X-Rite Color Blog

Learn more about light, reflection curves, optical brighteners, and more.     Illuminants Electro magnetic radiation in the wavelength range from 380 nm to 730 nm is seen as light by our eyes. Low wavelengths show as blue light. Then the spectrum continues from green, yellow, orange to red. UV radiation is located in the range below 380 nm; the range above 730 nm is called infrared radiation. The visual impression of a colored body changes by the composition of the incoming light. ...

People often ask how X-Rite got its name and how we came to be a leader in the art and science of color. It’s really a great story – one that focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship and determination. What’s in a name? X-Rite was founded in 1957 by a group of engineers and business entrepreneurs who had a desire to start a business based on innovation. The members brainstormed new product ideas ranging from can openers to sheet metal tools to collapsible car cots. After buildin...

The Pantone Color of the Year announcement is always exciting. Not only does it set the stage for upcoming trends, it also provides brand owners and designers critical guidance for marketing and product development. However, those who are charged with manufacturing products and packaging with trending colors (like 2021's Ultimate Gray and Illuminating) know it doesn’t “just happen.” It takes time and effort to incorporate new colors. Whether you work in paints, plasti...

The color of liquid is one of the most difficult things to control during production. But it’s important. Would you choose a bottle of juice or cleaner that is lighter in color than the other bottles on the shelf? What about cough syrup?     Liquid is hard to measure because it can range in transparency from translucent to opaque. It’s also hard to hold, and the measurement device can’t touch it or the optics and the sample will both be contaminated.   Today&rsq...

パッケージング業界では常に「サステナビリティ」が最優先とされています。サステナビリティとは、環境のニーズと次の世代を考慮し、あらゆる手段を用いて生産工程における無駄を排除することです。それは、社会的責任を配慮するだけではありません。消費者は商品の購入を決定する際、サステナビリティに取り組む商品であるかどうかをチェックする傾向にあるためです。   もちろん、サステナビリティに取り組むことだけが、店頭に並ぶ商品ブランドを形成する要素ではありません。新型コロナウイルス感染症に関する水際対策が強化されると共に、印刷工程やカラーの承認作業を現場で行うことが困難になってきており、それにより印刷工程が長引き、またパッケージ色のあらゆる問題にもつながっています。そのような工程は目標から外れ、無駄なコストが発生してしまいます。    サステナビリティに取り組むと同時に、新型コロナウイルス感染症に関する水際対策にも対応できるパッケージを実現するには、手作業を要する旧式システムから、テクノロジーベースのワークフローに移行し、コスト削減と一貫したブランド色の確保に努める必要があり...

The best way to visualize how color will react in real world lighting conditions is to use a light booth. Traditional light booths contain common illuminants like daylight, incandescent, and fluorescent to replicate how color will look in the retail store and post-purchase in outdoor and home lighting. Today, the increased use of LED lamps in home, commercial, and retail environments is impacting decades of standardized lighting procedures.   How LED is Changing the Game LED lights hav...

As the world reopens, retail stores are making functional changes to ensure customers and employees are safe and healthy. For starters, the notoriously social activity of shopping now requires associates and customers to maintain distance and wear masks.      Customers need to feel comfortable when they sit down at the cosmetic counter, too. While the role of the beauty consultant is not going away, demo makeup applications and cosmetic testers are. This leaves retailers seeking ...

In a highly competitive marketplace, brands and packaging designers are looking for ways to differentiate their products on the shelf. This increasingly goes beyond color to include embellishment options such as foils, special varnishes, soft touch finishes, and more. Designers are also using more intense solid colors, fluorescents and iridescents, and not just with conventional print. Digital solutions allow more variation in packaging and the ability to address shorter runs and faster cycle ti...

As digital printing continues to grow, many printmakers are moving beyond traditional media to create artwork on substrates like wood, acrylic, textiles, and backlit materials. While the results can be beautiful, achieving exceptional print quality on these materials can be challenging.   Enter the i1Pro 3 Plus. With its large aperture, polarization and transmissive capabilities, this new member of X-Rite’s i1Pro Family can create color profiles for substrates that are otherwise ...

Our customers who are now working remotely need to be aware that changing a small variable – such as approving color from home under a different light source, or emailing specifications instead of sending a physical sample – can introduce color issues that risk creating a larger color problem. The first and most critical stage to color control is accurate color communication. These resources will help you get started. The Importance of Color Communication Blog | Many color...