X-Rite Color Blog

To measure color, a color measurement device shines light onto a sample, captures the amount of light that is transmitted or reflected in the 380 nm to 780 nm wavelength range, and quantifies it as a spectral measurement. Color measurement is necessary to specify, quantify, communicate, formulate, and verify color quality for color critical work. Because everyone perceives color differently, color measurement is more precise than visual evaluation. What is a Color Measurement Device? There are t...

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. ...

ICC color management means having a workflow that is predictable, consistent, and repeatable from capture through proofing to final output. To achieve a color managed workflow, you need to calibrate your devices and create an ICC profile for every component, including the camera, monitor, projector, scanner, and printer.   Why Calibrate and Profile? For the best color results, you need to calibrate each device that is contributing to your workflow to ensure it is accurately reproducing colo...

X-Rite Pantone has been working with Asda for several years, supporting the implementation of ColorCert, a digital color program to achieve time and cost savings and deliver brand presence and quality assurance on shelf. We recently published a case study that explains how digital color has helped Asda improve color and consistency scores by 200%. We encourage you to download the case study to learn more. With a tried and proven color management model in its Food and Non-Edible categories, Asda ...

Especially in the print industry, checking color quality at multiple steps along the way is the key to ensuring you’re on the right track. Without print color management, you can end up producing something you think is right, but is completely wrong in the end. Managing color in the pressroom closes the gap between expectations, press operators, specifications, and color to ensure good quality.  During design, it means accurately specifying colors for reproduction on the ...

How much time, paper, and ink do you waste re-printing images because the color isn’t right? Before you blame your printer, consider your monitor. When you work on an un-calibrated monitor, you can’t trust the colors you see on-screen, making it hard to make good editing decisions. Luckily, monitor calibration is a breeze with i1Profiler software. Wizard-based, it walks you through every step in the profiling process. Basic and advanced modes allow you to modify your settin...

Softproofing – the ability to simulate how an image will appear in print right from your monitor – can save a lot of time and effort in your printing workflow. Although many photographers already rely on it, anyone who designs, approves, prepares or prints brand and color-critical images can also benefit. With softproofing, designers can create with actual specified colors (no more trial and error!), project owners can approve layouts without physical proofs (predictable color!), and...

As brand owners compete to make packaging stand out, commercial and flexible packaging converters and label printers are charged with achieving accurate color – on unique substrates – with shorter print runs. Many spend a lot of time mixing ink, then end up throwing it away when the color isn’t right. Others mix ink, store it, and spend way too much time trying to reuse it for future print runs.  If you’re stuck in this cycle, you’re essentially paying for ink...

To establish a successful quality control program, you need good instrumentation, robust software, and trained users. But even with everything in place, there are some common pitfalls to watch for when using a spectrophotometer to analyze color quality. Measuring plastic parts with the X-Rite Ci7800 benchtop spectrophotometer. Top Five Color Measurement Pitfalls  1. Bad Standards and Samples Physical standards and samples don’t last forever. Careless handling and dirty devices can ...

A calibrated display is not just for photographers. If you browse inspiration photos online, send color samples back and forth via e-mail, or transfer color files between suppliers and customers, you need to calibrate and profile your display to trust the colors you see on-screen.     When talking about monitor calibration, many people interchange illuminance, luminance and brightness, but they are not the same. Here are the differences you need to understand to properly calibrate and...