Why Converters Should Upgrade to eXact 2
For packaging converters, accurate color is tied directly to brand trust and customer approval. Labels, folding cartons, corrugated, flexible packaging, and mixed-substrate jobs all bring different measurement challenges, and customers still expect the final package to match the approved standard. If your team is still using first-generation eXact instruments, the upcoming end of life offers a timely reason to evaluate whether your current packaging color measurement process can keep pace and whether now is the right time to upgrade to eXact 2 with today’s requirements for speed, consistency, documentation, and repeatability.
X-Rite will end sales of first-generation eXact devices on September 1, 2026. This includes eXact Standard, eXact Xp, eXact Advanced, and eXact Basic Spectro. These instruments have helped packaging teams control color for years, but the transition gives converters a defined window to review installed devices, plan replacement timing, and move to a newer platform before service limitations, aging hardware, or workflow gaps create unnecessary disruption.
For teams preparing to replace eXact Gen 1, the eXact 2 family offers next-generation handheld spectrophotometer options built for the realities of packaging color measurement.
Plan Your eXact Upgrade for a Smooth Transition
The challenge for many converters is not simply that eXact Gen 1 is reaching end of life. It is the risk of delaying action until a device stops working, replacement options are limited, or operators must adjust to a new instrument in the middle of active production. Planning your eXact upgrade early helps maintain continuity while giving pressroom, quality, and production teams time to align on procedures, training, and expectations.
It also gives teams a chance to improve the areas that often create friction in packaging production, including inconsistent measurement habits, substrate-to-substrate variation, time spent troubleshooting color questions, differences between operators, and limited insight into instrument condition or performance.
With a planned approach, the eXact Gen 1 end-of-life timeline becomes an opportunity to strengthen color control rather than a last-minute equipment decision.
Improve Packaging Color Measurement Across Substrates
Packaging color is rarely measured under simple conditions. Operators may need to evaluate spot colors, process colors, opaque whites, varnishes, and brand-critical areas across paperboard, corrugated, film, foil, labels, and other materials. Small measurement differences can lead to big production impacts. A reading taken in the wrong location, at the wrong angle, or with inconsistent technique can influence press adjustments, extend make-ready, increase waste, and make color discrepancies harder to resolve.
Bring More Consistency to Packaging Color Control with eXact 2
eXact 2 gives packaging teams a more visual, guided way to measure color on press and in quality control. With video targeting, digital loupe inspection technology, and an intuitive touch-screen interface, operators can position measurements more precisely, inspect small or complex print areas, capture images when issues need to be reviewed, and generate more repeatable readings across jobs, shifts, and experience levels.
That repeatability is especially important in packaging environments where multiple operators may be measuring the same brand color on different substrates or production lines. When readings are easier to capture consistently, teams can rely on the data with more confidence and make faster press-side adjustments that help keep packaging color aligned with brand expectations.
Match the eXact 2 Model to Your Packaging Applications
Because packaging workflows vary by substrate, application, measurement requirements, and level of connectivity, the eXact 2 family includes options for different production needs. eXact 2 Standard supports measurement on paper, corrugated, and carton board substrates. eXact 2 Xp is built for flexible film, plastic, and foil applications with white opaque. eXact 2 Plus adds broader measurement flexibility for converters working across multiple print and packaging substrates, including the option to move between polarized and non-polarized measurements.
Selecting the right instrument for your eXact upgrade starts with how color is measured in your operation today, which materials and print conditions your team manages, which brand programs or customer requirements must be supported, and how connected you want your measurement workflow to become over time.
Plan Your eXact 2 Upgrade Before the Deadline
A practical upgrade plan begins with a clear view of where eXact Gen 1 instruments are being used, which packaging workflows rely on them, and which eXact 2 model best fits each application. Once that baseline is established, teams can schedule training, align measurement procedures, and transition on their own timeline instead of waiting until end-of-life timing forces a faster decision.
eXact Gen 1 has long supported dependable handheld color measurement. With eXact 2, packaging converters can build on that foundation with improved visual targeting, faster measurement confidence, connected workflow support, and the tools needed to keep brand color consistent from approval through production.
Ready to plan your transition from eXact Gen 1? Fill out the form and an X-Rite Color Expert can help you review your current instruments, compare model options, and choose the right upgrade path for your packaging workflow.
