. The clipper circuit suppresses the output voltage within a range to be able to convert to a low level or to a high level being higher than the low level.

Abstract: A halftone image is reproduced and recorded by photoelectrically scanning an original in the following manner. One of the density range, hue range and coordinate range of the original or an image, which has been obtained by modifying the original as desired, is divided into a suitable number of regions having a prescribed width. One of plural kinds of halftone signals of different halftone shapes is then selected for each of the thus-divided regions in accordance with a region signal corresponding to the same divided region, whereby a halftone image containing plural kinds of dot shapes is recorded. An apparatus for practicing the above method is also described.