The Rapid Spectro Cube is a joint development between German RIP and colour management specialist ColorGate and Spanish colour consultancy ColorInLab. It was shown as a prototype at last month’s Fespa show in Cologne.
Instead of measuring colour patches on a square-by-square basis, it captures an entire colour chart “in seconds”.
“The big difference is it can measure batches. It takes the same time to measure one colour as it does 10,000 colours,” explained ColorInLab owner Juan Martorell.
The workflow sitting behind the measurement device creates a colour profile in around two minutes.
The Rapid Spectro Cube can currently measure a maximum size of 60cmx60cm, but the developers are aiming to create a larger-format device. It can measure patches down to a size of just 1mmx1mm.
Details of how the device actually works were not divulged.
ColorGate technical support engineer Heiko Pieper said it could also measure tricky substrates: “At the moment it’s a problem to measure glossy materials, ceramics, and to measure through glass or acrylics. With our device this is possible.”
It can measure uneven surfaces such as textiles, and can potentially handle 3D objects such as glass bottles.
Pieper said there had been a lot of interest from the industrial and graphic arts markets at Fespa, and the companies had also received valuable feedback.
“Lots of manufacturers and printers came to see it,” Martorell added.
“We can also change the lighting conditions for measurements inside the instrument, and this is unique. It solves the problem of metamerism. We can make the lighting equivalent to specific store environments.”
The device will be manufactured in Germany and Spain, and the intention is for it to be available within six months. Pricing is to be confirmed.
In addition, ColorGate also showed its new ColorRizer software for colouring textile designs.
“The unique thing is that the designer is working in the colour gamut of the printer,” explained chief operating officer Michael Stoye. “They’re not designing something that can’t be printed. It avoids a lot of disappointment and sending samples back and forth.”
