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Color readers such as the NCS Colour Pin and compact readers from Datacolor have strongly increased in popularity in recent years. They are accessible instruments that with one click show the closest color from a color fan library, including values such as RGB, CMYK and CIELAB.
Although these devices are attractive due to their price and ease of use, it's important to understand their capabilities and limitations.
With color readers, two types of accuracy play a role:
Does the reader actually give the closest color from the library?
Within colorimetry, there is a 2° and a 10° standard observer.
NCS Colour Pin:
Datacolor ColorReader:
The Colour Pin bases its match on the NCS fan deck itself.
Datacolor reports a general match accuracy, not specifically to a color fan.
A color fan is a controlled reference.
But a wall, curtain, floor or sofa is not.
A Colour Pin that matches perfectly on the NCS fan can still give a visible color difference on:
In other words: it works excellently on the fan it was made for, but less accurately on real materials with texture or variation.
Humans can distinguish approximately 10 million color nuances.
The NCS system contains 1950 colors.
That is only 0.02% of what we can visually perceive.
The smaller the color set in the reader, the greater the chance that the closest color still visibly differs from your actual sample.
The larger the library, the more accurate the match.
Color readers have limitations that professional spectrophotometers do not have:
Surface Structure:
Measurement Area:
Material Type:
Color readers are less suitable for:
For these applications, a spectrophotometer is necessary.
Orientation:
Communication:
Hobby Use:
For professionals, color readers are a supplementary instrument, not a replacement:
Definitive color specification always requires spectrophotometric validation.
The accuracy of a color reader is determined by:
A color reader that supports both NCS and complete RAL offers the greatest chance of a usable color match.
For Hobby Use:
For Professional Use:
For Critical Color Control:
For official NCS Colour Pins, NCS products and additional information:
Visit: ncskleuren.nl
For independent advice on color readers, spectrophotometers and professional color measurement solutions:
Nederlands Kleur Instituut info@kleurinstituut.nl +31 (75) 6169977
We help you choose the right measurement solution for your application.
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