Home>Service&Support>FAQ>Colorimeter FaqHow to choose between D/8° and 45°/0° colorimeter?

How to choose between D/8° and 45°/0° colorimeter?

D/8° and 45°/0° are two different illumination methods with distinct optical geometries. The D/8° illumination is suitable for general industries, and delivers better performance in color difference comparison and color measurement especially for high-gloss products. For the packaging and printing industry, the 45°/0° illumination is recommended.

D/8° (Diffuse / 8° viewing)

Recommended for:
  • Plastic, paint, ink, ceramic, textile, coating

  • Samples with metallic luster, pearlescent, glitter, or texture

  • Situations requiring consistent data with laboratory spectrophotometers

  • Applications needing SCI (including specular reflection) / SCE (excluding specular reflection) switching


45°/0° (45° annular illumination / 0° viewing)

Recommended for:
  • Printing, packaging, paper, ink, matte non-metallic materials

  • Products focusing on human eye direct visual matching

  • Standard color matching in printing & packaging industry


Simple Selection Guide

  • With metallic/pearlescent/glitter effect → choose D/8°

  • Printing, paper, packaging, matte products → choose 45°/0°

  • Want universal use for multiple materials → choose D/8°


Justin Lee

Senior Optical Engineer

15+ years in color measurement R&D, Holds 8 patents in spectrophotometry
This article is edited by Justin Lee, the website content writer of 3nh, who has 15 years working experience in the color management industry and often discusses with colleagues in R&D, marketing and production departments about the professional knowledge and application of color measurement devices, and has a deep understanding of the industry and products.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss more about your color measurement projects
service@3nh.com.

Justin Lee - Senior Optical Engineer

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