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Need Help Choosing?
Five things to consider about samples before selecting an instrument.
1. Size - the sample should be larger than the opening or "aperture" in the spectrophotometer. Most instruments include multiple apertures ranging in diameter from 3 mm to 30 mm. Some smaller apertures may be optional.
2. Dimensional characteristics - are your samples flat panels or curved surfaces? Some instruments are more conducive to measuring curved surfaces such as the Datacolor CHECK.
3. Opacity - are your samples transparent, opaque or somewhere in between (translucent)? While most spectrophotometers can measure these samples using reflectance measurements, some also include a special port for transmittance measurement, useful for measuring the total transmittance of translucent samples.
4. Uniformity - do your samples include textures or variegated color such as a fabric or grained plastic sample? Depending on the degree of nonuniformity, consider a wider aperture and average several measurements for better accuracy.
5. Industry - is there an industry standard that specifies an instrument based on a specific measurement criteria or optical configuration? Check with your local Datacolor office to determine if your industry requires a specific instrument for standards conformance.
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