Suchen Sie eine zentrale Plattform zur Verwaltung Ihrer Produkte und Dienstleistungen von X-Rite? Dann sollten Sie sich My X-Rite ansehen. Ganz gleich, ob Sie Produktinformationen oder Support, Details zu Services oder Zugang zu Schulungsressourcen benötigen, ist unser kostenloses Online-Portal nur wenige Klicks entfernt. Zugang rund um die Uhr: Von Ihrem Computer oder Mobilgerät haben Sie rund um die Uhr einfachen Zugang zu Ihrem persönliches Dashboard. Persönlich...

Wie in vielen anderen Bereichen der Druckindustrie können kleinere Auflagen und kürzere Zykluszeiten selbst die effizientesten Großformatdruckereien für Werbetechnik unter Druck setzen. Durch die Implementierung eines Farbmanagement-Workflows RIP-zu-Rolle (oder eines Workflows RIP-zu-starren Materialien) können diese Unternehmen sicherstellen, dass Farben immer – auch gleich beim ersten Mal – perfekt sind, um die Arbeitsabläufe zu beschleunigen und die ...

Farbpräzision in der Druck- und Verpackungswelt setzt voraus, dass Ihnen die richtigen Tools zur Verfügung stehen. Wir wissen, wie schwierig es sein kann, aus unzähligen Optionen die richtige Wahl zu treffen. Doch keine Angst, wir haben Ihnen den Entscheidungsprozess erleichtert. Hier ist unsere Liste der Spitzengeräte zur Farbabstimmung, die jeweils unterschiedliche Anforderungen erfüllen:   eXact™ 2 Tragbares Spektralfotometer für Papier, Wellpapp...

Starbucks hat mit vier neuen festlichen Tassen-Designs erneut die Weihnachtszeit eröffnet. In diesem Jahr überraschten sie uns mit einem magentafarbenen Akzent, der „die traditionellen Festtagsfarben hebt und das Rot noch heller aussehen lässt“, sagte Kristy Cameron, Kreativdirektorin von Starbucks. Im Rausch des Weihnachtseinkaufs spielt die Verpackung eine entscheidende Rolle, um potenzielle Käufer auf sich aufmerksam zu machen. Es kann jedoch eine entmutigen...

Working in prepress holds a unique challenge. Even if your color workflow is tight, everything can fall apart if the customer’s file isn’t color managed. We’ve all seen it. You receive a file that the customer claims is ready to print, yet when you open it on your computer, the colors don’t look right at all. You can’t send it to print without knowing for sure, because you’re the one who will take the hit for wasted time and materials if it’s wrong....

If ensuring color consistency is part of your job description, you’ll want to learn more about PantoneLIVE. Our customers report that it helps them get products to market an average of four times faster! PantoneLIVE is an end-to-end, digital color communication ecosystem that helps everyone involved in a packaging workflow visualize and communicate color. It shows which colors are achievable, and which are not, across everything from flexible packaging to corrugated board. And, since the digital...

When all of final production packaging comes together on the store shelf, it’s a brand’s moment of truth. Do the stand-up pouches, overwraps, and corrugated POP displays match? How close is the color to its standard? We know you spend so much time and money designing, proofing, sampling, printing, and shipping… so where does the color go wrong? Is it an issue with accuracy, consistency, or both? Package designs come together on the shelf. Here you see pouches, labels, cartons, and corrugated wit...

Was passiert, wenn Sie mehr als 2.000 Markenfarben in einer komplexen globalen Verpackungslieferkette verwalten und kontrollieren müssen? Das wird ganz schön kompliziert! Obwohl es einfacher erscheinen mag, eine neue Farbe zu kreieren als Datenbanken oder Ordner bzw. Mappen mit Farb-Drawdowns nach der am besten passenden Farbe zu durchsuchen, wird es später problematisch. Denn dann ist die Bibliothek so groß, dass Sie sie nicht mehr verwalten können. Einer unserer Kund...

Gerade mal 2 bis 7 Sekunden nehmen sich Kunden oft nur Zeit, um ihre Kaufentscheidung für ein Produkt zu treffen. Das ist der viel diskutierte und in zahlreichen Studien untersuchte „Erste Moment der Wahrheit“. Farbmanagement-Lösungen für Druck- und Verpackungsanwendungen von X-Rite zeichnen sich durch hervorragende Qualitätskontrolle, zuverlässige Farbrezeptierung und hohe Automatisierung aus.     In diesem „Ersten Moment der Wahrheit&ldqu...

Denken Sie bei dem Wort „Apfel“ an Rot, Grün oder Gelb? Was machen Sie, wenn Sie ein Kunde mit einer Beschreibung, die nicht konkret genug ist, um eine bestimmte Farbe bittet? Erfahren Sie, wie etwas scheinbar so Einfaches wie Farbkommunikation bestimmen kann, ob Ihr Farbprogramm gelingt oder scheitert. Ein Bild sagt mehr als tausende Worte, doch Worte allein malen keine tausend Bilder. Wenn es um Farbe geht, drehen sich die Gespräche oft im Kreis. Meist bittet jemand um e...

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...

Jeder, der für Druckerzeugnisse und Verpackungen verantwortlich ist, weiß, dass sich einige Farben, wie Orange, nur mit CMY-Druckfarben nicht reproduzieren lassen. Oft kommt beim subtraktiven Farbdruck eine vierte Farbe, nämlich Schwarz (K), hinzu. Da C+M+Y aufgrund von Unreinheiten in den Druckfarben C (Cyan), M (Magenta) und Y (Gelb) ein schmutziges Braun erzeugen, entsteht durch die Zugabe von echter schwarzer Druckfarbe die Farbtiefe, die CMY allein nicht erreichen kann. Zud...

Um diese Zeit im Jahr ist das Internet immer voll von Top 10 Countdowns. Diese gute alte Tradition stammt aus dem Jahr 1940 – dem Jahr, in dem das Billboard-Magazin seine ersten Charts der meistverkauften Songs veröffentlichte. Seither sind viele auf diesen Zug aufgesprungen, um einen Blick auf die beliebtesten Trends des Vorjahres zu geben.   Seit 2016 veröffentlichen wir unsere meistgelesenen Blogs und freuen uns, dass Wissensthemen, wie Farbwahrnehmung, Toleranzberechnung...

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...

Die Digitaltechnologie verändert die Druckproduktion. Während Offsetdruckereien nach Möglichkeiten suchen, um die Qualität zu verbessern, die Kosten zu senken und die Produktivität zu steigern, wird die Farbküche häufig außer Acht gelassen. Das ist ein großes Manko. Denn wenn Offsetdruckfarben die Spezifikationen nicht einhalten, sind alle Standardisierungsbemühungen im Drucksaal vergebens. Mit den richtigen Tools wird die Farbrezeptierung zu...

Warum Sie Ihr Spektralfotometer kalibrieren sollten Die meisten Farbmessgeräte sind heute zu 100 % digital. Abgesehen von den Glühlampen haben sie kaum noch analoge Bauteile. Obwohl sie weitaus stabiler als ihre analogen Vorgängermodelle sind, haben sie engere Toleranzen und müssen zur Einhaltung dieser strengen Vorgaben regelmäßig kalibriert werden. Stabilität der Glühlampe Beim Ein- und Ausschalten Ihres Geräts ändern sich die Eigenschaften d...

Behaupten Sie, dass Farbe eine große Rolle spielt, wissen aber nicht warum? In Wahrheit ist der Faktor Farbe eine kritische Komponente beim Herstellungsprozess. Leider müssen viele Hersteller feststellen, dass die richtige Farbwiedergabe weitaus schwieriger geworden ist. Zudem fordern ihre Kunden (Markenartikler) die Einhaltung enger Toleranzen. Und zwar aus folgenden Gründen: Fortschritte in der Farbtechnologie, wie etwa Metallic-Verpackungen, Perlglanzlacke, individuell gestal...

Metallisierte Substrate, wie zweiteilige Metallverpackungen, sind kostspielig in der Herstellung und erschweren die Farbkontrolle. Viele Hersteller in der Metallveredelungsindustrie weigern sich immer noch, die Vorteile der Farbmessung anzuerkennen, obwohl sie die schnellste, präziseste und kostengünstigste Methode zur Gewährleistung der Farbkonstanz in allen Verarbeitungsbetrieben und zur Erreichung der Ziele von Nachhaltigkeitsinitiativen ist. In diesem Blogartikel geht es um: ...

Farbmanagement ist ein Prozess zur Identifizierung und Charakterisierung jedes Geräts im Imaging-Workflow, um zu gewährleisten, dass alle Geräte die gleiche Sprache sprechen. Gemäß der Definition des ICC (International Color Consortium) sorgt ein Farbmanagement-Workflow – angefangen von der Erfassung über das Proofing bis zur endgültigen Ausgabe oder zum Ausdruck – für vorhersehbare, konstante, zuverlässige und wiederholbare Ergebnisse. B...

Das Farbmanagement hat unzählige Möglichkeiten für neue, attraktive Druckfarben auf verschiedensten Bedruckstoffen wie Papier, Stoff, Keramik, transparenten Folien u. v. a. m. eröffnet. Zur verlässlichen Farbgebung bei der Ausführung von Druckaufträgen mit diesen neuen Anwendungen müssen Sie ein Druckerprofil für jede Kombination aus Drucker, Druckfarbe und Bedruckstoff erstellen. X-Rite bietet Ihnen die richtigen Tools, damit Sie Profile im Handumdre...

Beim Einstieg in das Farbmanagement fragen sich Kunden oft: „Worin besteht eigentlich der Unterschied zwischen einem Spektrometer und einem Spektralfotometer?" Da die Schreibweise bis auf eine geringfügige Abweichung nahezu identisch ist, wird diese Frage leicht falsch beantwortet. Worin besteht also der Unterschied? Spektrometer gegenüber Spektralfotometer   Was ist ein Spektralfotometer? Ein Spektralphotometer ist ein Farbmessgerät zur Erfassung und Beurteilung von F...

In dieser Blogreihe haben wir über die zahlreichen Einflussfaktoren für unsere Farbwahrnehmung und darüber gesprochen, was wir tun können, damit die Farben, die wir sehen, richtig sind.. Licht, Netzhautermüdung und Hintergrundeffekte können einen Einfluss auf unsere Farbwahrnehmung haben. Heute befassen wir uns mit den Einschränkungen des menschlichen Auges und Gehirns und erklären, wie man diese Eigenschaften erkennen kann – insbesondere Person...

Es gibt viele Dinge, die sich auf unsere Farbwahrnehmung auswirken. Manchmal kommt es nicht darauf an, ob das Rot, das Sie sehen, der gleiche Rotton ist, den ich sehe. Eine Scheune ist eine Scheune, stimmt‘s? Doch wenn man in einer Branche tätig ist, in der die Farbbeurteilung zum Aufgabengebiet gehört, ist es wichtig… SEHR wichtig. In unserer Blogreihe zur Farbwahrnehmung erläutern wir die zahlreichen Faktoren, die sich auf unsere Farbwahrnehmung auswirken, und wie Farbprofis sicherstellen kö...

Wie viele Versuche brauchen Sie, um eine Farbe zu rezeptieren? Wenn Sie mehr als drei Versuche benötigen, ist es vielleicht an der Zeit, die Hilfe einer computergestützten Lösung in Anspruch zu nehmen. Die computergestützte Farbrezeptierung kann für Ihr Unternehmen enorme Vorteile bringen. Selbst Anfänger können ihre Farbziele schneller erreichen und so Zeit, Geld und teure Farbmittel sparen. Sobald Sie eine genaue Methode entwickelt haben, können Sie davo...

Wir freuen uns sehr, die Markteinführung unseres Spektralfotometers eXact 2 bekannt zu geben. Mit innovativen neuen Funktionen, wie der integrierten hochauflösenden Kamera, integrierten Scan-Rädern und Software-Anbindung (um nur einige zu nennen) wird dieses Gerät neue Maßstäbe für Druckdienstleister, Verpackungs- und Farbhersteller setzen. Da dieses Gerät in drei Modellvarianten erhältlich ist, fragen Sie sich vielleicht, welches eXact 2 für ...

Fragen Sie sich, ob das neue eXact™ 2 für Sie geeignet ist? Hier erläutern wir die wichtigsten Geräte-, Software- und Support-Funktionen für Druckdienstleister und Verpackungshersteller, um Ihnen die Entscheidung zu erleichtern.   Verbesserungen des eXact 2-Geräts für Druckdienstleister und Verpackungshersteller Zuerst erläutern wir die wichtigsten Hardware-Unterschiede zwischen eXact 1 und eXact 2. Um 30 % größeres, klappbares ...

L&E International, Ltd ist ein weltweiter Anbieter von nachhaltigen, innovativen Verpackungslösungen. Als zertifizierter Lieferant von Verpackungen für adidas, Verizon, Amazon (APASS-Anbieter in Asien), Target und viele andere Markenartikler und Einzelhändler muss L&E strenge Markenfarbstandards in vielen Ländern und Herstellungsorten einhalten. Im letzten Jahr hat sich L&E zur Anschaffung und Implementierung digitaler Farbworkflow-Lösungen von X-Rite ents...

Fragen Sie sich, ob das eXactTM für Ihre Farbküche geeignet ist? Hier erläutern wir die wichtigsten Geräte-, Software- und Support-Funktionen für Farbhersteller, um Ihnen die Entscheidung zu erleichtern. Verbesserungen des eXact 2-Geräts für Farbhersteller Zuerst erläutern wir die wichtigsten Hardware-Unterschiede zwischen eXact 1 und eXact 2. Um 30 % größeres, klappbares Display mit doppelt so hoher Auflösung: Obwohl dieser Unte...

Asda brand packaging is printed globally across a variety of suppliers, print processes, and substrates. With a small team of print specialists, it was impossible and impractical for Asda to attend even a small percentage of press passes across all suppliers to validate print quality. Seven years ago, Asda adopted the X-Rite Pantone ColorCert Suite, a digital color program to help them streamline approvals and deliver brand presence and quality assurance on the shelf across their primary and se...

As the range of substrates, inks, and printing technologies has expanded, so has the challenge of maintaining color quality for brands and printers. A workflow based on digital standards is the easiest way to achieve accuracy and consistency across shifts and sites, regardless of production requirements. Adding a quality control solution like ColorCert® to your workflow can boost your bottom line even more. What is ColorCert? ColorCert is a modular, job-based solution that streamlines color ...

Da immer mehr Konsumgüterhersteller Programme zur Qualitätskontrolle von Verpackungen einführen, um Farbtoleranzen zu überwachen, benötigen Converter und Verpackungsdrucker Farbmesslösungen, die sich direkt in Berichtssysteme integrieren lassen. Unsere IntelliTrax2 Pro- und eXact Auto-Scan Pro-Scannerlösungen kombinieren die Leistungsfähigkeit unserer branchenführenden automatisierten Scangeräte mit der Leistungsfähigkeit unserer End-to-End-Softwarelösungen, um die Anforderungen von Markenherste...

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...

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...

In einer qualitativ hochwertigen Lichtkabine lässt sich am besten visualisieren, wie Farbe unter echten Lichtbedingungen aussieht und wirkt. Herkömmliche Lichtkabinen bieten gängige Lichtarten wie Tages-, Glühlampen- und Leuchtstofflampenlicht zur Simulation, wie Farbe im Geschäft und nach dem Kauf draußen und bei Wohnraumlicht aussehen wird. Inzwischen wirkt sich der vermehrte Einsatz von LED-Lampen in privaten, geschäftlichen und Einzelhandelsumgebungen auf ...

Color Matching Software for Retail Paint In the retail paint environment, customer service is key. When a customer brings a paint sample to the counter for a custom match, formulas must be accurate and formulation time must be fast. The faster and more accurately you can match customer paint samples, the more likely they will return with future business. With the right equipment, you can empower your paint counter associates to be true color matching experts and convert your paint department in...

The flexography method of printing uses rotary flexible plates to print directly on the substrate in a single pass. These inked plates are wrapped around cylinders on a web press and rotate at a fast speed to transfer ink. This type of printing is ideal for large quantities and long print runs with a continuous print, such as wallpaper and gift wrap. A flexographic printing press can use a variety of solvent-based, water-based, or UV curable inks. It also adapts well to different materials and ...

In einer perfekten Welt könnten Sie einen Druckauftrag nach Zuführung von Druckfarbe ausführen. Bedauerlicherweise vergeuden Flexo- und Tiefdruckereien jedes Jahr Druckfarbe, Bedruckstoffe und Druckmaschinenzeit, um die richtigen Farben zu erzielen. Obwohl technische Fortschritte die präzise Farbwiedergabe erleichtert haben, gibt es immer noch Variablen, die sich auf Farbe auswirken. In dieser dreiteiligen Serie nennen wir über zwei Dutzend Gründe für mögliche Farbfehler bei der Druckausgabe...

In einer perfekten Welt sollte man in der Lage sein, Farbe in die Druckmaschine zu geben, einen Auftrag auszuführen und Farbkonsistenz zu erreichen. Leider verschwenden Flexo- und Tiefdruckbetriebe jedes Jahr Farbe, Bedruckstoff und Druckmaschinenzeit bei dem Versuch, die richtige Farbe zu finden. Obwohl die Fortschritte in der Technologie es einfacher gemacht haben, Farbgenauigkeit zu erreichen, gibt es immer noch Variablen, die die Farbe beeinflussen. In dieser dreiteiligen Serie stellen...

In einer perfekten Welt könnten Sie einen Druckauftrag nach Zuführung von Druckfarbe ausführen. Bedauerlicherweise vergeuden Flexo- und Tiefdruckereien jedes Jahr Druckfarbe, Bedruckstoffe und Druckmaschinenzeit, um die richtigen Farben zu erzielen. Obwohl technische Fortschritte die präzise Farbwiedergabe erleichtert haben, gibt es immer noch Variablen, die sich auf Farbe auswirken. In dieser dreiteiligen Serie nennen wir über zwei Dutzend Gründe für mögliche Farbfehler bei der Druckausgabe. Ü...

The International Standards Organization has defined ISO 12647 as a set of Graphic Arts standards for printing. Included are eight parts: Part 1:  Print parameters and measurement methods Part 2:  Offset lithographic processes Part 3:  Coldset offset lithography on newsprint Part 4:  Gravure printing Part 5:  Screen printing Part 6:  Flexographic printing Part 7:  Proofing processes working directly from digital data Part 8:  Validation print processes wo...

Druck mit erweitertem Farbraum Durch immer mehr Produktvarianten und Lean Manufacturing (schlanke Produktionsprozesse) sind Druckverarbeiter und Verpackungshersteller gezwungen, schneller und kostengünstiger zu arbeiten. Für Markenartikler und Designer ist der Druck mit erweitertem Farbraum, auch Druck mit fester Farbpalette genannt, eine großartige Möglichkeit zur Spezifikation erzielbarer Farben. Druckverarbeiter und Verpackungshersteller können dadurch die Rüst...

Zur Farbmessung beleuchtet ein Farbmessgerät eine Probe, misst die im Wellenlängenbereich von 380 nm bis 780 nm abgestrahlte oder reflektierte Lichtmenge und quantifiziert sie als Farbmesswert. Die Farbmessung ist notwendig zur Spezifikation, Quantifizierung, Kommunikation und Rezeptierung von Farben sowie zur Prüfung der Farbqualität für farbkritische Arbeiten. Da jeder Mensch eine andere Farbwahrnehmung hat, ist die Farbmessung präziser als die visuelle Beurteilun...

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. ...

ICC-Farbmanagement bedeutet die Einrichtung eines Workflows, der – angefangen von der Erfassung über das Proofing bis zur endgültigen Ausgabe – für vorhersehbare, konstante, zuverlässige und wiederholbare Ergebnisse sorgt. Für einen Farbmanagement-Workflow müssen Sie Ihre Geräte kalibrieren und für jede Komponente – Kamera, Monitor, Projektor, Scanner und Drucker – ein ICC-Profil erstellen.   Gründe für die Kalibrierung und Profilerstellung Zur Erzielung optimaler Ergebnisse müssen Sie j...

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 ...

Einige haben versucht, ihre Geschäfte wie gewohnt fortzusetzen. Andere wiederum haben nach Mittel und Wegen gesucht, um ihr Farbmanagement ohne Reisetätigkeit in den Griff zu bekommen. Ganz gleich wie: Wir wissen, dass unsere Kunden alles in ihrer Macht stehende tun, um ihre Geschäftstätigkeit fortzuführen und die Gesundheit und Sicherheit ihrer Mitarbeiter zu schützen Einige haben versucht, ihre Geschäfte wie gewohnt fortzusetzen. Andere wiederum haben nach Mi...

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 Pantone Color Institute just announced PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating as the Pantone Color of the Year 2021. According to the Pantone Color Institute, PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating, a marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting. Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity, a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power. Ultimate Gray is emblematic of...

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...

Für große Hersteller von Konsumgüterverpackungen hat Nachhaltigkeit oberste Priorität. Nachhaltigkeit bedeutet, dass die Anforderungen unserer Umwelt und zukünftiger Generationen durch die Suche nach Möglichkeiten zur Ausschussreduzierung bei der Produktion berücksichtigt werden. Nachhaltigkeit setzt nicht nur sozial verantwortliches Handeln von Unternehmen voraus. Denn bei bewussten Kaufentscheidungen berücksichtigen die Verbraucher oft auch die Nachhalt...

Wie hoch sind der Zeitaufwand, der Papier- und der Farbverbrauch, weil die Farbwiedergabe nicht stimmt? Bevor Sie Ihrer Druckerei die Schuld dafür geben, sollten Sie Ihren Monitor in Betracht ziehen. Wenn Sie mit einem nicht kalibrierten und nicht profilierten Bildschirm arbeiten, können Sie sich nicht auf die Farben verlassen, die Sie auf dem Bildschirm sehen, was es schwierig macht, gute Entscheidungen bei der Bearbeitung zu treffen. Glücklicherweise ist das Kalibrieren und Pro...

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...

Für ein erfolgreiches Qualitätskontrollprogramm benötigen Sie gute Geräte, zuverlässige Software und geschulte Anwender. Trotzdem gibt es noch typische Fallstricke, auf die man bei der Verwendung eines Spektralfotometers zur Analyse der Farbqualität achten sollte. Measuring plastic parts with the X-Rite Ci7800 benchtop spectrophotometer. Fünf große Fallstricke bei der Farbmessung 1. Unbrauchbare Standards und Proben Physische Standards und Proben h...

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...

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...

In einem hart umkämpften Marktumfeld suchen Markenartikler und Verpackungsdesigner nach Möglichkeiten, damit sich ihre Produkte im Verkaufsregal von Produkten der Konkurrenz abheben. Dabei geht es nicht nur um Farbe, sondern auch um Veredelungsmöglichkeiten, wie Folien, Effektlacke, Oberflächen mit weicher Haptik usw. Auch Designer verwenden immer kräftigere Volltonfarben, fluoreszierende und irisierende Farben – nicht nur beim konventionellen (analogen) Druck. Digitallösungen unterstützen mehr ...

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 ...

Reflective surfaces and metallic inks are very popular for printing and packaging applications. Consumers love the look; but for printers, these substrates and inks are expensive and make color control a challenge. Today we’re taking a look at the measurement options available for controlling these very marketable print and packaging applications to help printers and converters meet brand owner expectations and maintain the highest possible quality output. Sphere vs. 45°:0° - ...

Für den Druck kommen verschiedene Stufen der Prozesssteuerung zum Einsatz. Visuelle Vergleiche ermöglichen zwar die rudimentäre Beurteilung einer Übereinstimmung, können allerdings auch sehr subjektiv sein und sind daher nicht sehr präzise oder wiederholgenau. Die Verwendung eines Densitometers kann dem Druckmaschinenbediener quantitatives, umsetzbares Feedback geben. Dazu gehören Messungen der Volltonfarbdichte, der Tonwertzunahme (auch Punktzuwachs genannt),...

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...

Flexible film does a lot more than protect goods on the store shelf. When done right, film packaging design can capture attention and increase product sales. But measuring color on film substrates can be challenging, even for the most sophisticated converter. Here's what you need to know to successfully control print color on flexible film. Does your film exhibit interference? When you measure flexible film with a traditional 45°:0° spectrophotometer, the way you position the instr...

Unsere Kunden, die jetzt im Homeoffice arbeiten, müssen sich darüber im Klaren sein, dass selbst die Änderung einer kleinen Variablen – wie der Farbfreigabe zu Hause unter anderen Lichtbedingungen oder der Zusendung der Farbspezifikationen per E-Mail anstelle einer physischen Probe – zu Farbfehlern führen kann. Diese Fehler können wiederum ein größeres Farbproblem zur Folge haben. Die erste und wichtigste Phase bei der Farbqualitätskontrolle ...

Spektralfotometer sind Farbmessgeräte zur Erfassung und Beurteilung von Farben. Im Rahmen eines Programms zur Kontrolle und Sicherung der Farbqualität kommen sie bei Markenartiklern und Designern für die Farbspezifikation und -kommunikation und bei Herstellern zur Überwachung der Farbpräzision während der gesamten Produktion zum Einsatz. Spektralfotometer können nahezu alles messen, einschließlich Flüssigkeiten, Kunststoffen, Papier, Metall und Stoffen, und sorgen für Farbkonstanz von der ersten...

Smartphone-Displays und Computer-Monitore sind das Fenster zur digitalen Farbwelt. Wenn Sie die Farbfreigabe per E-Mail oder Kurznachricht erteilen, sollten Sie die Einschränkungen unbedingt kennen.  Als Einsteiger sollten Sie wissen, dass Ihre Geräte jeweils auf verschiedenen Farbmodellen zur Anzeige von Farben basieren. Eingabegeräte, d. h. Kameras und Monitore, nutzen das additive Farbmodell für die Anzeige von Farben. Sie erzeugen ein Farbspektrum durch die Zugabe von rotem, g...

Umfasst Ihr Programm für Farbqualitätssicherung auch visuelle Beurteilung? Die Beleuchtung spielt eine große Rolle bei unserer Farbwahrnehmung. Sie kann Ihnen dabei helfen, zu prüfen, ob die Farbe Ihres Produkts akzeptabel ist und unter allen denkbaren Lichtverhältnissen nach dem Kauf konstant bleibt.     Für viele unserer Kunden ist die visuelle Farbbeurteilung noch wichtiger, da sie die Farbprüfung und -freigabe an einen anderen Ort, wie etwa in das Home-Office oder eine andere e...

Bei der Farbwahrnehmung spielen viele Faktoren eine Rolle, wie u. Licht, Erbanlagen, Umgebung, menschliche Eigenschaften und sogar Müdigkeit. Eine von 255 Frauen und einer von 12 Männern haben Probleme bei der Farbunterscheidung. Könnten Sie dazugehören? Mit unserem Online-Farbsehtest können Sie Ihr Farbsehvermögen prüfen – schnell, einfach und noch dazu unterhaltsam.     Unabhängig von Ihrem Farbsehvermögen können Ihnen Ihre Augen bei der Kommunikation, Beurteilung oder Fre...

Farbe war immer schon ein kritischer Faktor für unsere Kunden. Aufgrund der COVID-19-Pandemie müssen viele inzwischen versuchen, das Design, die Spezifikation, Kommunikation und korrekte Wiedergabe von Farben mit weniger Personal und Ressourcen extern – häufig im Homeoffice – zu bewerkstelligen. Haben Sie Probleme bei der Umsetzung und Einhaltung Ihres Farbprogramms in diesen schwierigen Zeiten?  Wir haben eine Liste unserer beliebtesten Ressourcen – Blogs, Videos, Whitepaper, Webinar...

G7® is a proof-to-print process control method that allows you to reliably and efficiently match the visual appearance of the output from multiple printing devices. It works by defining the gray balance and NPDC curves in conjunction with the traditional method of measuring tonal value increase (TVI/dot gain) for each color. G7 can be applied to any type of printing, regardless of the type of ink or printing method, including all types of digital, offset, flexo, gravure printing.   It&r...

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 ...

Obwohl es den Digitaldruck schon seit vielen Jahren gibt, befindet sich die Branche derzeit in einem dramatischen Wandel. Positiv ist, dass die Digitaldrucktechnologie mit länger haltbaren Druckfarben arbeitet und höhere Zuverlässigkeit, längere Drucklebensdauer, Kosteneinsparungen und Effizienzsteigerungen bietet. Doch aufgrund dieser Veränderungen müssen Druckdienstleister ihre Arbeitsweise anpassen, um wettbewerbsfähig zu bleiben.   Laut Allied Mar...

Wenn es um unsere Farbwahrnehmung geht, lassen sich unsere Augen täuschen. Das liegt zum Teil an unserem „bescheidenen Gehirn“, das eine ungeheure Fülle von Informationen bestmöglich verarbeiten muss. Es kann auch mit unserer genetischen Veranlagung und Umgebung zu tun haben. Fakt ist: Jeder von uns hat eine andere Farbwahrnehmung. Die größte Auswirkung auf unsere Farbwahrnehmung hat auf jeden Fall LICHT.  Ohne technisch ins Detail zu gehen, hier nur ei...

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...

The eXact is a handheld 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. With so many to choose from, it can be hard to know which eXact model is right for you. Today’s blog can help you decide. Explore by eXact Model eXact Basic Densitometer: If...

Farbmessgeräte dienen zur Erfassung, Kommunikation und Beurteilung von Farben. Angefangen von Kartonverpackungen für Lebensmittel bis hin zu Waschmitteln, Teppichen oder kleinen Kunststoffteilen sollen diese Farbmessgeräte dafür sorgen, dass die Farbwiedergabe mit der ursprünglichen Farbspezifikation übereinstimmt. Hinter den Kulissen kommen sie in nahezu allen Branchen zum Einsatz, in denen Farben eine wichtige Rolle spielen, wie u. a. in der Kunststoff-, Textil-, Anstrichmittel-, Lack-, Druck-...

Die Übereinstimmung zwischen den Geräten ist ein sehr wichtiger Aspekt bei der Auswahl von Farbmessgeräten für Ihren Arbeitsablauf. Leider ist dies ein so technisches Thema, dass es schwer zu verstehen ist, was es bedeutet und warum es so wichtig ist. Das Ci7860 Tisch-Spektralfotometer hat eine durchschnittliche Delta E*-Spezifikation von 0,06 zwischen den Geräten, die es Marken ermöglicht, die präzisesten Master-Farbstandards zu erstellen. Heute wollen wir ...

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...

Controlling color on cylindrical-shaped items like cups, cans, and tubes is a challenge because it’s hard to properly align the measurement device with the sample. Many printers and manufacturers cut a piece from the finished product and lay it flat to take a measurement. While this method works, each sample takes time to cut, wastes product, and risks the safety of the employees who are cutting the samples.  A Faster, Safer Solution X-Rite’s Cup and Cylinder Fixture works ...

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...

Hitting offset lithographic color targets isn’t always fast or easy. The manual process of measuring color bars and making ink key adjustments takes time and opens the door to operator error. Meanwhile, the press is running (and wasting) paper and ink. To achieve accurate and repeatable color, printers need to convert their printing operation to an efficient manufacturing process and drive efficiencies in all phases of their operation. For many, a closed-loop automated solution is the...

Ihr Kunde hat Ihre letzte Lieferung aufgrund der Farbe reklamiert. Sie haben die Farbe vor dem Versand auf Einhaltung der Toleranz geprüft... Sie haben alles wie beim letzten Mal gemacht; die Farbe lag im Toleranzbereich... Also warum wurde sie jetzt abgelehnt? Diese Frage stellen uns Kunden immer wieder. Der gefürchtete „Fehlerstapel“ Farbreklamationen verursachen Ausschuss und höhere Produktionskosten. Leider tragen viele Variable zu der von Ihnen erstellten Farbe b...

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...

Closed-loop color can mean something different to different audiences. When I first think about closed-loop color control, I may think about the pressroom, where it is really just a question of integrating measurements directly from the press, adjusting them, measuring and reporting, offering a nice closed-loop system that adjusts, controls, and allows me to report the results. But that’s really only one small aspect. You can incorporate a loop from the ink room, for instance, and bring t...

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...

The two most common spectrophotometers are the 0:45 and the sphere (aka diffuse/8°). We get a lot of questions about which is the best choice. Here’s the difference in how these two devices measure color, and guidelines for when to use each. 0:45 In a “fixed geometry” or “single angle” device, the first number is the starting point of the light, and the second number is where the light ends up after the reflection off the surface of the sample. In a 0:45 ...

For over a decade omni-channel has been a term used to describe digital and physical marketing. While many have strived to achieve an omni-channel strategy, unifying the digital and physical customer experiences have been an ongoing challenge for marketers. However, that may be changing. Advances in augmented reality (AR) can help to bring these two worlds together. Over the next few years, I believe we will see significant adoption of AR technology by brands and retailers as a way to engage con...

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...

The Pantone Color Institute just announced PANTONE® 18-3838 Ultra Violet as the Pantone Color of the Year 2018! This news is always exciting because it sets the stage for upcoming trends for everything from housewares to fashion to packaging design. In fact, we have already seen shades of Color of the Year used in packaging and graphic design by forward-looking brands in the CPG, luxury, and beauty worlds as well as by personalities and artists seeking to stand out. Part of butt...

You think you’re doing everything right, but your color isn’t consistent. Why? Through the years, designers have used many tools to help them specify color. Color swatches, style guides and product prototypes have been effective, but with the advent of the digital world, these physical tools are no longer enough. To be efficient, designers need to be SPECIFIC. X-Rite Pantone President Ron Voigt recently published an article in MediaPost that explains why. To be effective, designers n...

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 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...

With today’s complex cross-media campaigns, accurate profiling is even more important for managing customer expectations across the color supply chain. Our i1Pro 2 solutions help photographers, videographers, prepress and digital printers create profiles for the best color on monitors, scanners, projectors, printers, and online web-to-print submission tools. But with so many to choose from, how do you know which is the right tool for your color workflow? Whether you’re looking to add a new comp...

It’s been said that everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten. Does this phrase ring true for print and packaging designers? In the spirit of spring, we attempted to use a simple childhood activity—dyeing eggs—to solve some of the most perplexing color issues facing the packaging designer/printer relationship.                 Here are three lessons to learn about color in print and packaging from our annual egg dyeing ...

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 ...

If you didn’t catch my Industry 4.0: What Commercial Printers Need to Know article, you’ll want to check it out now. Today’s blog is a continuation, touching on the most interesting print color management tie-ins: PQX, iccMAX, mobile control and new materials. Here’s what on the horizon for color-managed workflows. Image courtesy of Esko.com. Print Quality eXchange PQX was a global effort developed by Idealliance, and is now moving to ISO to be issued as a standard. It ...

If you’re a commercial printer who wants to improve color quality and consistency and stay current on industry trends, you need to be aware of Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 can mean different things to different people, but it generally refers to the fourth industrial revolution, which incorporates trends in automation, data exchange, smart systems, and the Internet of Things. Image courtesy of Christoph Roser at AllAboutLean.com. Today I’ll explain what Industry 4.0 means for co...

Earlier this week my colleague, Shoshana Burgett wrote about six manufacturing trends to watch for in 2017. It’s now time to look into my crystal ball and see what trends converters, commercial printers and graphic designers should be following in the next 12 – 18 months. Extended/Expanded Gamut 2017 could be the year where extended gamut printing really breaks out. This year both industry professionals and standards organizations have been taking a look at printing beyond traditional 126...

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 you walk into a salon for a manicure or visit your favorite beauty products store, are you overwhelmed by the number of nail polish colors to choose from, but can’t actually find the color you want? This is a problem Ashley Morgan set out to solve. Morgan, who has a fine arts degree, has spent the last 15 years designing video games. She’s both creative and tech savvy. “I’m a nail polish advocate, and I don’t mind spending the time choosing a nail polish color,” she says. “But the availabl...

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...

Weichen Ihre Farbmessergebnisse von der Messergebnissen Ihrer Lieferanten ab? Wenn ja, dann stehen Sie damit nicht alleine da. Sie müssen dieses Problem unbedingt beheben. Wenn Ihre Messergebnisse nicht mit denen Ihrer Lieferanten übereinstimmen, lehnen Sie u. U. fälschlicherweise Materialien ab oder lehnen Materialien NICHT ab, die Sie ablehnen SOLLTEN, und verschwenden viel Zeit, Mühe und Geld durch falsche Farbwiedergabe. Nachstehend erläutern wir die 5 Hauptgrü...

If you’re a commercial printer who wants to improve color quality and consistency, this blog is for you. X-Rite color management solutions for print and packaging deliver excellence in quality control, formulation and automation. Ray Cheydleur is a printing industry veteran of more than 20 years, a standards guru, and our Portfolio Manager for Printing and Imaging Products. Passionate and very knowledgeable about color, he has a talent for helping printers improve their color quality and c...

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...

Each year Printing News asks their readers which new products made the most difference in their productivity. We’re excited to announce that our very own i1iSis 2 and i1iSis 2 XL are among the winners! These two automated chart readers are the latest members of the popular i1iSis solutions family for pre-press, pre-media, photo, and pressroom color management and profiling. In high production environments such as photo processing, large format, fine art and high-speed digital printing, frequen...

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...

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...

If so, we’d like you to know there’s an easier way. An upgrade from the original IntelliTrax, IntelliTrax2 is an automated, non-contact scanning system that makes it easy for busy pressrooms to measure color bars and press sheets without the risk of human error. Adding press-side quality control into your color workflow can shorten your makeready, reduce waste, and help you get to optimum color quality fast. IntelliTrax2 is an ideal color management solution for high-end, high-speed commercial ...

drupa 2016 was such a success! It’s not often we get to spend so much time talking one-on-one with our customers from around the world, and we enjoyed every minute! We met so many wonderful people and learned so many things. Although it’s hard to pick, here are a few of our favorite experiences from drupa 2016. 1 – THE SYNERGY! This time at drupa, we decided to join forces with Esko, Enfocus and Pantone to showcase our end-to–end color management solutions. Although the drupa orga...

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...

Beginning around the 1930’s, 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? Optical brightening agents ...

Drupa starts tomorrow, and we couldn’t be more excited! This year X-Rite Pantone is teaming up with our partners Esko, Enfocus, and MediaBeacon to showcase a number of innovations around digital color communication. The move to digital can make a big impact on a company’s bottom line… read our recent blog to learn how. Covering 900-square meters in Hall 8b, stand A23, our booth includes six print and packaging inspiration zones that walk visitors through an ideal color workflow, from color inspi...

X-Rite Pantone® brings together the art and science of color to empower brands and packaging converters to deliver on design and color intent for their packaging. Last week we were in Atlanta at HOW Design LIVE 2016, introducing a few new tools that can help designers achieve color fidelity. HOW is a more than just a conference for designers and brands – it’s an inspiration-packed, global creative gathering of the industry’s best. This made it the best place for us to showcase Panton...

We’ve all done it. Snapped a picture on a digital camera or smart phone, sent it to the computer, made a few adjustments, then sent it off to print…. only to be disappointed. The sky looks green. Grandma’s hair is purple. The contrast is so far off you can’t even see that cute little puppy. Stupid camera. The struggle is real for so many people, from hobbyist to professional photographers, graphic designers, and professional printers. Let’s look into this all-too-common mystery of the off-color ...

From May 31 to June 10, nineteen exhibition halls in Düsseldorf, Germany will come to life for the print industry’s leading global trade fair – drupa. Those who are lucky enough to attend will get to see and experience new color technologies and innovative concepts. X-Rite Pantone will be among the exhibitors, showcasing our latest print and packaging solutions. Since we know not everyone will be able to attend this event, we’ll keep you updated on what’s happening here, on the blog. Digital mod...

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...

You’re at the grocery store, trying to choose a new snack. With so many brands on the shelf, how will you decide? If you’re like most consumers, you’ll probably reach for the most attractive package. Color and packaging play a leading role in brand success, and metallized substrates are more popular than ever. Consumers love them because they convey quality and offer additional strength and protection, but for printers, metallized substrates are expensive and make print color ...

Sind Sie schon jemals mit zwei schwarzen Socken aus dem Haus gegangen und haben erst am Arbeitsplatz festgestellt, dass ein Socken dunkelblau ist? Wenn ja, sind Sie dem Metamerie-Effekt zum Opfer gefallen. Metamerie ist ein Phänomen, das auftritt, wenn zwei Farben unter einer Lichtquelle gleich, doch bei Änderung der Lichtart unterschiedlich aussehen. Metamere Farbpaare sind recht üblich, insbesondere bei neutralen Farbtönen, wie Grau-, Weiß- und dunklen Farbtönen ...

Ganz gleich, was Sie herstellen: Farbmessungen sorgen dafür, dass Ihre Farben während der gesamten Produktion präzise und konstant bleiben. Bei der Auswahl des für Ihre Anforderungen am besten geeigneten Spektralphotometers sollten Sie vor allem die Art der zu messenden Oberfläche berücksichtigen. Die Farbmessung bei glänzenden Oberflächen ist problematisch, weil Glanz die Farbwahrnehmung beeinflusst. Glanz entsteht, wenn eine Oberfläche das auftreffende Licht spiegelnd reflektiert. Da Spektra...

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...

It’s no secret that if you can hit your color the first time, you’re going to save a lot of time and money. But with printing becoming an increasingly global function, achieving accurate color is more difficult than ever. Many companies have distributed printing plants or operate in partnership with other printers around the world. A job might start with a brand manager in Los Angeles, move to a designer in Paris, and be sent to three different states to be printed on different substrates. Ever...

Julie Shaffer is Vice President of Education and Marketing Strategies at Printing Industries of America. Each year the PIA organizes a color management conference to bring industry professionals together to learn the latest trends and technologies, network with fellow attendees, and discover how to communicate color effectively. We were lucky enough to sit down with Julie at Color ’15 to learn more about the conference and some of the color challenges printers face today. Listen in as she shares...

Extended gamut printing is becoming more and more popular in the printing industry. With Pantone’s new EXTENDED GAMUT Guide, printers and designers have a visual guide to help predict how close of a match is possible when they use 7-color process in place of spot inks.   Ron Voigt, President of X-Rite Pantone, was recently interviewed on the topic by Cary Sherburne, senior editor at WhatTheyThink.  According to Voigt, the EXTENDED GAMUT Guide helps printers visualize how well Pantone...

The Color Management Group is a blend of certified consultants and resellers who provide products and services to many industries around the world, including graphic arts, photography, textile, and printing and packaging. CMG members have years of experience and a long list of industry certifications. They also have a reputation for providing fast and effective solutions to help businesses of any size implement color management, process control, and standardization. The Color Management Group wa...

In a perfect world, you should be able to put ink in the press and run a job.  Unfortunately, there are so many variables that affect color that printing operations often waste thousands of pounds of substrate, and thousands of dollars in press time, making adjustments. Advancements in technology have made it easier to measure color, but the variables still exist. To help you over come them, we’ll be featuring a series that points out many of the reasons your color could go wrong at press side....

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...

Mark Gundlach is a Solutions Architect with X-Rite Pantone. He visits facilities to assess their current workflow and help them come up with solutions – whether it be training, software or hardware – to improve their productivity and lower their costs. He is also an expert in the Pantone Certified Printer Program. Recently we sat down with him to learn more about the program, and what it takes to become Pantone Certified. Mark, can you tell us about the Pantone Certified Printer Program and wh...

Many print shops use more than one color measurement instrument, especially for cross-media color reproduction. But if you’ve ever measured the same color with different instruments, you’ve probably noticed that the numbers don’t always match. Why is that? Spectrophotometers measure color by capturing the ratio of reflected or transmitted light from the surface of the sample and comparing it to a known reference standard. The result is a spectral fingerprint for that color. But since calibration...

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...

If you use eXact with BestMatch™, the answer might be yes. BestMatch helps you determine if you can achieve a closer match to a specified color by adjusting ink on press. Formulating ink for a press run can be tricky because there are many things that go into it. The vehicle, colorants, and solvents are just a few of the things that impact ink quality, and whether it comes from your ink supplier or you mix it yourself, ink can vary in thickness or concentration. With BestMatch, you can confirm t...

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...

FLEXO Magazine just published a study conducted by Clemson University, Sun Chemical, and X-Rite that verifies that PantoneLIVE Dependent Standard Targets can be achieved with 98% accuracy. This is big news for the many brand owners, designers, prepress professionals, printers and converters around the world who rely on PantoneLIVE to communicate and accurately produce their color. The focus of PantoneLIVE is to protect brand colors and ensure production consistency across everything from flexibl...

The X-Rite eXactTM is a portable spectrophotometer designed for pressroom use. Two big reasons for its success are it’s cordless operation and innovative color touch screen, which it make it very easy for printers and packaging converters to understand, control, manage, and communicate color from anywhere on the pressroom floor. Today we’ll take a look at the top five features that make the eXact an invaluable tool for offset litho, flexo, and digital printers. Wireless operation, plus unteth...

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...

Each year the Printing Industries of America selects the most innovative graphics arts solutions to receive the 2015 InterTech™ Technology Awards. This year, the X-Rite eXactTM spectrophotometer with Scan Option was among the recipients of this prestigious award. Today we’ll take a look at the top features that make the eXact with Scan Option a star with offset litho, flexo, and digital printers. X-Rite eXact is the only device that measures for optical brighteners for both inks and substrate...

Viele Unternehmen investieren viel Zeit und Geld in Farbmessgeräte und Software, lassen jedoch außer Acht, welche Rolle die Lichtverhältnisse bei der Lieferfreigabe ihrer Produkte spielen. Bei sachgemäßer Verwendung können Spektralfotometer und Farbmanagement-Software Ihnen sagen, ob die Farben innerhalb des Toleranzbereichs liegen, und Glanz und Metamerie-Effekte (siehe Erklärung zu Metamerie unten) berücksichtigen. Trotzdem ist es noch möglich, da...

To achieve predictable, repeatable color on a flexographic press, you need good color management and solid process control. Otherwise, hitting your colors is really just luck. Although it may take a little effort to set up, it’s worth it. Your customers will be more satisfied, and you’ll save time and money through faster make-ready time and fewer reprints. Today we’ll take a look at what’s involved in setting up flexo process control. The X-Rite eXact takes the guesswor...

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...

Density only tells us one thing about a color – how light or dark it is. To compare and communicate accurate color in print and packaging, you also need to measure hue and saturation. Today we’ll take a look at the two most commonly used color models:  CIELAB and L*C*h°, and the tolerancing methods that help us describe color difference. The concept behind CIELAB and L*C*h° is similar to longitude, latitude and altitude … with three coordinates, you can describe the exact location of any place o...

Accurate color is important to brand owners and print shops alike. Brand owners want to know their specified colors can be reliably produced each and every time, and printers need a fail-proof workflow to consistently achieve those colors without rework and waste. The PANTONE® Certified Printer™ Program makes it all possible. PANTONE Certification helps printers establish and maintain effective SOPs and implement benchmark processes, from the ink kitchen through prepress and production. It’s a ...

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...

An X-Rite eXact spectrophotometer reading color patches on a press sheet. Your brand is your image, and accurately reproducing each color is crucial to brand integrity. But as color moves through the supply chain, among machines, printers and sites, a color can quickly shift away from its original intent. Nobody wants rework. It’s expensive! So how do manufacturers know they’re on track? Spectrophotometers allow brand owners to measure and specify color using a universal language—spectral values...

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...