Certified Color Standards

Effective color communication is essential to the of textile industry. The ability to create, produce and reproduce the exact color cannot rely solely on a visual comparison. A color’s appearance is based on three elements, hue, chroma and value. The hue is how one perceives an object’s color, while chroma is based on the vividness or dullness of a color and value is the color’s degree of lightness. These three criteria are all perceived by the eye but any differences are not detected equally among the three. In addition poor color memory, eye fatigue and previous references can affect how color is viewed on an individual basis.

Over the past few years there has been a dramatic shift from vertically run companies to separate, specialized design or production facilities. Theglobalization of the textile industry has increased the need for effective color communication. With more steps in the supply chain there is an increased risk of variations of color which in the end can be harmful to the product or brand. Discolored logos, mismatched clothing and other inconsistencies result in losses of sales and revenue.

Contents

  

• 1 Measuring Color
• 2 Certified Standards
• 3 References
• 4 External links

Measuring Color

To solve the problems that arise with communicating color, a standard must be chosen as a target for comparison purposes. Once the target is specified it is read with a spectrometer to translate it into its numerical values. Then an electronic file containing the standard’s properties along with a visual reference is sent to the mill. The measurement conditions are determined by the brand or retail program accounts and are measured as percentages of reflected light at certain intervals of wavelengths along the visible spectrum and these data points are stored. The visual reference fabric is individually quality controlled to be within the electronic standards. The visual reference is placed in a fold-over color standard format to keep from excessive handling, light exposure, and to assist in visual assessment. Each standard is given a serial numberwhich is unique and traceable to that individual standard. This process limits problems with visual comparisons and reduces the possibility of future miscommunication throughout the supply chain.

There are two scales that are used to measure color, the Munsell scale and the CIE color System. The Munsell scale is based on human perception, assigning a numerical value to the three parts of color (hue, chroma, value). Whereas the CIE color order systems standardizes color by specifying which illuminant is used. The system gathers the percentages of reflected light along the wavelengths of the visible spectrum and creates a reflectance curve with the data which is then applied to a mathematical formula.

For companies that utilize both visual and digital color measurement it is important that their spectrophotometers are certified and profiled, their light box and conditioning cabinets should be properly maintained and their fabric sample measurement procedures should be consistent.

Certified Standards

To make a standard ‘certified’ there are a number of characteristics that it must have after being processed.

• An additional Quality Control step that spectrally measures each standard, providing increased color consistency
• Certification & Traceability - each standard is assured to be < 0.50 DEcmc against the spectral master and target illuminants. The quality result of every standard is traceable through bar-coding.
• Spectral Data Creation - A master spectral file is created for every color and automatically delivered during the ordering process.
• Web-based Distribution
• A serial number which allows traceability
• A reproducible Color Standard a with good dye formula
• Fold-over Color Standard Format to protect the fabric from light and excessive handling and assist in visual assessment

Fabric produced for color standards must be inspected and pass specific evaluation criteria. These criteria include light sources, visual inspection, spectral tolerances, etc. For certified color standards, a master qtx file (file containing the data to generate the spectral curve) is established. This practice allows the colors to remain consistent from season to season.