1. A method of producing a composite image on an image recording medium from first and second component images, comprising the steps of: forming the composite image by successively exposing the recording medium to electromagnetic radiation image data of the first and second images so that the images are created on the medium in overlapping relationship to form a join region in which the medium is doubly exposed, first by the image data of the first image and then by the image data of the second image, and wherein the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation representing the first image is progressively ramped off in the join region and the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation representing the second image is progressively ramped on in the join region.