Consistent Colour inspection and assessment is essential for all professional graphic arts, textile and packaging players. For decades, colour inspection booths have relied upon specific and precise D50 or D65 fluorescent tubes from major suppliers such as Just Normlicht, GTI and so forth. Today, fluorescent tubes are gradually being phased out and LED is emerging as the replacement - but is it good enough?
X-Rite's new LED-powered JudgeLED colour assessment and matching booth
Introduction commentary by Andy McCourt
Countries around the world - including Australia - are prohibiting import and manufacture of Fluorescent light tubes of all kinds. This is because of the mercury content and high power usage. The all-pervasive LED is taking over and this means around half the power usage and longer lamp life.
When it comes to assessing colour professionally, the light source must be precise, consistent and repeatable in several locations. The D50 (5,000 degrees Kelvin) colour temperature tube has been the standard viewing tube for proof-checking for decades but some do prefer to inspect at 6,500 degrees Kelvin, D65, which is akin to noonday direct sunlight.
Colour temperature, however, is not the sole determinant of a good viewing booth. There is something called CRI (Colour Rendering Index) and professional-grade tubes have to have a CRI accuracy of over 90%, preferably over 95%. This is why pro-grade tubes are more expensive that regular tubes. The difference can be seen in the ' apples-with- apples' example below.
Why CRI is important - apples-with-apples comparison: same colour temp, different CRI
There's always a 'but' with colour management and the 'but' with illumination is there are other factors that come into play for a light source to be considered good enough for proofing and matching professionally. One is IES TM-30-15. IES stands for Illumination Engineering Society and the TM-30-15 standard uses 99 colour test swatches against the 8 used for CRI. It also measures Fidelity Index, Gamut index and Color Vector Graphic to evaluate the light source color rendition.
The good news is that LED - the right kind of LED - has proven up to the task of replacing fluorescent tubes. Even better news is that LED tubes can be inserted into most existing fluorescent colour inspection booths, although some press-side checking systems may need total replacement. LED tubes will cost a bit more than fluorescent but they last longer and are far more sustainable.
X-Rite - Pantone introduces new Judge LED colour inspection booths
According to X-Rite, the Judge LED light booth provides immediate warm-up, convenient press buttons to switch between illuminants, precise calibrated intensity settings, and stable chromaticity, enabling fast and reliable color evaluations. It delivers precise and consistent color evaluation with seven distinct light sources that simulate a range of lighting conditions. The 7 different light sources can be customized from a wide-range of industry-standard illuminants, including LED D50, D65, LED-B2 3000K, LED 3500K, LED-B3 4000K, UV, A, CWF LED, TL84 LED, U30 LED, and U35 LED. This technology eliminates dimming inconsistencies, ensuring consistent performance throughout the supply chain. As an essential tool for visual color evaluation, the Judge LED ensures accurate color assessments from design to production to retail, making it indispensable for industries such as automotive, coatings, plastics, textiles, and building materials. It also offers convenient accessories including a remote control and viewing stand.
X-Rite's Judge LED light booth speeds up and standardizes color evaluations across the supply chain with its instant warm-up, stabilized illuminants, and seven light sources, including LED D50 and D65. Its directional daylight feature allows for surface inspection, including orange peel and defect detection across different surfaces, ensuring product quality on even the most complex finishes. Consistent color accuracy is maintained through calibrated intensity levels and X-Rite LED luminance.
Precise and consistent color evaluations with the Judge LED light booth's innovative features deliver ease of use with user-friendly buttons, and achieve accurate positioning with an optional variable-angle viewing stand. Switching of illuminants using an optional remote control is quick and easy, says X-Rite. Physical and digital samples can be compared effortlessly with an optional built-in calibrated monitor.
Reliable Light Booth Performance
X-Rite says that Judge LED delivers consistent, reliable performance for long-term, flawless color evaluations. Its advanced technology ensures stable lighting with properly calibrated illuminants, offering fixed intensity levels and stable chromaticity parameters for precise and consistent results. The carefully designed optical diffuser provides the best homogeneity and light diffusion. The Judge LED is dependable for color evaluations in automotive, coatings, design, plastics, textiles, and other industries requiring high color accuracy.
