A method for reduction of differential gloss as found in halftone image hardcopy prints. The method comprises selecting either a single halftone or employing two halftones: a first halftone having a high apparent gloss characteristic; and a second halftone having a low apparent gloss characteristic. A determination is then made of which areas of the halftone image correspond to potentially high gloss and low gloss regions under normal printing conditions. An overlay of clear toner is applied to the hardcopy print of the halftone image. In one approach a single halftone is employed to control the physical area coverage of the applied clear toner layer so as to adjust the local gloss across for the determined regions and thereby balance the evenness of gloss across the entire hardcopy print of the halftone image. Greater physical area coverage is provided as controlled by the single halftone in low gloss regions, and corresponding less physical area coverage is provided in the low gloss regions. In a further approach two halftones are employed. The first halftone is directed to those portions of the overlaid clear toner determined as corresponding to potentially low gloss regions of the halftone image, and the second halftone is directed to those portions of the clear toner layer determined as overlaying potentially high gloss regions of the halftone image.