Stippled lines are drawn by evaluating a distance function for a set of points within the area of a stippled line. The distance function gives a distance value proportional to the distance from a point to the end of the stippled line. Using the point's distance value, a pattern index value defines a correspondence between a point and at least one stipple pattern bit. The value of pattern bits are applied to the points on the stippled line, masking the points such that only a portion of the set of points are displayed or determining intensity values according to the position of the points within the stipple pattern. A distance function may be an edge equation associated with the line end or a segment of a polyline. The distance function can be evaluated for the set of points in any order, allowing portions of a stippled line to be drawn in parallel.