Color Management Software

Color Quality Control Software: Datacolor Tools

Datacolor Tools is an easy-to-use color quality control software for industries where color accuracy is a critical component of overall product quality.

Available as perpetual or annual subscription

Designed for color development and quality control specialists in the textile, automotive, paint, plastic, ink, paper, cosmetics and other industries, Datacolor Tools enables objective analysis, reporting, communication and visualization of accurate color results.

By setting pass/fail tolerances you can ensure consistent color quality and remove subjectivity in your color evaluation process.


Benefits of Datacolor Tools Software:

  • High level of flexibility in defining, selecting and working with various industry color standards, color difference formulas, graphics, illuminants including latest CIE LED standards and indices from CIE, TAPPI, ISO, and more.
  • Objective color assessment with sample temperature, accurate colorimetric data, and a clear visual quality representation.
  • Open standard QTX protocol enables full color approval tracking and communication.
  • Support more customers with the ability to add encrypted color libraries* and share with clients or suppliers while protecting intellectual property.

* Participating companies – Archroma and CSI. Reach out to your standard provider for more information.

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Turning off Lite Mode in Tools 2.X

  1. Go to the tab ‘System’ then select the 1st button ‘setup’ . When the ‘system setup’ menu appears. Uncheck the selection for ‘Lite Mode Enabled’. Then click ‘ok’. It will require closing in reopening Tools to take effect.
  2. Sometimes it does not work the first time so try the same procedure again and should work.
  3. You will know lite mode is off when you do not see the arrow below the desktop explorer section in Tools.

See attached screen shots.

Turn on Autoscale in Tools color Difference Plots

Go to the Tab ‘System’ then click on the first small icon (Plot Defaults). Then choose the ‘Color Difference’ tab. From there you can choose the scaling to a fixed amount or autoscale (Autoscale will adjust the graph to fit a batches on the graph)

Reconnect or reset instrument in DatacolorTools

If the calibrate button is not working it may be the instrument has lost connection. In Datacolor Tools go to the tab ‘instrument’ at the top. The click on the button ‘setup’(second from the left). There will be a drop down on this page. Click on it and select your instrument. If it says sim2000. That is incorrect. Select yours from the drop down and see if it connects.

Some specifier and user security settings can make button bars uneditable.

1) Using Windows Explorer locate the files: TOPBAR.CNF and BOTBAR.CNF

2) Right click on each. Select “properties” and ensure the “Read Only” attribute box is unchecked.

3) Verify that the current windows user has permission to read and edit files in the containing folder(s).
Restart Datacolor Tools / ColorTools

On the instrument menu, select Calibrate. Then, enter a number based on hours, in the box, Calibration Time Interval. The default is 8 hours. This is the recommended maximum setting.

Contrast Ratio is a mathematical measurement tool used to set a numerical value to a sample’s level of translucency up to the level of opacity. See attached for details.

You will click on the ’Search’ button on the ribbon bar in Tools. Then on the search page under ’sample type’ choose ’CSI Color Wall’. The option ’update CSI library’ button will be available. Click it and browse to the proper file on cd or elsewhere. The file name will have the extension .qtx_enc i.e. colorwall.qtx_enc . See file for details.

Tools has a search utility which can be used to help you identify measurements stored in its database which are colorimetrically close to a new color standard. You can set the parameters of this search. The Search option will return measurement names and their measurements so that you might then put them on the Tools desktop to further evaluate them against the new standard.

You must train the batches to a standard by marking them as ’Pass’, ’Fail’ or ’Exclude’. Then use the function ’A.I. Pass fail training’. Please see attached pdf for more detail.

Go to System Menu, select Plot Defaults and Type of plot and Click on Enable Print Names/Labels

Labels are not available for Trend and Histogram plots.

Select the Down Arrow key next to “STD:INST” or BAT:INST” button and select “Instrument Average”. Go to “Std” in Menu bar – File – Standard Defaults – From down arrow list for Instrument condition, select “Instrument Avg” and click OK. Follow the same procedure for Batch measurement default also, on the Bat menu bar.

You can use the command button, “Retrieve sample as Std”. Or, go to the menu option, Std, File, Retrieve Sample.

Ensure product quality with Datacolor Tools

Simplified Workflow. Increased Productivity.

Quality control experts rely on Datacolor Tools software to analyze and visualize color quality to meet their customers’ highest expectations.

The ability to view colors on texture on a calibrated monitor enables a full digital workflow. The intuitive user interface is easy to learn and master, and you can customize the interface layout to suit your specific needs.

Don’t need all the bells and whistles? For users workflows that require faster data processing and speed, a lite mode is available.

Datacolor Tools integrates seamlessly with Datacolor Match Textile and Match Pigment formulation software to further improve productivity.

For customers in the textile industry, two optional modules provide additional functionality:

  • Datacolor Sort – Advanced shade sorting, clustering, and tapering to manage roll-to-roll color variation in the entire manufacturing process.
  • Datacolor Monitor – Measure and report on side-center-side color variation to assure end-to-end color quality.

See how you can ensure higher quality products by using Datacolor Tools quality control software.

Chat with a Color Expert

Webinar series

Get the Most Out of Graphs for Evaluating Color Quality

Learn the best ways to utilize various colorimetric graphs and display color on-screen to interpret numerical color differences. 

See all Datacolor Tools Videos

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“Thanks to Datacolor, we reach our goal of deciding during the process whether the batch is within specifications or has to be reworked. And we are being supported by real experts who analyze the challenges and offer outstanding solutions.”

Christian Scholz, Director of Global Industrial Engineering, Amann Group
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Datacolor Tools Intro

Webinar Series

An Introduction to Datacolor Tools  

Discover all there is to know about Datacolor Tools in our webinar series. 

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Produce the Highest Quality by Using Datacolor’s Tools Software

Get color right. Talk to a color expert today to find out how Tools enhances color quality.

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