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

Posted April 12, 2023 by X-Rite Color

かかる時間は2秒から7秒です。ほんのわずかな時間だけですが、消費者が多くの購買決定をするための必要な時間です。 これは、よく話題になり、研究された「最初の真実の瞬間」です。 エックスライトの印刷・包装用のカラーマネジメントソリューションは、品質管理、調色、自動化において、優れた効果を発揮します。     色は、「最初の真実の瞬間」において、人を引き付け、人に魅力を伝えるための重要な要素です。これは、ブランドと消費者の関係において、最初に正しい色を得ることが非常に重要になります。 ブランドマネージャーやパッケージデザイナーは、製品にふさわしい位置を作り出すため、数えきれないほどの時間とエネルギーを投資しています。 製品の包装と開封は、消費者にとって、繰り返しの面白い体験となり、製品の魅力を高める効果もあります。そのため、製品が毎回登場するたびに、デザインの意図を確実に実現することが重要です。消費者が製品に触れるたびに、一貫した体験を生み出せるための基礎となるものです。 パッケージ印刷の大規模生産が必要な場合、カラーコントロールと一貫性は、特につかみどころ...

Posted March 15, 2023 by Cindy Cooperman

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...

Posted December 06, 2022 by Cindy Cooperman

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, ...

Posted December 14, 2021 by X-Rite Color

ICCカラーマネジメントとは、撮影からプルーフィング、最終出力まで、予測でき、一貫性があるワークフローを実現することです。 カラーマネジメントのワークフローを実現するために、デバイスのキャリブレーションを行い、カメラやモニター、プロジェクター、スキャナー、プリンターなど、すべてのコンポーネントに対して、ICCプロファイルを作成する必要があります。   なぜキャリブレーションとプロファイルが必要なのか? 最高の結果を得るためには、ワークフローにおける各デバイスのキャリブレーションを行い、正確にカラーを実現できるようにする必要があります。 次に、同じカラーの認識が一致するため、ICCプロファイルを作成する必要があります。なぜかというと、同じ色でも、再現フォーミュラーがそれぞれのデバイスで大きく異なるからです。 カメラとモニターは同じRGBでも、色再現の手段が異なります。CMYKを使用するプリンターとプレス(印刷機)も同様です。ICCプロファイリングは、両者に共通認識を与え、カラーデータを共有できるようにするものです。 ICCプロファイル作成方法一覧   エックスラ...

Posted January 27, 2021 by Ray Cheydleur

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

Posted September 01, 2020 by X-Rite Color

Our customers who are now working remotely need to be aware that changing a small variable – such as approving color from home under a different light source, or emailing specifications instead of sending a physical sample – can introduce color issues that risk creating a larger color problem. The first and most critical stage to color control is accurate color communication. These resources will help you get started. The Importance of Color Communication Blog | Many color...

Posted March 27, 2020 by X-Rite Color

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

Posted March 27, 2020 by X-Rite Color

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

Posted March 27, 2020 by X-Rite Color

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

Posted March 27, 2020 by X-Rite Color

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

Posted March 27, 2020 by X-Rite Color

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

Posted March 27, 2020 by X-Rite Color

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...

Posted February 20, 2020 by X-Rite Color

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...

Posted October 24, 2019 by Bruce Wright

Although plastics professionals have been managing color issues in the production workflow for many years, the dynamics are once again changing. From consumer electronics to automotive parts and flexible packaging, a growing number of brands are incorporating special effect finishes into their products. While metallics, pearlescents, and other complex finishes are beautiful and help brands stand out on the shelf, they also introduce new color management challenges into the manufacturing pro...

Posted October 03, 2019 by Thomas Meeker

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...

Posted June 10, 2019 by X-Rite Color

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...

Posted December 21, 2017 by Adrián Fernández

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

Posted November 29, 2017 by Thomas Meeker

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...

Posted November 17, 2017 by Cindy Cooperman

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...

Posted October 24, 2017 by Thomas Meeker

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...

Posted August 01, 2017 by X-Rite Color

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...

Posted April 11, 2017 by Ray Cheydleur

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...

Posted August 31, 2015 by X-Rite Color