Autura Ink : l’avenir de la formulation d’encre et du contrôle qualité basés sur le cloud La dernière innovation d’X-Rite, Autura Ink, une solution de formulation d’encre et de contrôle qualité basée sur le cloud, a récemment remporté le prestigieux prix Pinnacle Award de PRINTING United Alliance dans la catégorie de la gestion des couleurs et du contrôle qualité. Ce prix récompense l...

Accélérez votre retour sur investissement, votre transformation numérique et votre durabilité grâce à un programme couleur numérique pour le textile Les problèmes de mise sur le marché peuvent être dévastateurs pour n’importe quel type d’entreprise. Les marques de mode, de textiles, de prêt-à-porter et de chaussures s’inquiètent surtout de manquer l’occasion d’augmenter le...

Vous cherchez un emplacement centralisé où gérer vos produits et services X-Rite ? Découvrez My X-Rite. Que vous ayez besoin d’informations ou d’une assistance sur un produit, de détails sur un service ou d’un accès à des ressources d’apprentissage, notre portail en ligne gratuit n’est qu’à quelques clics. Accès 24h/24, 7j/7 : accédez facilement à votre tableau de bord personne...

Starbucks a une fois de plus donné le coup d'envoi de la saison des fêtes avec quatre nouveaux modèles de gobelets festifs. Cette année, ils nous ont surpris avec un accent magenta, qui « rehausse les couleurs traditionnelles des fêtes et rend le rouge encore plus lumineux », a déclaré Kristy Cameron, directrice de la création de Starbucks. Dans la frénésie des achats des fêtes, l'emballage joue un rôl...

L’empreinte écologique de la mode est hors de contrôle. Selon le Conseil de défense des ressources naturelles (NRDC, Natural Resources Defense Council), "les usines textiles génèrent un cinquième de la pollution industrielle de l’eau dans le monde et utilisent 20 000 produits chimiques, dont beaucoup sont cancérigènes, pour fabriquer leurs vêtements". Teinture de tissu en usine. Image de NRDC.org.   Un probl&egr...

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...

Quand quelqu’un dit « pomme », voyez-vous du rouge, du vert ou du jaune ? Que faites-vous si un client vous demande de produire une couleur à partir de descriptions qui ne sont pas assez précises ? Découvrez comment quelque chose d’aussi simple, en apparence, que la communication des couleurs peut déterminer la réussite ou l’échec de votre programme couleur. Une image peut exprimer un millier de mots, mais les mots seuls n&...

À cette époque de l’année, Internet regorge de listes. C’est une tradition depuis 1940, quand le magazine Billboard a publié son premier classement des titres musicaux les plus vendus. Depuis, d’autres ont pris le train en marche pour relever les tendances les plus populaires de l’année écoulée.   Nous publions nos articles les plus lus depuis 2016, et nous sommes heureux de constater que certains thèmes p&eacut...

La couleur joue un rôle majeur dans nos choix alimentaires. De nombreux aliments comme le gruyère, les fraises, le brocoli et la purée de pommes de terre ont toujours la même apparence. Nous savons à quoi nous attendre dès la première bouchée. Et si votre purée de pommes de terre était verte ? Aurait-elle une saveur différente ? Voudriez-vous même la goûter ? Pourquoi l’analyse de la couleur est importa...

Vous affirmez que la couleur est importante, mais savez-vous pourquoi ? En réalité, la couleur est un élément essentiel du processus de fabrication. Malheureusement, de nombreux fabricants réalisent qu’il est aujourd’hui beaucoup plus compliqué d’obtenir une couleur correcte, alors que les marques qu’ils accompagnent leur exigent de respecter des tolérances toujours plus strictes. En voici les raisons. Si les progrè...

En 2006, X-Rite acquiert la Munsell Color Company. Cette opération s’est accompagnée d’un vaste héritage en matière de science de la couleur, de standards chromatiques et d’outils d’analyse de la vision des couleurs. Aujourd’hui, nous allons revenir sur la contribution d’Albert Munsell au monde de la couleur et partager les produits que son travail a inspirés pour nous aider à gérer la couleur dans toute une s&e...

Les clients qui font leurs premiers pas dans la gestion des couleurs nous demandent souvent quelle est la différence entre un spectromètre et un spectrophotomètre. La distinction orthographique est si minime qu’une coquille est vite arrivée, avec à la clé une mauvaise réponse à cette question. Alors... Quelle est donc cette différence? Spectromètre ou spectrophotomètre     Qu’est-ce qu’un spe...

Selon le site  autolist.com, plus de 80 % des voitures produites aujourd’hui sont blanches, noires ou grises. Ce n’est pas nécessairement parce que les couleurs vives et audacieuses sont plus difficiles à produire et à assortir mais en raison de leur processus de conception et de réalisation plus long.   Cela peut paraître difficile à croire, mais la création d’une nouvelle couleur pour un véhicule peut prendre ju...

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...

When choosing a beverage product from the store shelf, consumers not only demand superb taste, but also consistency in the way the beverage looks to the human eye. Color and transparency are essential markers for quality - any imperfection can indicate contamination, impurities in the raw materials, or process variations caused by heating and oxidation. However, drinks like fruit and vegetable juice, beer, and blended cocktails are difficult for manufacturers to control during production. Natura...

.upcoming-webinar-block { width: 100%; display: table; margin-bottom: 20px; } .upcoming-webinar-left { width: 120px; padding-right: 20px; display: table-cell; } .upcoming-webinar-left img { margin-top: 10px; } .upcoming-webinar-right { vertical-align: top; display: table-cell; } Les appareils de mesure de la couleur existent depuis les années 40, mais ils ont beaucoup évolué depuis. Construit par Jules Du...

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...

Une cabine de lumière de qualité est la meilleure façon de visualiser la réponse des couleurs dans des conditions d’éclairage réelles. Les cabines de lumière traditionnelles proposent des illuminants courants tels que la lumière du jour, la lumière incandescente et la lumière fluorescente afin de reproduire l’aspect des couleurs dans les magasins et après achat, sous les éclairages d’exté...

Pour mesurer la couleur, un dispositif de colorimétrie éclaire un échantillon, capture la quantité de lumière transmise ou reflétée dans la plage de longueurs d’onde de 380 à 780 nm et la quantifie en mesure spectrale. La colorimétrie est nécessaire pour spécifier, quantifier, communiquer, formuler et vérifier la qualité des couleurs pour des travaux dans lesquels celles-ci constituent un critè...

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. ...

People often ask how X-Rite got its name and how we came to be a leader in the art and science of color. It’s really a great story – one that focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship and determination. What’s in a name? X-Rite was founded in 1957 by a group of engineers and business entrepreneurs who had a desire to start a business based on innovation. The members brainstormed new product ideas ranging from can openers to sheet metal tools to collapsible car cots. After buildin...

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...

The color of liquid is one of the most difficult things to control during production. But it’s important. Would you choose a bottle of juice or cleaner that is lighter in color than the other bottles on the shelf? What about cough syrup?     Liquid is hard to measure because it can range in transparency from translucent to opaque. It’s also hard to hold, and the measurement device can’t touch it or the optics and the sample will both be contaminated.   Today&rsq...

La durabilité est une priorité absolue pour les grandes entreprises d’emballages de produits de consommation. Elle implique de prendre en compte les besoins de notre environnement et des générations futures en recherchant des moyens de réduire les déchets tout au long de la production. Cette démarche est non seulement socialement responsable, mais les consommateurs tiennent souvent compte des pratiques durables d’une marque pour prendr...

As the industrial plastics market grows increasingly competitive and demands more sustainable practices, manufacturers need new ways to formulate and produce accurate color faster, with less waste. Digital color standards are one of the most effective tools to bridge this gap. They also enable color work and communication from remote locations.   With digital color standards, brands and designers can set clear expectations with supply chains. In turn, suppliers can achieve color goals wit...

As the world reopens, retail stores are making functional changes to ensure customers and employees are safe and healthy. For starters, the notoriously social activity of shopping now requires associates and customers to maintain distance and wear masks.      Customers need to feel comfortable when they sit down at the cosmetic counter, too. While the role of the beauty consultant is not going away, demo makeup applications and cosmetic testers are. This leaves retailers seeking ...

Dans un marché très concurrentiel, les marques et les concepteurs d’emballages cherchent le moyen de différencier leurs produits dans les rayons. Cela dépasse de plus en plus souvent la couleur pour inclure des options d’ennoblissement telles que les films, les vernis spéciaux, les finitions douces, etc. Les concepteurs utilisent également des couleurs unies plus intenses, ainsi que des teintes fluorescentes et irisées, et pas seulemen...

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 ...

Nos clients qui travaillent désormais à distance doivent savoir que la modification d’une petite variable, par exemple l’approbation des couleurs depuis chez eux, sous une lumière différente, ou l’envoi de spécifications par e-mail au lieu d’un échantillon physique, peut créer des problèmes chromatiques qui risquent de prendre des proportions importantes. La première étape, et la plus critique, du contrôle des couleurs reste la communication. Ces ressources vous aideront à vous lancer. L’import...

Les spectrophotomètres (dits « spectros ») sont des instruments de colorimétrie utilisés pour capturer et évaluer la couleur. Dans le cadre d’un programme de contrôle des couleurs, les donneurs d’ordres et designers les utilisent pour spécifier et communiquer la couleur, tandis que les fabricants y ont recours pour surveiller la précision des couleurs tout au long de la production. Les spectrophotomètres sont capables de mesurer quasiment n’importe quel échantillon liquide, plastique, papier, mé...

Les écrans de smartphones et d’ordinateurs sont autant de fenêtres sur l’univers numérique de la couleur, mais si vous approuvez des couleurs par e-mail ou SMS, vous devez en connaître les limites.  Tout d’abord, chacun de vos appareils se base sur un modèle chromatique différent. Les périphériques d’entrée, comme votre appareil photo et votre écran, utilisent un modèle chromatique additif pour l’affichage des couleurs. Partant de l’obscurité, ils y ajoutent de la lumière rouge, v...

Votre programme de contrôle qualité inclut-il l’évaluation visuelle ? L’éclairage joue un rôle fondamental dans la façon dont nous percevons la couleur. Il peut vous aider à vérifier si la couleur de votre produit est acceptable, et à vous assurer qu’elle reste précise dans toutes les conditions d’éclairage possibles après l’achat.     Beaucoup de nos clients estiment que l’évaluation visuelle est encore plus importante maintenant qu’ils examinent et approuvent les couleurs depuis ...

De très nombreux facteurs entrent dans la perception de la couleur, y compris la lumière, la génétique, l’environnement, les caractéristiques humaines et même la fatigue. Vous présentez peut-être aussi une forme ou l’autre de déficience en matière de vision des couleurs, comme une femme sur 255 et un homme sur 12. Notre test de la vision des couleurs en ligne offre une façon amusante de mieux comprendre l’acuité de votre vision des couleurs.     Quelle que soit l’acuité de v...

La couleur a toujours été un facteur clé pour nos clients. En ce contexte de pandémie de COVID-19, nombre d’entre eux tentent désormais de concevoir, spécifier, communiquer et enfin atteindre des couleurs précises à distance, ou avec des équipes réduites et des ressources limitées. Vous avez du mal à maintenir votre programme couleur en cette période inédite ?  Nous avons rassemblé nos ressources les plus populaires – blogs, vidéos, livres blancs, webinaires et études de cas – pour vo...

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...

L’impression numérique est présente depuis de nombreuses années, mais le secteur traverse actuellement des mutations spectaculaires. Côté avantages, les technologies d’impression numérique utilisent des encres plus durables et offrent une plus grande fiabilité, une plus longue durée de vie de l’impression, ainsi que des économies globales et une meilleure efficacité. Mais ces changements signifient égal...

Managing color throughout production is always a challenge, but advances in color technology, like the metallic, shimmer, and pearlescence effects designed to capture consumer attention, are taking the frustration to a whole new level for quality control managers. This is especially true when producing parts that must match at assembly, such as the metal panels for a home appliance or the painted side mirrors for a vehicle.  Special effects are tricky to control because our perception can c...

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...

Mesure de la couleur en ligne pour les secteurs du papier, du textile, du plastique, du coil coating et du verre Les solutions de mesure de la couleur en ligne d’X-Rite permettent aux fabricants de divers secteurs d’évaluer la précision et la régularité de la couleur tout au long de la production et de suivre la conformité à la norme ISO. Les systèmes en ligne surveillent la couleur au fur et à mesure de la fabrication des pro...

Que ressentez-vous lorsque vous entrez dans une pièce aux couleurs chaudes et naturelles... ...et dans un bureau blanc et stérile ? N’avez-vous jamais trouvé un bâtiment beau ? La couleur fait partie intégrante de notre monde C’est un langage visuel que tout le monde partage, une perception sensorielle qui affecte nos émotions de nombreuses façons. Bien qu’il soit souvent inconscient, l’impact de la couleur est fondament...

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...

When choosing a food product, consumers demand consistency in both taste and appearance. While a lighter batch of oranges may still produce a delicious juice blend, a pale color can jeopardize USDA approval and leave consumers questioning the quality. Unfortunately for food and beverage manufacturers, the color of food – especially drinks like fruit juice and blended cocktails – is one of the most difficult things to control during production. Here’s why. 1. Liquid is hard to...

There’s been a lot of research around the role color plays in how we expect food to taste. The fact is, we judge flavor by the color of the food or drink, even before the first taste. We expect red foods to taste sweet like strawberries or cherries. White should taste like vanilla, and green is probably limey and tart or minty. Color cues can even determine whether we take that first bite. Most of us won’t even consider trying a food like mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie if it is ...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

If you’re measuring wet and dry paints, plastics, cosmetics, or small and odd-shaped samples, you’ll want to take a look at our new MetaVue VS3200 non-contact imaging spectrophotometer. It’s the perfect choice for industrial applications in coatings, plastics, food, cosmetics and more. Today we’ll demonstrate the power of its smart spot and on-screen targeting features and explain how it can integrate seamlessly with your formulation, quality control, and performance opt...

A senior design leader at a large beverage company recently shared his thoughts on the definition of Design Thinking on LinkedIn, asking other members of the community to contribute their own thoughts alongside his. Hundreds of comments ensued. The post appears to be part of a multi-week campaign to position Design Thinking as a way to approach business problems and garner attention from business executives. And we know that this attention has been hard to capture. A survey of over 600 designers...

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...

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...

If you work behind a paint counter, you know customers can surprise you with interesting and unique objects to color match. Many samples are relatively easy to measure, but when a customer shows up with a curved baseboard panel, a square of shag carpet, or a plush toy, things can get a little tricky. A few years ago, we learned just how challenging it was for our retail paint customers to color match unique samples. We took in a bag with textured and multi-colored items and asked the person behi...

Nous avons récemment écrit sur l’influence de l’apparence sur la couleur. Cet article porte sur certaines des caractéristiques qui influencent l’apparence d’un objet, telles que la texture, la brillance, la transparence et les effets spéciaux, et explique pourquoi il est essentiel de décrire l’apparence dès les premières étapes du flux de conception. Alors que les programmes 3D tentent depuis des années...

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...

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...

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....

I spent a few years working in Paris, where the Seine River has played a pivotal role in the shaping of the city’s personality. As I stayed longer and got to know the city and its people better, one of the things that became clear to me was that the Seine River physically separated two distinct cultures of the city. Image courtesy of www.aparisguide.com The left bank, including the Latin Quarter, Montparnasse, and Sorbonne, is all about creativity, design and ideation. The right bank is more sop...

FUSE 2017 provided a wealth of valuable industry insight by showcasing how today’s brands are not only surviving, but thriving. While each scenario presented unique challenges and obstacles, one constant seemed abundantly clear:  brands must create a human connection between themselves and their consumers. Humanizing brands reinvigorates (or, in some cases, generates) a level of trust from consumers that is currently eroding. Speakers at FUSE highlighted a few specific examples of ways companie...

In an effort to better understand YOU, YOUR business, and YOUR color challenges, we’re inviting you to be a part of the new X-RITE LAB. Our research and design teams are asking for YOUR input as we look for new and exciting challenges to solve. The X-RITE LAB is a group of professionals who are interested in voicing their color challenges and emerging as thought leaders. Regardless of industry, role, or years of color knowledge, we’re looking for individuals whose professional goals resonate wit...

Have you seen the Academy Award-Winning La La Land, where the stars dance through the cosmos and experience alternate realities? Or the commercial, where a famous freestyle dancer slides down the street, up the walls, over the marquee and beyond, transported by his next-gen earphones? Maybe you’ve seen this Russian packaging that superimposes conflicting scales. Surrealism is bleeding into our reality, and I kind of think it’s a zeitgeist. Simply defined, surrealism strives to reconcile our dre...

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...

Looking forward to the X Games? Kicking off next week in Aspen, the annual sporting competition draws thrill seekers from around the world to participate in Xtreme events, such as skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. Image courtesy of www.bleacherreport.com. Of course, this living-on-the-edge lifestyle isn’t for everyone. Luckily, with X-Rite you don’t have to be a daredevil to enjoy Xtreme color! Here’s a list of our most innovative solutions to help you achieve the greatest possible results...

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...

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 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 ...

K 2016 begins today in Düsseldorf and runs through October 26th. As the #1 trade fair for the plastics and rubber industries, it’s a huge event featuring industry news, product demos, and networking. We’ll be in Hall 8b / Stand H65 showcasing our end-to-end X-Rite Pantone workflow solutions to help rubber manufacturers, compounders, masterbatchers, and converters get consistent color in a plastics workflow. Don’t miss your chance to speak with our color experts! (Here...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Color is a critical factor when selecting cosmetics and skin tone products. Women everywhere venture into stores, compare sample after sample trying to find the closest match, and hope for the best. With hundreds of different options, product lines and color palettes, buying makeup can be an expensive and frustrating process. Color technology to the rescue. Today we’ll look at how the CAPSURE Cosmetic spectrocolorimeter and the CAPSUREme mobile app are revolutionizing the way women buy makeup. ...

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...

If accurate color is a must in your world, then you know the importance of color measurement instrumentation. Spectrophotometers are used in many industries to identify, formulate, measure and communicate color. They can compare samples and standards to identify even the smallest differences. From concept through formulation and production, spectrophotometers are an invaluable part of any color-managed workflow. But have you ever stopped to think how these devices were developed? Today we’ll tak...

Would you choose a beverage off the store shelf if the same brand sitting next to it was a different color? The Bacardi Bottling Corporation knows the answer is probably no, which is why the company incorporates strict color standards into its Bacardi Mojito production process. Bacardi Mojito is a mix of premium rum, flavorings and special natural ingredients. Since the color of these ingredients can vary, Bacardi bottlers need to continually adjust their recipe to maintain consistent flavor an...