| The key to color
Unlocking the secrets to cutting edge color communication by Andrea L. Eckman, Apparel Magazine, Apr 2004 Page 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<<prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 next>> Digital Communication Archroma's MatchWizard software program is full-featured color matching software designed principally for use by dyers and colorists to predict colorant recipes and control color quality. Engineered to make color management more economical and efficient, MatchWizard helps users reduce recipe costs, accelerate color approvals, predict metamerism and hue shifts under different light sources, make color corrections, build a searchable shade library, and use preloaded colorant calibration data or add their own colorants. The MatchWizard QC Program Module within the program provides the capabilities to determine color difference in various lights, to sort and group shades, to assign grayscale ratings, and to plot trends for color values. It even includes a "virtual light box" for on screen viewing of color under different light sources. Karen Gaskins of Datacolor said, "In an effort to improve the color communication process, we have developed and refined our technology to help communication and to speed up the color development process." The company's Color Information Management System (CIMS) solution is made up of various components, including ColorTools QC, Colorite, and the SF600X Spectrophotometer. According to Gaskins, by measuring the colors you want and digitally communicating this information globally, you can give your suppliers precise specifications within minutes. Using similar equipment, they can test lab samples to be sure they meet your specs before submitting them to you. This can improve quality, reduce markdowns, and improve the speed of the process. Colortools QC has customized screens that allow you to control the type and amount of information displayed, with pre-configured screens that can easily modified. According to Gaskins, the system adapts to the way you and your customers do business, rather than the other way around. "With Colortools QC , you can measure samples in New York and send the color palette info to Sri Lanka immediately. It speeds up the process. Lab dips are measured at the mill and sent back electronically." However, Gaskins cautions that numbers alone may be deceiving, especially when the color standard and lab dip are of different substrates. Another component of the CIMS system, Colorite, combines precise on-screen color with image and texture to produce life-like product simulations as a substitute for physical samples. It includes textures and surface characteristics on monitors or printouts for realistic simulations of a finished product. According to the company, viewing color in context lets you design complete color assortments without costly, time-consuming product mockups. It also allows you to make pass/fail judgments on lab dips or production samples using digital color data. Global Color Solutions has recently introduced DigiEye, a non-contact digital imaging system that captures the total color and appearance in a unique, controlled lighting environment. A calibrated monitor gives true onscreen color simulation and the profiled printer produces high-quality hard copies. DigiEye's ability to select and retrieve color data from any pixel in the high resolution image allows the measurement of very small or irregular shaped samples. Measured colors are represented by their "fingerprints" in terms of colorimetric values or spectral data. Electronic communication of the image and color data is easy and fast over the internet. According to the company, DigiEye is an invaluable tool allowing retailers to communicate with their suppliers at the press of a button. Digital standards can be produced and stored as a permanent record. DigiEye also provides an accurate, comprehensive specification for both color and appearance against which suppliers can assess the quality of their production batches prior to dispatch. The DigiEye system combines both hardware and software. The hardware consists of a characterized digital camera, an illumination cabinet, and a calibrated high definition DRT monitor. The illumination cabinet has been designed by VeriVide to provide even and consistent illumination that meets international standards. The software consists of camera characterization for transforming the camera's RGB input to CIE specifications under the fixed lighting conditions in the cabinet, monitor characterization for calibrating the CRT to display accurate color, color measurement for describing individual pixels in terms of CIE colorimetric values, color difference for comparing color areas on screen using a choice of international standard equations, texture profiling and simulation, color clustering, and col-orfastness that enables the operator to manually or automatically grade against the multifiber strips compared to the gray scale in a reproducible environment. According to Global Color Solutions, one of the key advantages of DigiEye is the flexibility in selecting pixels for color measurement. You can select any individual pixel or the average color from a defined area from within the image. Therefore, three dimensional shapes and small objects do not present a problem. For example, you can compare one small area of a button, piece of lace, or even a thread, to another. The images and color data can easily be communicated worldwide. This means that images can be taken of the product and sent to another site to be accurately displayed either as a specification or for quality control checks. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<<prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 next>>
|
