Techkon enhances color QA management suite

Techkon's color QA management suite ChromaQA can now generate accurate spectral data for color standards that are only defined in CIELab values. To ensure the accuracy of this generated spectral data, ChromaQA uses the AI-driven SmartInk formulation engine and a colorant set that corresponds to the ink and substrate of the original lab color standard.

CIE Lab values describe how a color appears to a standard human observer under one specific light source, but they don’t describe the underlying physical behavior of the color. Because of this, two very different pigment mixtures can share the same lab values – a phenomenon called metamerism. When light changes (e.g., daylight vs. LED), these metameric matches can shift in different ways, causing printed colors that looked identical under D50 to suddenly diverge.

Using the correct colorant set for a color standard defined only by CIELab values is the key to generating accurate spectral data. With the correct colorant set and SmartInk’s AI-driven simplified formulation engine, the correct physical material properties of the pigments are uncovered. 

A spectral reflectance curve captures the full wavelength behavior of a color. This allows printers and color management systems to predict how a color will behave under multiple illuminants, on different substrates and with different ink sets.