The Future of Color Consistency: LED Lighting Solutions for Industry Standards For years, fluorescent bulbs have been a mainstay in industries requiring accurate color assessment, but their downsides are becoming increasingly hard to ignore. These lights require warm-up time and may distort color accuracy, both of which lead to production delays and translate into higher sample costs. More importantly, fluorescent bulbs contain hazardous materials like mercury, complicating their disposal. Thi...

Why Backward Compatibility in Spectrophotometers Is Key to Consistent Color If you’re here, chances are you rely on a benchtop spectrophotometer to keep your color quality on point. From textiles and plastics to paint, coatings, and more, these high-precision instruments are critical to maintain consistency in your processes. At X-Rite, we engineer our spectrophotometers to perform reliably for years, even in the toughest environments. But no instrument lasts forever, and eventually, an ...

Accelerate ROI, digital transformation, and sustainability with a digital textile color program. Hiccups in getting to market can be devasting for any type of business. For fashion, soft goods, apparel, and footwear brands, a major concern is missing out on the opportunity to increase sales and establish or reinforce brand credibility. Brands simply can’t afford any unnecessary slowdowns during the execution of a design due to delays in preliminary steps such as the color approval process....

Looking for a centralized location to manage your X-Rite products and services? Check out My X-Rite. Whether you need product information or support, service details, or access to learning resources, our free online portal is just a few clicks away. 24/7 Access: Easily access your personal dashboard from your computer or mobile device around the clock. Personalized Dashboard: See what matters most to you in one convenient location. Effortless Service & Support: Submit and track...

A recent amendment to the EU Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment will remove the current exemption for mercury to be used in a number of types of fluorescent lamps for special purposes by 24th of February 2025. These bulbs are defined under clause 2(b)(4)-I of the EU REACH directive. After the expiration date, the sale of new equipment including fluorescent technology under this exemption will not be allowed in Europe. Th...

The environmental footprint of fashion is out of control. According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), “Textile mills generate one-fifth of the world's industrial water pollution and use 20,000 chemicals, many of them carcinogenic, to make clothes.” Fabric being dyed in factory. Image from NRDC.org.  A Problem That Impacts Everyone Did you know it takes about 200 tons of water (enough to fill several swimming pools) to produce one ton of cott...

Does your quality control program include visual evaluation? If not, it should. Using the SpectraLight QC as part of a color evaluation workflow. No matter your industry, judging color is more than just measuring samples with a color measurement device. Just because a spectrophotometer says your color is within tolerance, doesn’t necessarily mean it will look right to the human eye. To minimize customer rejects, your color control process needs to include visual evaluation in a light boo...

Like you, digitization and sustainability are top of mind. However, colour is often overlooked when it comes to textile product development. Digitizing the textile supply chain and applying colour management at each stage will ultimately pay for itself through more accurate colour, faster production, and less waste. With over 60 years of innovation and proven expertise in colour management and colour measurement, X-Rite has solutions to support everyone in the textile industry, including appare...

This time of year, the internet is full of Top 10 Countdowns. It’s a tradition we’ve embraced since 1940 when the Billboard published its first chart ranking the top selling recorded songs. Since then, others have jumped on the bandwagon to highlight the most popular trends of the previous year.   We’ve been publishing our top-read blogs since 2016, and we’re happy to see some educational topics like color perception, tolerancing, and spectrophotometers continue to r...

It’s important to ensure design intent is realized each time and everywhere a product appears. But with so many variables to impact print quality, how can brands utilize suppliers around the world and still achieve consistent color? Our X-Rite Pantone Packaging Color Experts have designed a series of consulting services and workshops to help you get the most from your print, packaging, plastic or textile value chain.   Offered both online and onsite, these interactive sessions i...

With a focus on sustainability, Walmart continues to be a leader in color specification and control. Earlier this year, Walmart notified their apparel and home goods suppliers of a new certification program to combat wasted time and resources and decrease the global impact of a traditional color approval process. Since then, Walmart's Home business unit has seen many updates and enhancements to the color evaluation process to reduce processing time, shipping, and material costs. This has result...

Why Calibrate Your Spectrophotometer? For the most part, today’s color measurement instruments are 100% digital. In fact, there are very few analog components inside, except for the light bulbs. Although they’re more stable than their analog predecessors, their tolerances are much narrower, and they need regular spectrophotometer calibration to stay within these tight specs. Bulb Stability As you use your instrument and the bulb turns on and off, it starts to change its character. S...

You say color is important, but do you know why it’s so important? In reality, color is a critical element in the manufacturing process. Unfortunately, many manufacturers are realizing that getting color right is much harder than it used to be, and the brands they support are asking them to meet tighter tolerances. Here’s why. While advances in color technology – think metallic packaging, pearlescent finishes, custom fabrics and vibrant new colors – entice customers, the...

When customers are just getting started with color management, they often ask, "What is the difference between a spectrometer and a spectrophotometer?". With such a minute spelling difference, it's easy to make a quick typo and get the wrong answer for this color question. So...what's the difference? Spectrometers vs. Spectrophotometers    What is a Spectrophotometer? A spectrophotometer is a color measurement device that is used to capture and evaluate color on just about anything, in...

In this series we’ve been discussing the many factors that impact how we see color, and what we can do to ensure the color we see is accurate. Light, retinal fatigue and background effects can influence our perception of color. Today we’ll look at the limitations of the human eye and brain, and talk about how to detect these characteristics, especially for individuals responsible for evaluating and judging color. Are YOU color deficient? Read on to find out. (Spoiler alert: There’s a test at the...

There are many things that affect our ability to see color. In some cases, it doesn’t matter if the red you see is the same shade I see. A barn is a barn, right? But for those who work in an industry where color evaluation is part of the job, it IS important… VERY important. In our color perception series, we’re discussing the many factors that affect how we see color and what colorists can do to ensure that the color they see is the color they are supposed to see. Today we’ll take a closer look...

As the temperature of light changes, so does our perception of color. As I mentioned in our last post, light plays a huge role in the way we perceive color. Today we’ll look at the science of color in manufacturing and photography; specifically how an object’s reflective and absorptive properties and viewing technology can impact the colors we perceive. To reflect or not to reflect… that is the question. The colors an object absorbs and reflects is determined by its material – is it metal, plas...

Benchtop spectrophotometers measure in transmission and/or reflectance mode to capture and quantify color on opaque, transparent, and translucent samples. Reflectance spectrophotometers measure color by flashing light onto the surface of the sample and measuring the percentage of spectral reflectance of different wavelengths at 10 nanometer increments. This blog explains how a spectral reflectance measurement works so you can determine if it will meet your color measurement and quality control ...

How many trial and error steps does it take you to formulate a color? If you answered more than three, it might be time to enlist the help of a computerized solution. Computer-aided color formulation can bring huge benefits to your business. Out of the gate, even beginners can hit color targets faster, saving time, money and expensive colorants. Once you have established an accurate method, you can expect to match 95% of your color formula requirements within a reasonable color distance on the f...

There are many things that affect what we see. Optical illusions aren’t just fascinating; they teach us about how we visually perceive our surroundings. In our Color Perception Series, we shared some of the factors that affect how we see color and the impact it has on manufacturing. In honor of April Fools' Day, we’re taking a closer look at some of the ways our brain, eyes, and the environment can influence what we see. April Fool #1: Your Brain Let’s start with the power of t...

Quality control is an important aspect of any color workflow. While many of our customers use a handheld spectrophotometer for QC, there are times a benchtop spectrophotometer is a more appropriate choice. Today we’ll explore some of the reasons you might want to choose a benchtop for quality control and offer tips to ensure your QC workflow is the best it can be. Top 5 Reasons to Choose a Benchtop Spectrophotometer for Quality Control 1 - Your Color Tolerances are Tight While our handhel...

Are your customers rejecting shipments due to incorrect color? Are you identifying color issues during quality control? If your bottom line depends on color accuracy, you need to ensure your spectrophotometer is not the cause. Color drift is a big issue for a lot of companies. Even worse, many don’t even know it’s happening. Here are some ways to make sure your spectrophotometer is operating within specification to always capture accurate and consistent measurement data. Causes of Sp...

Each year we enjoy looking back to see what our customers enjoyed reading. Here are our top blogs and learning resources from 2021. Top Blogs of 2021 Some of these blogs make the top 10 list every year. Do any interest you? Color Perception Part 1: The Effect of Light    This first blog in a 3-part series offers a non-technical explanation to the way we perceive color, and the role of light in color perception.     How to Calibrate your Monitor in 10 Steps    Are ...

Last week Pantone announced the Pantone Color of the Year 2020 - Very Peri (PANTONE 17-3938). The Pantone Color of the Year announcement isn’t just important for designers. Since this color will set the stage for upcoming trends, brand owners should also take notice to capitalize on this trending color. Bring Very Peri to Market, Fast. Is Virtual Design the Answer? The fashion and apparel industry began embracing virtual design years ago. Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Burberry, ...

Light booths provide a controlled environment for judging color under different lighting conditions. They can help visually evaluate how different types of light will affect the perception of color, evaluate the color of raw materials before and after production, and ensure different components will remain uniform once they’re assembled.   But not all light booths are the same. With NIST traceability and ISO 17025 accreditation, X-Rite offers worldwide competence in calibration, cert...

The best way to visualize how color will react in real world lighting conditions is to use a quality 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 li...

Color measurement is used 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.  How to Measure Color Wavelength To measure color, a color measurement device called a spectrophotometer shines light onto a sample and captures the amount of light that is transmitted or reflected in the 380 nm to 780 nm wavelength range, which is the wavelength rang...

Learn 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 to yellow, orange, and 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. ...

2020 forced manufacturers to rethink the way they work. Around the globe, COVID put a hard stop on the travel required to approve prototypes and delayed the shipment of physical samples. Many brands started looking for ways to use digital color samples to keep production moving but struggled with the inability to replicate how a color sample would look on a prototype. The PANTORA desktop application closes this gap. With PANTORA, users can capture or import spectral samples and store, manage, vi...

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...

Each year we enjoy looking back to see which blogs captured the most attention. Some make the top 10 list ever year, while others are a surprise.  Here's what our readers found most interesting in 2020. Top 10 Blogs of 2020 #1   L*a*b* Color Values   Like geographic coordinates – longitude, latitude, and altitude – L*a*b* color values give us a way to locate and communicate colors. Learn the history and uses of this popular color space.   #2  &nbs...

COVID-19 has forced many companies to rethink the way they communicate, approve, and produce color.  For some, that means trying to conduct “business as usual” from a remote location. For others, it means finding ways to manage color without travel. Either way, we know our customers are doing everything they can to sustain business while keeping their employees healthy and safe. We want to help. Over the past few months we’ve been adding new resources to our virtual resou...

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...

Black Friday. Not only is it the much anticipated start to holiday shopping, it’s also a day manufacturers have been preparing for all year long. Whether mass-producing holiday cards, candy canes, plastic toys, or festive clothing, accurate color is a must. Manufacturers can’t ship two of the same toy if they won’t match on the showroom floor, and holiday sweaters that are a shade off will end up at a discount store instead of a fashion boutique. Perfection is especially import...

Recently we had the opportunity to sit down with Laura Guido-Clark, a consumer products designer of color, material, and texture. She has been dubbed an “Experience Consultant,” which reflects her interest and study of human reactions to the look and feel of new products.   Photo by Laura Flippen. We asked Guido-Clark to speak with us because we also appreciate the importance of color in our lives.   Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in color? A. When I wa...

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 ...

Whether you’re producing textiles, automotive parts, or plastic pieces, color needs to remain consistent or the final product will be rejected. Unfortunately, there are many ways for color errors to creep in during manufacturing. Creating and using accurate digital color standards is one way to combat these errors. Digital color standards can be used in software to specify and communicate color, formulate colorants and raw materials, and control color quality. They give brand owners peac...

Whether you work with plastics, coatings or textiles, you must consistently achieve in-tolerance color or your product could be rejected before it even makes it to the shelf or showroom.     This is especially true for brands that rely on off-site suppliers and manufacturers for raw materials and parts that come together at assembly, such as the plastic dashboard, fabric seats, and coated interior panels of a car. Even if each site produces in-tolerance color, it must be monitored an...

COVID-19 has stopped many industries in their tracks, textiles included. Travel bans and shelter-in-place orders are forcing vast, inter-connected supply chains to rethink the way they work.  For brands that were already looking for new ways to achieve accurate color and speed time to market, this could be an opportunity. This global pandemic may help the apparel industry make important decisions to change the way it works – for the better – not only to get through this crisis, ...

No matter the industry, our customers are all working toward the same goal: Achieve accurate color and keep production moving. Even in the best conditions, color data can be a challenge to capture and share. COVID-19-related travel bans and social distancing guidelines are making it harder than ever.    Today we’ll share three easy ways to remotely share color data so you can achieve your color goals without shipping physical samples or making onsite visits. The Benefits of Digit...

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...

Spectrophotometers (“spectros” for short) are color measurement devices used to capture and evaluate color. As part of a color control program, brand owners and designers use them to specify and communicate color, and manufacturers use them to monitor color accuracy throughout production. Spectrophotometers can measure just about anything, including liquids, plastics, paper, metal and fabrics, and help ensure that color remains consistent from conception to delivery.   &nb...

Phone and computer screens are the window into the digital world of color, but if you are approving colors via email or text you need to be aware of the limitations.  For starters, each of your devices relies on a different color model to display color. Input devices – your camera and monitor – use the additive color model to display color. They start with darkness and add red, green, and blue light to create a spectrum of colors. Printers, on the other hand, use the s...

Does your quality control program include visual evaluation? Lighting plays a huge role in how we perceive color. It can help you verify whether the color of your product is acceptable and ensure it remains accurate in every possible lighting condition after purchase.     Many of our customers are finding visual evaluation to be even more important as they transition color reviews and approvals to a different location, such as in the home office or to another remote environmen...

So much goes into the way you perceive color, including light, genetics, the environment, human traits, and even fatigue. You may also be among the 1 in 255 women and 1 in 12 men who have some form of color vision deficiency. Our online color challenge is a fun way to better understand your color vision acuity.     Regardless of your color vision acuity, if you are communicating, evaluating, or approving color from a new location your eyes may trick you into making diff...

Color has always been a critical factor for our customers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many are now trying to design, specify, communicate and ultimately achieve accurate color from remote locations or with less staff and fewer resources. Are you having trouble maintaining your color program in this unprecedented time?  We've compiled our most popular resources – blogs, videos, whitepapers, webinars, and case studies – to help you connect with your supply chain and ...

Appearance is more than just color. It’s an all-inclusive look at everything inherent to an object, including texture, gloss, transparency, translucency, and special effects like sparkle and shimmer. When viewed from different angles or under different lighting conditions, appearance effects can change our perception of color. That's why it’s important to control both color and appearance throughout design and development.  Durable goods brands use appearance effects to captur...

In my recent blog I explained why the demand for printed fabrics is increasing and the challenge this poses for the digital print industry. Today, with help from Digital Imaging Expert Scott Martin of Onsight, I will share tips and tools to help printers profile textiles for a consistent digital workflow. While smooth textures can often be measured using traditional digital tools, fabrics with texture or specular reflections (like coated canvases) can cause issues. It's a lot harder to achieve ...

Although digital printing has been around for many years, the industry is undergoing dramatic changes. On the plus side, digital print technologies utilize more durable inks and offer higher reliability, longer print life, and overall cost savings and efficiency. But these changes also mean print shops must adjust the way they operate to remain competitive.   According to Allied Market Research, the digital fabric printing market is expected to reach almost $4 million globally by 2022,...

When it comes to human color perception, 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 in everyday life.   Without getting too technical, here is an introduction to the way light affects our perception of color. RGB Color Circle Th...

Over the last few years, we have heard a lot about the circular economy and omnichannel marketing. While each is a trend in their own right, they are quickly converging on the print industry. To be successful in 2020, commercial printers will need to offer a wide range of print capabilities while demonstrating a commitment to sustainability and reducing waste.   The Importance of Circular Economy and Omnichannel In a circular economy, the goal is to eliminate waste and maximize the con...

Durable goods and consumer electronics are no longer destined to be white, gray, and black. In fact, consumers are moving towards more classic colors and special effect finishes like metallics. To capitalize on this trend, brands need to bring innovative designs in new colors faster to market than ever before.   One trending color, the PANTONE Color of the Year 2020, is sure to capture the attention of durable good and consumer electronic brands. It is a simple, timeless, elegant, and endur...

Inline Color Measurement for the Paper, Textile, Plastics, Coil Coating, and Glass Industries X-Rite’s inline color measurement solutions enable manufacturers in a variety of industries to evaluate color accuracy and consistency throughout production and track ISO compliance. Inline systems monitor color while the product is being made and alert operators if it begins to move out-of-spec so corrections can be made before the product is wasted. The ERX145 spectrophotometer mounted on a t...

Virtual reality has re-imagined the art of apparel and footwear design. 3D design programs like MODO, KeyShot, CLO, Browzwear, Optitex, and Lectra augment the creativity of color and material designers to virtually construct patterns and render realistic 3D garments.  This is exciting technology for brands that want to reduce waste for a greener footprint and accelerate design to keep up with fast fashion. However, designers are notoriously tactile. They need to touch, feel, and gain a...

Colorimeters and spectrophotometers are color measurement devices that are used to capture, communicate, and evaluate color. From cardboard packaging to food, laundry soap, carpeting and small plastic parts, color measurement devices help ensure the color being produced matches the color that was originally specified. They’re used behind the scenes in just about every industry where color is important, including plastics, textiles, paints, coatings, print and packaging. There are basicall...

Inter-instrument agreement is a very important consideration when selecting color measurement devices for your workflow. Unfortunately, it’s such a technical topic that it leads to a lot of confusion about what it means and why it’s important. The Ci7860 sphere benchtop spectrophotomter is has an inter-instrument agreement specification of 0.06 average Delta E*, enabling brands to create the most precise master color standards. Today we’re making it as simple as possibl...

Spectrophotometers are excellent tools for measuring samples against their color standards to compare differences, but it can be difficult to achieve color accuracy for irregularly shaped products like liquids, plastics, cans, and powders. We design a variety of parts and accessories - also called “rigs & jigs” - for many of our instruments to help measure odd shapes and sizes.  Parts & Accessories for Benchtop Spectrophotometers Liquids are notoriously difficult ...

With so many requests for innovative bases, transparency, and special effects, formulating color for paint, coating, and plastic applications can be a challenge. To keep up, formulation software needs to be innovative, too. We recently launched version 10 of our Color iMatch formulation software, and it is our smartest version yet. It allows you to select cost-reducing parameters, such as lowest cost or fewest colorants, and will determine the best formula for your application. It work...

Are you wasting too much time and money on incorrect color? Even if you use the best color measurement tools available, your color will still fail without quality control. Quality control (QC) means verifying the color you specify is the same color you manufacture, throughout production. Setting up a QC program can help you accurately communicate color with clients and suppliers, inspect raw materials before you begin working, and verify your color is correct before you ship.   Five Impor...

As we move through spring and into summer, we’re revisiting Pantone Color Institute’s Spring/Summer 2019 Fashion Color Trend Report. This season’s report features the top 12 stand out colors as well as current takes on four classic neutrals.    Images extracted with permission from PANTONEVIEW Colour Planner Spring/Summer 2019.    According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, “This new mindset underscores a...

Your customer rejected your latest shipment due to color.  You checked the color before you sent it and it passed tolerance…  You did everything the same way last time and it passed tolerance…  So why did it get rejected now? We get this question from our customers all the time.  The Dreaded “Error Stack” Color rejections create waste and increase production costs. Unfortunately, there are a lot of variables that contribute to the color you produce,...

Benchtop spectrophotometers measure in either transmission or reflectance mode to capture and quantify color on various opaque, transparent, and translucent samples, including glass, liquid, fabric, and plastic. Today we’ll explain the difference between transmission and reflectance measurements so you can determine which benchtop will meet your color measurement needs.  Transmission vs. Reflectance Measurements Both transmission and reflectance spectrophotometers emit all of the wav...

For the last few Decembers, we’ve provided you with a list of “top color measurement blogs” for that respective year. As we reviewed this year’s list, we noticed that your favorite/ the most-read blogs could be categorized into a few buckets. So, without further ado, here’s 2018’s top blog topics!  2018’s Most Popular Color Measurement Topic: Tolerancing Not to our team’s surprise, Tolerancing – what it is/what it means for your busines...

Each year, Pantone announces its highly anticipated “Color of the Year”. The selection is intended to serve as a strategic direction for design and color-conscious industries as well as a conversation piece around our culture, where it is going and what we collectively need…and it certainly gets everyone talking about color!  Color is no longer just something we see and appreciate - it enhances and influences the way we experience life. Color, as a strategic element of d...

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...

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...

Using a light booth to visually judge color is a great start to a successful color evaluation program. It allows you predict how color will look under multiple light sources so there won’t be any color surprises when the light changes over the life of the product. Introducing a color measurement device to capture spectral data is the next logical step. For a really great color program, you need to use both a light booth AND a spectrophotometer. This dynamic duo offers benefits you can&rsqu...

Recently we blogged about how appearance affects color. In this article we look at some of the characteristics that impact an object’s appearance, such as texture, gloss, transparency, and special effects, and explain why it’s crucial to describe appearance in the early stages of the design workflow.  While 3D programs have attempted to address appearance aspects for years, there has been a missing link in virtual product design: the ability to integrate characteristically &ldqu...

Whether purchasing a new car, consumer electronics, or household appliances, color consistency influences the perception of quality. If the color doesn’t match from front-to-back and side-to-side, customers will likely question the quality and move on. That’s where color measurement can help. In today’s competitive marketplace, manufacturers are going beyond color to utilize extreme effect finishes to differentiate their products. But, as manufacturers are quickly learning, me...

Appearance is more than simply color. It’s a comprehensive look at everything inherent to each unique material we come in contact with, including texture, gloss, transparency, and special effects. Each of these characteristics plays a part and has an effect on overall appearance and understanding in relation to a single material. Objects may have several elements that affect appearance, such as the material’s surface texture, construction, overall geometry and micro-surface. The environ...

The World Series starts next week. While players and fans are gearing up for the big event, stadium groundskeepers are preparing, too. You’ve surely seen those meticulous patterns in the grass – crisscross, spiral, plaid – but do you know how the groundskeepers create them? Thanks to a phenomenon called geometric metamerism (aka gonio-appearance), the grass really is greener on the other side. Read on to learn more about this optical illusion that can trick your eyes and wreak havoc on y...

Color is our perception of reflected light across the visible spectrum. When light hits an object, it absorbs some rays and reflect others. The color of light that reflects back into our eyes is the color we perceive. The more light an object absorbs, the darker it appears. With black, very little light is reflected. Pure black in the presence of light wasn’t achieved until 2014 when Surrey NanoSystems announced the invention of Vantablack. This high-tech artificial substance absorbs 99....

We frequently get calls from customers who can’t figure out why their measurements vary, even when they’re using maintained devices. Why would a sample read one way one day, then slightly different another? Many times the culprit is thermochromaticity, and it becomes an even bigger problem as the seasons change. Every kind of material changes color with temperature. These changes cause the material to exhibit a shift in reflected wavelengths of light, which can alter our perception....

Have you ever sent out a job that passed your inspection, only to have the customer reject it for out-of-tolerance color? You recheck the data and the instrument says the color passed the agreed tolerance… why is the customer saying it doesn’t? We get a LOT of these conflicting measurement calls in technical support. The solution is simple – document a color control program that clearly defines how to assess color, then make sure everyone (including your customer) follow...

If you’re reluctant to buy clothing and home decorating products online or in the store because you’re not sure how the color will look when you get home, you’ll love X-Rite’s newest color-matching solution. Color-Eye® uses a calibration card and smartphone app to help consumers shop for items that match or complement things they already have at home, like a paint color that looks great with the curtains, a handbag and shoes that coordinate with a special occasion dress, or a jacket that will ma...

If you recently invested in a spectrophotometer or colorimeter, you know there’s a lot more to learn about color measurement than just how to use your new device. To help you begin exploring the exciting world of color, we’ve compiled seven blogs that explain how to set up your color measurement device, care for it, and use it to its maximum potential. 5 Tips for Setting Up Your Spectrophotometer Using a spectrophotometer (“spectro” for short) to measure color doesn...

Did you read our blog: Are You Using The Right Tolerancing Method? If not, check it out. Today we’re taking the topic one step further to investigate how tolerances are chosen in different industries. A pass-fail tolerance is the amount of color variation that is considered commercially acceptable. In part, tolerances are driven by customer expectations. While color tolerances are very tight in the automotive, plastics, and paint & coatings worlds, they can be much less strict in other...

Consistent color is a journey. A few weeks ago I blogged about the most common pitfalls people run into when starting a color program… Wrong lighting Less-than-perfect color vision Inaccurate physical standards Inconsistent device color measurement …And introduced some inexpensive color tools to help overcome them.   But the journey doesn’t stop there. Even if you’ve been successfully managing color for years, advances in inks, dyes, and substrates are introducing new challen...

At X-Rite Pantone, we pride ourselves on our ability to help customers specify, communicate, formulate, and produce consistent color. You’re probably familiar with our major markets, like plastics, industrial coatings, and print & packaging. You may also be aware of the more “common” things we measure, like paint, printed surfaces, and textiles. But, as you look for the emergency exit on a plane, watch a butterfly float by, or choose the freshest package of cheese from the ...

At X-Rite Pantone, we love color, and we’re passionate about helping you get yours right. That’s why we offer a full-service training program, staffed with Color Experts from many of the industries we serve. From beginner to advanced, lowest investment to highest return, we offer a variety of options to teach you everything you need to know to be successful. Are you new to color, wondering where it fits in your business objectives? Do you already have a color workflow, but ...

As we close out 2016, it’s time to look ahead to 2017 and the upcoming manufacturing trends that will influence how we do business in the New Year. With rapidly changing technology, it’s difficult to know exactly what’s coming next, but we can definitely make some predictions. Over the past year, I have interviewed many customers across a variety of manufacturing industries to learn more about their industry concerns, the design and manufacturing challenges they face, and the t...

Our color measurement devices are used by designers, brand owners, formulators, printers, and manufacturers around the world. Ranging from portable handheld devices, to large benchtop instruments, to spectrophotometers mounted inline, they can measure just about anything to help formulate and maintain a perfect color match. Many of our customers, especially those in the paint industry, are asked to color match some pretty interesting things, and we love to hear about them. We recently asked 40 p...

Our society loves customizing its surroundings. Personalized merchandise preserves memories, and when given as a gift, shows the recipient that you put a lot of thought into the choice. It also creates an emotional bond, and (if done right) encourages brand loyalty.  Image courtesy zazzle.com While the personalized merchandise market used to be dominated by photo books and calendars, advances in technology have opened the door to personalizing a wide range of materials like wood, ceramics,...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! A time to reminisce… to celebrate our successes, and to explore areas that may need a little more attention in 2017. If color accuracy is on your list of things to improve, this article is for you. We’ve compiled a list of the blogs our readers found most helpful and interesting in 2016, so you can start working toward your goal of more accurate color in the New Year. Did your favorite blog make the list? Top 10 X-Rite Blogs of 2016 ...

When judging color, background can be a major distraction for the human eye. In fact, surrounding colors and patterns can actually change the perception of the color you’re trying to focus on. One of the wonderful things about color measurement instruments like colorimeters and spectrophotometers is that they can’t be distracted. They aren’t susceptible to variables such as fatigue, age or color vision deficiency. They aren’t even aware that a surround exists – they...

Are your measurement readings different than your supplier’s? If so, you’re not alone. It’s an important issue you must correct. If your measurements don’t match those of your suppliers, you might be rejecting materials you shouldn’t be, NOT rejecting materials you SHOULD be, and wasting a lot of time, effort, and money producing the wrong color. We’ve compiled the 5 most common reasons specifier and supplier measurements don’t match so you can troubles...

In color production, mistakes can happen anytime, anywhere… during specification, formulation, manufacturing, assembly, quality control, or (unfortunately) all of the above. Every mistake adds up to wasted time and materials, and stacking errors across a production workflow can get expensive very quickly. How can you stop this error stack from happening? If your job requires you to get color right, spectral data should be your best friend. One of our favorite eLearning courses to help customers...

Passionate about color? We are too. As a company that prides itself on its color knowledge and enthusiasm, X-Rite Pantone is excited about the various ways ArtPrize showcases the power of color. Each fall, ArtPrize installs over 1000 works of art in downtown Grand Rapids, attracting thousands of visitors. By using consistent colors in its guides, signs, banners, flags, and merchandise, ArtPrize creates a colorful map that helps both visitors and locals see the city through a different perspectiv...

Spectrophotometers are instruments that measure color. Manufacturers use them in every industry where accurate color is important, from paint and plastics to textiles, packaging, and even food. The data captured by spectros allow designers, brand owners, manufacturers, and quality control professionals to precisely communicate color and ensure it stays accurate throughout production. Sometimes I’m asked which color is the hardest to measure and control. Can you guess what it is? Overly s...

Tim Mouw is our Manager of Applications Engineering & Technical Support for the Americas. Tim is so knowledgeable about the impact of color in many industries, and his stories always intrigue us. Tim has authored many X-Rite Pantone blogs, including: What is metamerism, and why should you care? Effective ways to measure reflective surfaces What’s sabotaging your sustainability efforts? 5 color evaluation pitfalls to avoid Why is controlling color so hard? We recently sat down with him to...

Whether it’s using Munsell Color Standards or one of our many color measurement devices, X-Rite helps manufacturers around the world achieve accurate color. We talked to our support team to learn about some of the most interesting ways people have used our equipment to measure and control color. From archeologists to fur traders and gastroenterologists, here are a few of our favorites. In 2014, the city of Los Angeles used one of our handheld spectrophotometers to help remove more than 37 millio...

For many of us, fun in the sun can lead to a summertime tan. The science behind this sun + skin interaction is melanin, a skin pigment our body releases to block the UV rays found in sunlight. The more time we spend in the sun, the more melanin is released, and the darker (or more freckled) our skin becomes. This shift in skin tone doesn’t matter for most people, but for prosthetic wearers even a slight change can be a big deal. Here’s how Royal Preston hospital in the United Kingdom is using co...

When visually evaluating color, everyone accepts or rejects color matches based on their color perception skills. In manufacturing, this subjectivity can lead to confusion and frustration between customers, suppliers, vendors, production, and management. Are these acceptable color differences? This is why color measurement devices are important in so many industries. By measuring colors using a spectrophotometer, you can communicate and compare spectral data for exact results. To aid in color...

In an effort to reduce costs and keep up with demand, many U.S. textile and apparel companies are turning to global markets for their raw materials. According to a recent study by The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, this trend has been spurred by trade agreements, and it’s putting a lot of pressure on manufacturers to find suppliers with high quality raw materials at low prices. Since final products are only as consistent as their raw materials, working with a v...

Beginning around the 1930s, the rules of fashion dictated no white before Memorial Day. It was a status symbol when the wealthy left their winter garments behind and headed to the beach for the summer with their lightweight, carefree clothes. Although the rule still loosely applies, modern-day fashion is more concerned with the brightness of your whites than when you start wearing them. So how do manufacturers ensure their products are as white as they can be? What are Optical Brightening Agents...

Real or fake? When it comes to medicating children, consumers need to know the products they choose are genuine. When you hear the word counterfeiting, do you automatically think of counterfeit money? Unfortunately counterfeiting goes much farther than that. It’s impacting just about every industry worldwide. It is a huge problem for product integrity and results in financial loss. Estimates put counterfeited and pirated goods at some 2 to 2.5% of world trade, with a value of $600 billion or mor...

Have you ever walked out of the house wearing two black socks, only to arrive at work and realize one of them is navy blue? If so, you’ve been a victim of metamerism. Metamerism is a phenomenon that occurs when two colors appear to match under one lighting condition, but not when the light changes. Metameric matches are quite common, especially in near neutral colors like grays, whites, and dark colors like these. As colors become lighter or more saturated, the range of possible metameric ...

Today is Earth Day. You know the buzz phrase – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – but do you know what it means for your manufacturing process? Designed by Freepik Here are the top three places in a color workflow that can sabotage a company’s sustainability efforts. Not monitoring color throughout production, which leads to expensive rework and wasted raw materials. Incorrect colorant formulation. Are you using too much? Are you wasting the leftovers? Sending color samples back and forth and long approv...

Physical standards are one of the most precise ways to communicate color in many industries, including textiles, print, automotive, paints, food, chemicals, packaging, and plastics. Many brand owners and designers communicate color expectations using physical standards, and suppliers and manufacturers rely on them to capture spectral data for formulation. While physical standards can be a great help, they can also hurt business if they’re not cared for properly. Today we’ll look at five tips to...

Did you know that many of the products you use every day contain optical brighteners? Optical brightening agents are chemicals that manufacturers add to products like paper, plastics, and textiles to make them appear whiter and brighter, and to lessen the natural yellowing process that happens over time. They also add these chemicals to cleaning agents to enhance the appearance of materials – primarily textiles – after cleaning. Often unacknowledged by the typical consumer, OBAs trick our eyes i...

Sharing a strong passion for how color can transform a face, mood or even an attitude, Pantone® has once again partnered with Sephora, the leading beauty specialty retailer, to create another extraordinary PANTONE Color of the Year cosmetic collection. Launched on December 26th, the SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE collection includes a 24-color eyes palette, a matte lipstick in each color, and a 5-piece lip gloss set. The first SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE collection was released in 2011 with Tangerine...

Which of these swatches would you call bright red? PANTONE FASHION, HOME + INTERIORS Color Specifier pages Speaking the language of color isn’t like giving someone your phone number and expecting they’ll remember it. Our minds just don’t process color like that. While vague color descriptions are sufficient for many people – “Turn left at the blue house” or “choose the reddest strawberries” – if you work in an industry where color is important, you need to know how to speak a much more spe...

Green is green, right? Maybe if you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, but not when your bottom line is impacted by color accuracy. In the color industry, a tolerance is the acceptable amount of difference between a standard (the color you’re trying to match) and a sample (the color you are producing). To determine whether a color is within tolerance, many manufacturers use a color measurement device called a spectrophotometer to measure both colors and compare the difference be...

If you work in an industry where color accuracy is important, you know that lighting plays a huge role in how you perceive color. A light booth is a crucial part of any visual evaluation program. It can help you verify whether the color of your product is acceptable, plus ensure it will remain accurate in every lighting condition after purchase. When parts are manufactured at different factories, a light booth should also be used to make sure they continue to match under any lighting condition o...

No matter the industry, consistency and exacting data are essential to every color quality control program. Whether you’re communicating color, making color decisions, or conducting diagnostics testing based on color, you can rely on Munsell Color standards. These honey, syrup, and molasses standards help the USDA determine which products pass inspection. Along with its huge library of color standards, Munsell Color can also produce custom physical standards to help you validate you...

The Fundamentals of Color and Appearance – FOCA for short – is a very popular one-day seminar for anyone who deals with color. From the best way to communicate color so everyone is speaking the same language, to tips for judging the smallest color differences, you’ll learn everything you need to know to measure, view, and understand color data in any industry. Whether you’re dealing with plastics, textiles or paints, or using dyes, inks or other colorants, the basics of color are very similar. B...

January is a popular time for “Top” lists. The Top 100 Songs. The Top 20 News Stories. The Top 50 Travel Destinations. We’re looking back too, and blog readership is one area we find very interesting. Today we’ll share the Top 5 Posts of 2015, what we think they say about you – our blog readers – and how we plan to continue these popular conversations in 2016. New in 2015: The X-Rite Pantone Customer Center at our corporate headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan is a great place to see our produ...

Pantone®, an X-Rite company, recently announced a pair of complementary shades as its 2016 Color of the Year:  PANTONE 15-3919 Serenity and PANTONE 13-1520 Rose Quartz. The PANTONE Color of the Year announcement is always exciting because it sets the stage for upcoming trends. The Color of the Year selection process is very thoughtful and a lot of consideration is given to the color choices. To arrive at the selection each year, Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institut...

Using a spectrophotometer to measure color doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to capture accurate data. The most common reason for incorrect measurements and inconsistent readings among instruments is using the wrong device settings. Today we’ll look at five things you must consider when setting up your device and taking measurements. Illuminant and Observer angle The illuminant describes the color of the light under which you’re judging colors. To accurately determine how the color will...

The trick to color success isn’t just selecting the right tools. You need to know how to use them. Even the most expensive spectrophotometer won’t be helpful if you don’t know which aperture size to choose during setup or which tolerancing model to follow. Since color workflows are specific to industry, products, and color needs, it’s not possible to establish one single process that works for everyone. That’s where X-Rite Color Experts come in. Whether you need hel...

As an Applications Engineer and Technical Support Specialist at X-Rite, I get a lot of calls from frustrated customers who don’t understand why they can’t get their color right. They’re tired of the trial and error, rework, and wasted materials that are impacting their bottom line and credibility with customers. They just want their color workflow to WORK and FLOW. Why is it so hard? Today we’ll walk through the top 8 reasons color control programs fail, so you can evalua...

What happens to products when color goes wrong? It’s wrong color that keeps discount stores in business. Copy paper that isn’t quite bright enough, a label with the wrong color red, or a pillowcase that’s a shade off from the rest of the sheets, and the product is rejected. A discounter can buy the whole lot for a fraction of the cost and sell it for profit. This, of course, is not good for manufacturers, and it is the real reason color control in manufacturing is so important. From color speci...

The spectral reflectance curve provided by a spectrophotometer is commonly known as the color’s “fingerprint”. Spectrophotometers are color measurement devices used to capture and evaluate color. As part of a color control program, brand owners and designers use them to specify and communicate color, and manufacturers use them to monitor color accuracy throughout production. Spectrophotometers can measure just about anything, including liquids, plastics, paper, metal and fabr...

Many companies spend a lot of time and money on color measurement instruments and software but forget about the importance of lighting when approving products for shipment. When used properly, spectrophotometers and color management software can tell you if your colors are within tolerance, and they can also manage gloss and metamerism (see explanation of metamerism below). However, you could still be sending out unsatisfactory parts if they don’t look right after they’re assembled, once they hi...

From laundry soap to paper to socks, it seems that manufacturers everywhere are trying to achieve the brightest whites, and consumers are certainly buying in. These companies use chemical dyes called OBAs to make their whites “whiter” and stay ahead of the competition. OBA stands for optical brightening agent. You may also have heard it called FWA (Fluorescent Whitening Agent), optical brightener, fluorescent dye, or even just whitener. An optical brightening agent is a special type of dye that ...

As we’ve talked about in previous posts, proper lighting conditions are crucial for evaluating color. The best way to know you’re seeing color accurately is to evaluate your samples in a quality light booth. But what if you don’t have a light booth available? Pantone has solved this problem with its LIGHTING INDICATOR Stickers. They’re economical, easy to use, and the second best way to find out if your viewing conditions are right for color evaluation. Here’...

Whether you’re printing on press or replicating a brand’s colors on the web, PANTONE’s Color Systems are the gold standard for communicating color specification and quality control. They provide a common language for color so specifiers and manufacturers can be sure they understand the customer’s expectations and reproduce those colors, even if they’re a world away. The PANTONE PLUS SERIES COLOR BRIDGE Set provides process color simulations of all solid PANTONE Colors as a side-by-side compariso...

X-Rite manufactures and supports color measurement solutions for global markets where color and appearance matter. We build and service each product in an environment that adheres to the highest standards and strictest tolerances. Our lean manufacturing process, Six Sigma mentality, and ISO 9001 and 17025 certifications provide confidence that every device you receive from X-Rite will work exactly as designed. Today we’ll take a look at what you need to do to protect your investment, from regula...

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...

Color mistakes are expensive, and can happen anywhere in the process – during specification, formulation, manufacturing, assembly or – worst case – all of the above. Colors easily drift from raw materials to parts assembly and production – one loose screw in a projection molder and the color will shift. When productions and parts are created in various locations, things get further complicated. Who has time for rework? And who wants to explain the wasted time and materials? Every mistake is expensive. Adding mistakes to mistakes across the entire process is very expensive.

In addressing these issues, data is your friend. Measuring color, across the supply chain and during manufacturing and assembly is the only true way to ensure that color remains consistent. This is foundational to creating a color-managed workflow, and X-Rite’s new Ci7x00 series of benchtops sets a new benchmark for the industry. With up to five aperture sizes and three automated UV filters, the Ci7x00 devices can measure pretty much any surface, size and texture, including opaque, transparent and translucent, wet or dry, with or without gloss. Couple this with customer-friendly service and on-site maintenance for many issues, and you will be the color hero in your department.

So how do you know the color you measured is the color you want?