Portable Color Management Devices with Mobile App-Based Bluetooth Connectivity for Smartphones

Color science is a fascinating discipline that combines psychology, physics, neurology, art and physiology. However, in practice, we do not need to possess extraordinary knowledge of color in order to conduct our business. In this article, we will discuss the fundamentals of colorimetry (color measurement) and commercial applications of portable color management devices based on mobile applications that can be connected via smartphone Bluetooth.

What is Color?

We live in a world extraordinarily rich in sensory experiences—sight, smell, taste, touch. Our visual system is a remarkable instrument that enables us to distinguish millions of colors, from the most distant to the nearest. In fact, contrary to popular belief, our color perception does not occur during the act of seeing itself. A person's color experience is created as information is transferred between the eye and the brain. The brain receives sensory input from receptors in the eyes and processes this data by subjecting it to a very complex classification process. So what exactly is color? Color is not a physical property of objects. An object interacts with radiant energy, and there are networks in our eyes that perceive this interaction. This physical sensation is transmitted to our brain and interpreted, and we experience a color sensation. Since sensations are subjective, each person perceives color differently; physical, physiological and psychological factors come into play. A person may perceive the same color differently under different mental conditions. Can color assessment performed by one person be expressed as objective numerical values? Since color perception is a subjective experience, it is impossible to convert this experience entirely into numerical values. However, the science of colorimetry offers useful tools for defining and measuring the physical components of color.

These components are:

• A light source, • An object, • An observer. If any of these is missing, we cannot speak of color.

Color Management Systems in the Paints and Coatings Sector

Color management systems in the paints and coatings sector have begun to gain increasing importance. These systems, which started in laboratories, have now reached the end customer. Interior designers, painters, decorators and even customers wishing to paint and refresh their offices and homes with new colors have begun to take interest in these devices. The reduction in device size and lower prices are among the reasons for increased usage. The main purpose of device use is to convert the relative nature of color and its perception into mathematical data, bringing producer and customer into agreement at a common point. Catalogs currently used on the market do not sufficiently satisfy customers. There are two main reasons for this, stemming either from the producer or the customer. When the producer manufactures color catalogs, colors show variations according to printing years due to multiple different variables. The color from four years ago may not be the same as the color in a newly produced catalog. The reasons for this may stem from the raw materials used—paper, paint, binders, etc. If the customer does not preserve the catalog well and it is exposed to sunlight, yellowing and fading of color occurs. Producer and customer are not always in the same location, and for this reason the difficulty of comparing color catalogs compounds the importance of the problems mentioned in the previous paragraphs. The use of different light sources when evaluating color catalog data further increases the risk of error. Generally, D65 daylight source is recommended for evaluation, but the light sources currently used in factories and offices are diverse and unbalanced. They are unreliable. With new technologies, electronic devices that store data and perform measurements in accordance with this data have begun to be used in place of printed catalogs (fan decks).

Mobile Application Based Portable Color Management Device ColorReadPro

The newest of these devices is the ColorReadPro Portable Color Matching-Reading device manufactured by Datacolor. The device performs error-free color comparison both through the screen on the device itself and through connection to a smartphone via Bluetooth using the Datacolor application. The device has the capacity to store approximately 10,000 colors in its memory. With the mobile application, this is unlimited. Colors are managed by Datacolor's color catalog management system and are loaded into the system on behalf of the customer.

ColorReadPro Color Measurement Technical Specifications

In color applications, objective measurements are commonly performed with a colorimeter, and these measurements are expected to run as parallel as possible with visual evaluations in terms of accuracy. The triplet described as the object, light source and observer combination remains the same in measurements performed with the device; the object is already the same, the light sources are contained within the device in the form of a lamp (D65/10) and additional filters, and the eye and observer are provided by a detector and micro-processors through electronic circuits. Colorimeters measure light reflected or transmitted by a sample in the visible range within a certain repeatability and accuracy. Using this method, the color coordinates of a sample can be found or a color comparison can be made with a reference sample. Depending on the type and sector of the samples to be measured, different colorimeter geometries can be used. The d/8:0 geometry is most commonly used in portable color management devices in the paint, coating, plastic and textile industries. Thus, by minimizing the problems mentioned above, it brings together producer and customer in the most reliable manner regarding color. You can carry out your color comparisons without any problems, independent of location. Berke Çakır Country Manager Datacolor