The critical role of colour matching in textile production
By replicating real-world lighting environments, Colour Matching Booths can help you to visualise how colours look as light changes.
With millions of colours in existence, accurate and consistent colour matching is imperative for textile companies who want to supply the exact shades as specified by the customer. Even minor variations in shade can make fabrics appear totally different depending on lighting conditions and individual perception. Implementing robust colour evaluation processes with calibrated lighting is crucial to reduce defects, waste, and rework caused by inaccurate colour. Colour Matching Booths are a vital part of this process.
By replicating real-world lighting environments, Colour Matching Booths can help you to visualise how colours look as light changes. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which include Colour Matching Booth allow colour matching per international standards enables companies to achieve greater quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction compared to competitors.
The different types of lighting conditions in a Colour Matching Booth are simulated using lamps producing different types of lights. Some of these light types are:
- Daylight (D65, D50): These lamps simulate outdoor light from the sun, and is perfect for testing any items which may be used and viewed outdoors
- Store Lighting (CWF, TL84, TL83, U30, U35, LEDs 3000K/4000K): By simulating typical retail store lighting conditions, it allows to judge the colour as it is seen by the customer while making the purchase
- Home Lighting (IncA): This lamp simulates a mixed environment of a home which includes changing light conditions
Metamerism, the behaviour of objects to dramatically vary their colour appearance when seen under a variety of lighting conditions is an important aspect while matching colour. IncA lamps help you to detect Metamerism during the testing stage.
Three Factors which affect the Controlled Standardised Lighting Conditions:
- Colour Temperature (Kelvin) – K : This denotes the colour or the colour appearance of the light lower colour temperature appear warmer like 2856K, 3000K and higher colour temperature looks cooler/bluer like 6500K
- Lumens – lm / Lux Level: This denotes the brightness or intensity of the light. A higher lumen figure denotes brighter light.
- Colour Rendering Index (CRI): It’s a numerical value that denotes how well the colours are rendered by a lamp in comparison to a reference standard. It is measure on index from 0-100. 100 being the exact match. For e.g. D-65 light has a CRI of 90+ whereas a Flourescent TL-84 has a CRI of 80.
The Kelvin Temperature of a lamp represents the colour that it will produce. The below chart shows the colours of different Kelvin temperatures.
In order to replicate vibrant and accurate colours, lower kelvin temperature, high lumens, and CRI over 90 need to be maintained. Since colour consistency and accuracy are differentiators that boost the bottom line, investing in high-caliber Colour Matching Booth delivers major rewards for textile manufacturers.
Most of the Retailers are rapidly transitioning their stores to LED Lighting to take advantage of less energy consumption, lower repair cost, lower maintenance, and longer life span.
As retail lighting evolves toward LEDs, textile companies must stay ahead of the curve. LED Technology is changing the way colours get perceived. LEDs use less energy and last longer than inefficient fluorescents while providing excellent colour rendering. The spectral colour distribution of an LED lamp is much better than the fluorescent lamp as shown in the figure below.
Paramount’s next-gen booths with LED POS avoid issues like fringing while enabling accurate colour decisions. Their lamps complies with all major international standards including ISO, ASTM, DIN, ANSI and BIS Visual assessment requirements. Paramount’s next-gen LED colour matching technology pays for itself through greater efficiency, quality, and customer approval.
SpectraVISION 6L i10 (With Point of Sale LED)
Paramount, thru its decades of competence, provides calibration certificates, service and support on our Colour Matching Booths, to ensure that you and your supply chain achieve highest level of colour accuracy, efficiency and consistency. With the right colour matching procedures and equipment in place from Paramount, companies can unleash the full potential of their creative talents while optimising operational efficiency.
