What color light bulbs for looking at Inks?

[inkbrigade]

I'd like to hear comments from the people here but also from ink companies as well.

I'm wondering what kind of bulb would be the smartest to have around the shop for looking at ink colors? From time to time I hear i should have daylight bulbs. I head incandescent, i hear i should build a light box, etc etc.

I'd just like to know what kind of light would be the best to represent how the ink colors will look. Sorry if this doesn't make sense. It's super late.

Jamie 

[bimmridder]

That's long been an issue here. We know the inks look different under different lights. We decided since most of our stuff is for retail, souvenir  type stores we'd use the lighting most likely to be seen there. Lots of spot light, incandescent bulbs.  So we won't be critical looking at the prints under a cool white bulb as much as we are under a bright incandescent. It's been EXTREMELY rare to have someone not happy with their ink color. We know we can't be everything to everyone, so we do what we think is best for most customers.

[Printficient]

At Starter we had a neutral Grey Box with 3 different light sources.  Daylight Fluorescent and 1 other that slips my mind.  The critical component of our system was the Neutral Grey box.  I want to say that the box was about the same color as Russell Grey or Pantone 422.  Check out Lowes or some paint store and see what they have.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

I know they have lights that have certain specs (I forget what the technical terms are), that are supposed to give true colors. When I have a customer that seems to be really be looking over the colors, we step outside.

[tonypep]

In the past, when cross checking dye lots, I have built viewing boxes painted neutral gray and includind up to three light sources....daylight, incandescent, store lighting etc. I wired that we could view colors under any possible combination.
Certain colors particularly pinks and purples are metameric, meaning they will shift depending the light source the substrate is viewed under. For a quick overview of lighting sources, measurement, and color accuracy you can check Pantones website or believe it or not, your Grainger catalog has information on all this. Pantone also sells viewing boxes for a ridiculous amount of money for us tee shirt guys.

[mk162]

Beats me, but I split my bulbs between soft white and daylight bulbs in the warehouse.  It gives it a nice mix.

[blue moon]

In the past, when cross checking dye lots, I have built viewing boxes painted neutral gray and includind up to three light sources....daylight, incandescent, store lighting etc. I wired that we could view colors under any possible combination.
Certain colors particularly pinks and purples are metameric, meaning they will shift depending the light source the substrate is viewed under. For a quick overview of lighting sources, measurement, and color accuracy you can check Pantones website or believe it or not, your Grainger catalog has information on all this. Pantone also sells viewing boxes for a ridiculous amount of money for us tee shirt guys.

So Pantone charges an arm and a leg for these. . . What's a cheap AND easy solution?

pierre

[jmd]

5000k

[tonypep]

In the past, when cross checking dye lots, I have built viewing boxes painted neutral gray and includind up to three light sources....daylight, incandescent, store lighting etc. I wired that we could view colors under any possible combination.
Certain colors particularly pinks and purples are metameric, meaning they will shift depending the light source the substrate is viewed under. For a quick overview of lighting sources, measurement, and color accuracy you can check Pantones website or believe it or not, your Grainger catalog has information on all this. Pantone also sells viewing boxes for a ridiculous amount of money for us tee shirt guys.

So Pantone charges an arm and a leg for these. . . What's a cheap AND easy solution?
Good Morning Pierre.......Grainger and a Saturday with some power tools, a friend or two, and a pizza!

pierre

[tonypep]

I just remembered I wrote an article on this about eight ys ago maybe in printwear if anyone wants to Google search it. No plans but some photos of finished booth.

[Screened Gear]

I came from offset printing (design side). I never really understand the light box for viewing colors. So you make this box so that the colors are 100% true in the box. The press guy takes a printed sample under the light box to compare the print to the pantone colors. I don't see the reason to have a true color box for comparing colors. The light your under will affect both colors the same. You just have to adjust the colors to make them look the same. No reason to have a true color light box. I understand it may be easier to adjust colors but not needed.

I was once told to use full spectrum lighting. They are the Daylight bulbs you can find everywhere now.

[ErinAllenLamb]

Hello Everyone!

Wilflex color matches using Cool White Fluorescent with the colors printed through a 156 mesh onto a white cotton swatch or garment. 

However, many other companies match to different requirements.  For example Nike and Adidas require that their colors be matched under Daylight 65. 

I have seen many printers develop their own color charts which is actual ink cured on a garment to show what a color will actually look like to a customer. It will show what the color looks like in their shop, outside or in the bathroom with flourescent lighting.

Erin

[tonypep]

Thats right Erin........for Nike each season we would get a "kit" with printed samples, films. BOMs, and color chips to match. Often these would be pieces of sneaker , shoelace, or other material. Part of the approval process is to match these colors on two inch circles under those lighting conditions. There were always two formulas......one for a white shirt one for a white underbase.

[blue moon]

Thats right Erin........for Nike each season we would get a "kit" with printed samples, films. BOMs, and color chips to match. Often these would be pieces of sneaker , shoelace, or other material. Part of the approval process is to match these colors on two inch circles under those lighting conditions. There were always two formulas......one for a white shirt one for a white underbase.

funny you mention that. I thought I was crazy for having two different Pantone 123C's for my super picky customer. One is for the white shirts and the other goes on the underbase. Printing on white makes the ink turn darker and printing on an underbase usually lightens it up (at least through the 305's we use for top colors). So to make them look the same I mixed two different inks!

pierre

[jmd]

I came from offset printing (design side). I never really understand the light box for viewing colors. So you make this box so that the colors are 100% true in the box. The press guy takes a printed sample under the light box to compare the print to the pantone colors. I don't see the reason to have a true color box for comparing colors. The light your under will affect both colors the same. You just have to adjust the colors to make them look the same. No reason to have a true color light box. I understand it may be easier to adjust colors but not needed.

I was once told to use full spectrum lighting. They are the Daylight bulbs you can find everywhere now.

Yea, thats what I said, color temp 5000K.
We use it almost everwhere.