A lead edge lightening circuit which will lighten a scan line based on a seven by seven pixel area surrounding the current pixel. The area is divided into four sub-areas, each of four by four pixels, and each having the current pixel at one corner. Each sub-area is summed and compared to a threshold number. If the threshold number is equalled or exceeded by at least one of the four sums, an overlay bit, which can be white or black, is output. The current pixel is replaced by a white pixel if a white pixel has been output, otherwise the current pixel remains unchanged.