ColorMunki Photo is the innovative new way to bring your photos from screen to print—with color perfection. Ideal for wedding, social, portrait photographers — or any passionate advocate — this color control solution delivers new technological features for display, projector and RGB/CMYK printer profiling. It’s also loaded with new color creation and communication tools that allow you to grab colors from virtually anywhere, including your entire image library, preview your color palettes under different light sources and even preview for PrintSafe production under a variety of different printing methods. You’ll now be able to send your images to your clients with a new level of confidence that they are viewed in a calibrated environment with the DigitalPouch communication tool. All this delivered in an all-in-one integrated solution with a streamlined interface, making the most of your digital workflow. ColorMunki is your new best friend. Features Precise monitor calibration in both basic and advanced modes Capture the ambient light within a room or a light box for a new level of precise calibration Fast and accurate projector profiling to project your images to your clients, family, or friends with color confidence Put your image library at your fingertips and automatically extract colors from any image Create and manage custom color palettes with unique PrintSafe checking capabilities Share your images with confidence with DigitalPouch, a self-executable application …

The year 2010 seems to be the year of the color blue. It started with the worldwide box office hit “Avatar,” which rewrote box office history since it was released at the end of last year. Korean skaters at the Vancouver Olympics also wore blue, and the color is appearing as the main hue in the luxury fashion boutiques of New York and Paris, and in accessories, cosmetic lines, furniture, and kitchen appliances.

There is a reason for this. Color company Pantone picked turquoise as the color of the year for 2010, supposedly because it reflects the desire of people to regain hope amidst signs of economic recovery. “It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky,” the firm said. “Turquoise transports us to an exciting, tropical paradise while offering a sense of protection and healing in stressful times.”

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[prMac.com] West Hills, California – Code Line has announced Color Expert 1.1, their Color Wheel, an Image Palette and a Swatch Book for the iPhone and iPod touch. Color Expert puts the power of color into your hands. And its new, updated features and user-interface are sure to streamline your workflow and keep you productive, no matter where you are.

Color Expert has your favorite color libraries:
* PANTONE(R) solid coated
* PANTONE(R) solid uncoated
* PANTONE(R) Goe(TM) coated
* PANTONE(R) Goe(TM) uncoated
* PANTONE(R) f + h cotton
* PANTONE(R) f + h paper
* Web Safe Colors
* HTML Colors

We built Color Expert from the ground up with the creative spirit in mind. Designers of all types, regardless of their medium, have a common thread—and that common thread is color. We use it to be loud, quiet, bold, subtle, soothing, frenzied and sometimes just to stand out. But working with color can be difficult away from the studio.
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All-new Hardware/Software Solution Also Offers Adobe Imaging Solutions Users Even More Power With Seamless Integration of DNG Profiling & Many Other Passport Features

X-Rite, Incorporated–the world leader in color management and measurement technologies X-Rite announces ColorChecker Passport, an all-new solution for digital photographers working in a Raw workflow to quickly and easily capture accurate color, instantly enhance portraits and landscapes, and maintain color control from capture to edit.

For more info: www.cjcstrategists.com/resources/xrite/X-Rite_Passport_Press_Brief.pdf

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One of the questions I get from customers as well as people whom are not my customers is… Why does my print job look different than my PDF proof?

For the most part it’s not a huge difference, but it could be. There are certain colors that don’t reproduce well when converted from RGB color to CMYK.  Most people who design in RGB are either Web designers, using Pantone colors or novices.  Novices tend to design in RGB to get the brighter colors then use their software to convert to CMYK.  It’s not a crime to design your piece in RGB then convert to CMYK, but consider this; printing is all about expectations.  You have something you need printed you expect it to look a certain way.  Either you or your designer setup the file, you previewed it on your computer, sent it to your printer and he sent you a pdf proof.  Everything looks great, you approve it and a few days later it shows up at your doorstep.

OH MY GOD… it doesn’t look like what I expected!  How can this be?  Good question.

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X-Rite continues to evolve ColorMunki by listening to our customers and enhancing our color management offerings accordingly–supporting the latest packages such as Corel, QuarkXPress, and Photoshop CS4. Version 1.1 also offers the ability to control lighting conditions under which color is viewed. Like everything else with ColorMunki, we’ve made this pro-like step easy,” states X-Rite Senior VP of Sales and Marketing Iris Mangelschots.

ColorMunki 1.1 Key Advantages: Read the rest of this entry »

Artists get a new digital palette

Workgroup has announced the local availability of Corel’s Painter 11 – an update to Corel’s digital painting and illustration program which has been designed specifically around customer and user requests.

“Since its inception, Painter has set a standard in painting and illustration software,” says Kevin George, Corel product manager at Workgroup. “With version 11, artists can now expand their digital toolset with advanced painting and natural media tools. Read the rest of this entry »

The quest for consistent color rendition across all input and output devices (from your monitor to your printer, for example) has been going on since the introduction of color to the desktop. In the late 1990s, the introduction of ColorSync, the Mac’s color-management framework, and the availability of professional-level calibration hardware and software such as the Colortron, got more people thinking about the multiple issues surrounding consistent color across the design workflow.

Color management has always had a bit of a voodoo associated with it. Unfortunately, managing color is not as simple as specifying a color for a given pixel and having your intent carried out across all input and output devices. Indeed, the physical functioning of the two primary components—the monitor and the printer—are markedly different. Read the rest of this entry »

DUSSELDORF, Germany—At Royal Dutch Printing Ink Factories Van Son the “Natural Colours of Quickson” mark the introduction of the re-structured range of Quickson offset inks. The Quickson PRO process colours, recently introduced on the European market, are complemented with Quickson PLUS and Quickson FRESH process colours and the Quickson Series PANTONE basic colours. The Quickson inks can be used on virtually all kinds of presses and substrates. Read the rest of this entry »

Exstream software by HP, which provides enterprise software solutions for businesses around the world, has signed an agreement with Pantone – to streamline document creation processes. It may be noted that – Pantone is a provider of professional color standards for the graphics, fashion, interior, and industrial design. Read the rest of this entry »

Dusseldorf, Germany – Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced the PANTONE® GoeGuide™ and PANTONE GoeSticks™ on uncoated stock, the first product line extensions to its recently launched PANTONE Goe™ System. The new components allow designers to accurately visualize how PANTONE Goe Colors will reproduce on uncoated stock, which is important for creatives since the appearance may change from coated stock due to differences in ink absorption.
Presented in fan-guide format, the PANTONE GoeGuide uncoated, printed on Read the rest of this entry »

If your prepress shop is like most shops, you will have a spectrophometer from X-Rite kicking. It may have a layer of dust on the case from being on the shelf for a number of years, but you have one.

Many shops have an Eye-One, it virtually comes with every Prinergy system nowadays. You should use it to calibrate your Matchprint although many shops just calibrate it once and then stick it in a corner.

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X-Rite and Pantone Launch ColorMunki Family of Breakthrough Color Products for Photo and Design Markets ColorMunki Photo, ColorMunki Design and ColorMunki Create Empower Users to Create and Control Color from Inspiration to Final Output

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. � March 17, 2008 � X-Rite, Inc., the world leader in color management and measurement technologies, along with recently acquired Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today introduced ColorMunki �, a breakthrough in both price and performance.

Based on X-Rite and Pantone�s deep understanding of the photo and design communities, ColorMunki solutions are the industry�s first easy-to-use, convergent technologies developed specifically to feed the artistic imagination of creative professionals � at an affordable price. Designed to meet the requirements of creatives working in a digital environment across industries, the revolutionary ColorMunki family, (colormunki.com) ensures accurate color from inspiration to final output in ways never before possible,

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After seven years as the most popular colour for a car, silver has been replaced by white/white pearl.

The DuPont 2007 Global Automotive Colour Popularity Report shows that white/white pearl, silver and black/black effect are in a virtual tie for first place, with white/white pearl narrowly taking the top spot in North America.

White also overcame silver in Japan and is the decisive leader in Mexico.

The US-based DuPont group supplies vehicles coatings to vehicle manufacturers. DuPont produced the paint for Henry Ford’s first automobile.

The company has tracked colour statistics for more than 55 years, and reports converging trends in colour preference.

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Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, announced the release of the summer 2009 edition of the PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner, its cross-discipline color forecasting tool, titled “Independence.”

Summer 2009 celebrates the spirit of independence and the promotion of individuality. Rather than follow any one specific trend in color, this season focuses on a state of mind and is largely influenced by sociological factors.

The changing world and emergence of new markets have resulted in many people taking a proactive stance in their personal contributions to the betterment of the world.

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CARLSTADT, N.J.,- Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, announced myPANTONE.com, an online community for creative professionals and color enthusiasts dedicated to color exploration, inspiration and palette sharing.

Users can join myPANTONE.com free-of-charge and explore the latest Pantone-forecasted trend palettes for graphics, fashion, home and interiors, or review, post comments and rate other member’s palettes. Users can also download the myPANTONE™ palettes software at no cost to create and share their own color palettes.

myPANTONE.com works in conjunction with the recently announced myPANTONE palettes software, an interactive color workspace for working with colors and a component of the new PANTONE® Goe™ System.

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A Multifaceted Hue Reflecting the Complexity of the World that Surrounds Us

CARLSTADT, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, selected PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris, a beautifully balanced blue-purple, as the color of the year for 2008. Combining the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple, Blue Iris satisfies the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement.

“From a color forecasting perspective, we have chosen PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris as the color of the year, as it best represents color direction in 2008 for fashion, cosmetics and home products,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “As a reflection of the times, Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspect of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast. Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic. Look for it artfully combined with deeper plums, red-browns, yellow-greens, grapes and grays.”

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55th DuPont Report Says White Now Outranks Silver As Top Choice in Some Countries
December 04, 2007: 09:00 AM EST

TROY, Mich., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Silver is no longer the undisputed color champion of the automotive world, according to the DuPont 2007 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report.

After seven years in first place, silver ran into tough competition this year with white/white pearl rising to the lead color choice for vehicles in one key region and two countries. In North America, white/white pearl, silver and black/black effect are in a virtual tie for first, with white/white pearl narrowly taking the top spot, according to the report issued by the company’s Automotive Systems business. White overcame silver in Japan and is the decisive leader in Mexico, more than doubling the popularity of gray.

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Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today unveiled the myColor myIdea community Web site, which features insights from visual thought leaders in a wide variety of design industries responding to the phrase, “The color of my idea is…”

myColor myIdea lets people learn about the colors that inspire some of today’s most celebrated icons in the graphics, fashion, beauty, architecture and interior design industries, to name a few. Color enthusiasts are invited to post their color inspirations to the new site. Site visitors can select and submit their color and idea at www.mycolormyidea.com.

Visit myColor myIdea to learn what color the principal designer at Mattel, Robert Best, prefers to wear, and why PANTONE(R) 94-2-1 C is the color he dreams in. Find out why Chris Webb, senior creative designer at General Motors, thinks that PANTONE 78-1-5 C is the ultimate color of nature and rebirth. See PANTONE 26-1-7 C, the color that Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, executive vice president and artistic director at OPI, prefers because it is a symbol of vibrant energy, and a fashionable and emotional force. A few of the other notable contributions include:

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Choosing white isn’t the end of it

From the Washington Post
Think all shades of white are the same? Take a look at the portable guide of Inspirational Whites from Pantone paints, a fan deck of 68 shades from pure white to beige. Seeing the colors grouped so closely makes it easier to detect the subtle variations that can make so much difference when picking paint color.

Here are some thoughts about whites from Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute:

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