WHY STANDARD COLOUR VIEWING?
A Commitment to Industry Standards and Guaranteed Quality
When an item is viewed, the color we see is a result of the color quality of the light source and the reflective characteristics of the item. As a result, when attempting to achieve an accurate color match, colors can appear to match under one light source and then appear significantly different under another light source. Therefore, designers, brand owners, and production staff should all evaluate a color under a consistent light source. To help achieve this goal industries have developed international standards for the viewing of color.
The graphic arts and photographic industries have adopted ISO 3664:2009 entitled “Graphic technology and photography– Viewing conditions.” ISO 3664: 2009 specifies D50 daylight viewing conditions. Industrial color applications (plastics, paints, textiles, automotive, etc.) have adopted ASTM D1729-2009 as their standard, which specifies D65 daylight viewing conditions.
Both standards require that viewing conditions meet strict specifications with regard to color quality, light intensity, evenness of illumination, viewing/illumination geometry, and surround conditions. Differences in any of these conditions can affect color appearance.
In the before scene each stakeholder in the supply chain is using a different light source. As a result, each is seeing a different shade of red when viewing the apple. In the after, standard D50 lighting has been implemented and everyone is seeing the same shade of red.
Due to the complex nature of the human eye, individuals perceive color differently. When you combine this fundamental factor with the significant impact physical viewing conditions have on color appearance, the slightest variation in lighting and environment can produce significant color shifts. The best way to guarantee that the color communication supply chain is operating under accurate and consistent conditions is to require that all participants view color in a tightly controlled environment that is designed and manufactured in accordance with industry standards.
GTI’s Graphiclite D50 products comply with ISO 3664:2009 and CMlite D65 products comply with ASTM D1729-2009.
One critical system component that can significantly alter color perception and render a viewing system “non-standard” is the fluorescent lamp. Aging and yellowing of lamps create dramatic color shifts. Scheduled relamping of fluorescent lamps is a very simple and cost effective way to insure standard viewing conditions.
GTI’s Graphiclite 100 5000K lamps for D50 color viewing and GTI ColorMatcher 6500K lamps for D65 color viewing both offer the tightest match to the spectral specifications of their respective industries. For more tips on maintaining optimum system performance contact the Business & Graphics team at Kayell to discuss, specify and quote for your GTI Lite system.
