What is a colorimeter/spectrophotometer in printing
Both colorimeters and print spectrophotometers are commonly used instruments for measuring color in the printing industry. Compared with a colorimeter, a spectrophotometer for printing is equipped with a spectral sensor capable of measuring light reflectance across the 400–700 nm wavelength range. It generates a complete visible spectrum reflectance curve, providing a more comprehensive analysis of color data.
Working principle: colorimeter vs spectrophotometer
A colorimeter in printing uses a built-in full-spectrum LED white light that illuminates the sample. Certain wavelengths are absorbed while others are reflected back into the device. The reflected light passes through red, green, and blue filters to extract tristimulus values that closely match human visual perception, ultimately converting these readings into standardized digital color data.
A print spectrophotometer, on the other hand, measures the intensity of reflected light at 10 nm intervals across the visible spectrum. It then produces a spectral reflectance curve, from which the exact color of the sample can be calculated. By analyzing this reflectance curve, the spectrophotometer can detect phenomena such as metamerism (colors that look identical under one light source but different under another) — an advantage that a digital colorimeter cannot offer. This makes the spectrophotometer in printing an indispensable tool for advanced color control for printing.
