Like geographic coordinates – longitude, latitude, and altitude – L*a*b* color values give us a way to locate and communicate colors. What’s the history of L*a*b*? In the 1940’s, Richard Hunter introduced a tri-stimulus model, Lab, which is scaled to achieve near uniform spacing of perceived color differences. While Hunter’s Lab was adopted as the de facto model for plotting absolute color coordinates and differences between colors, it was never formally accepted as...
To understand how color management works, you need a basic knowledge of the additive and subtractive systems of color reproduction. Both use a small number of primary colors that combine to produce a large number – or gamut – of colors… but the way they do that is quite different. In our Color Perception Part 1: The Effect of Light post, we explained how the visible color spectrum (we know it as the rainbow) encompasses light wavelengths from approximately 380 to 720 nm. By breaking the visible...
When it comes to the way we see color, our eyes can be deceived. This is partially caused by our humble brain, which is managing vast amount of information and processing it the best it can. It can also be related to genetics and the environment; we all see color a little differently. But above all, LIGHT has biggest impact on the colors we see. Without getting too technical, here is an introduction to the way light affects our perception of color. RGB Color Circle The temperature of lig...
The eXact is a portable spectrophotometer with an intuitive touchscreen interface. Printers and packaging converters use it to control, manage, and communicate color from anywhere on the pressroom floor. It comes in a variety of models to fit every customer need, and can be upgraded as those needs change. We’ve recently expanded our X-Rite eXact family to include a Basic model. With so many to choose from, it can be hard to know which eXact model is right for you. Today’s blog can h...
We take pride in helping our customers be as productive as possible, which is why we build each of our color measurement devices in an environment that adheres to the highest standards and strictest tolerances. We also pair world-class support with all of our products and solutions to keep them in optimum condition once they leave the factory. When you trust your hardware to us for service and repair, you can expect consistent and repeatable production and optimized results. Our Service C...
If you work in the print and packaging industry, standards can help you set clear expectations for clients, solve problems in your workflow, and improve productivity. They can also bring an independent perspective to production. Printers aren’t the only ones who should keep up with standards. Brands who are concerned with quality, price, and speed to market can also benefit because it allows them to compare print providers and choose the best candidate. The ISO and other standards organiz...
Color 2018 was a huge success for connecting the dots, breaking down silos, and learning how to gain control of an integrated color management workflow. It offered in-depth sessions including Brand & Design, Print & Production, Standards & Business, and Vendor/Product Demonstrations. I was there to share tips and advice about how closed-loop color control can help you keep up with color. Here are some of the key takeaways. What is closed-loop color control? Closed-loop color can me...
If you’re measuring wet and dry paints, plastics, cosmetics, or small and odd-shaped samples, you’ll want to take a look at our new MetaVue VS3200 non-contact imaging spectrophotometer. It’s the perfect choice for industrial applications in coatings, plastics, food, cosmetics and more. Today we’ll demonstrate the power of its smart spot and on-screen targeting features and explain how it can integrate seamlessly with your formulation, quality control, and performance opt...
Warm weather is just around the corner and spring is in the air! Fluffy yellow chicks… Delicate pink tulips… Soft green sprouts poking through the ground… And, of course, spring M&M'S®! Advertisers target our springtime emotions through pastel colors. Pastels have a calming effect, and everywhere you look companies are using them to feed our desire to feel a bit of spring. Today we’ll take a look at the psychology of color, how marke...
To control color, you need to be able to compare very small differences, determine their impact and understand how to address that impact. In this series we’ve already looked at the history of color analysis and the role of light in tolerancing. Today we’ll discuss the difference between a color space and a color tolerance and introduce the most common methods. Color Spaces A color space gives us a way to communicate color. Just like we can find any location on planet earth using lo...