Print Color Control: Densitometer vs. Spectrophotometer Comparison Guide

Having consistent color shows your customer's brand the right amount of respect and helps keep your company in the competitive color printing market. Without it, you get rejected jobs, waste materials, and your costs go through the roof.

Specialized tools called densitometers and spectrophotometers help the color printing industry manage color reliability. Both can enhance the quality of the print, but provide different measurements. Knowing the different applications of both will help you the best tool for your printing workflow.

This guide will help you see the differences between the two, their applications, and help identify the one that best fits your business.

Why Color Measurement Matters in Printing 

Deciding color with the naked eye is highly subjective. A lot of external things can change your perception of what should be the same color like the time of the day, the lighting, or the experience of the person. That is why the printing industry has to rely on measurement tools.

Knowing the color of the print will:

1. Decrease materials wasted.

2. Help you keep the brand requirements of the company.

3. Use ink more efficiently.

4. Improve control standards.

5. Make your customers happier.

What Is a Densitometer?

A densitometer measures optical density, or the amount of light (reflected or transmitted) by a printed surface. Unlike color, darkness/thickness cannot be measured; therefore, densitometers measure the thickness of the ink on the substrate. Because of the concrete and swift measurements densitometers supply for process control, they find broad utilization in traditional pressrooms.

Within the world of printing, densitometers are able to help control:

• Solid ink density (SID)

• Dot gain (Tone Value Increase)

• Print contrast

• Gray balance

• Ink trapping

Each of these plays a vital role in ensuring the final printed product meets the necessary quality standards and helps prevent issues related to the coverage of ink and the stability of the printing press.

Benefits of Densitometers

Densitometers have a lot of positive features, such as:

• Quick measurement speeds

• Simple operation

• Low cost

• Great for CMYK process control

• Helpful for routine press adjustments

Since densitometers focus on density values, they help keep ink levels consistent for the entire print run.

Limitations of Densitometers 

A major drawback of densitometers is that they don't measure the appearance of color. Ink can look completely different to the eye, yet have the same density. This is a major limitation when color matching and printing brand images.

What is a Spectrophotometer?

A spectrophotometer is an ink measurement device that is able to measure color. Spectrophotometers measure the entire spectrum of light and calculate the color values of printed samples in a variety of color spaces, including CIE Lab.

Spectrophotometers are used in color management systems because they give data that relates to how color is perceived by humans.

Here are some color measurements they can do:

• CIE Lab values

• Delta E color differences

• Spectral reflectance curves

• Indices of whiteness and yellowness

• Spot color

• Color consistency amongst all substrates

Industries that rely on color matching find these instruments very useful.

Benefits of Using a Spectrophotometer

Here are some of the things a spectrophotometer is good at:

• Managing color measurement

• Measuring spot colors

• Integrating a color management system

• Creating and verifying ICC profiles

• Meeting international standards

• Improving quality control

Because spectrophotometers measure the entire color spectrum, they describe color performance better than color densitometers.

Spectrophotometer Limitations

Spectrophotometers are:

• More expensive

• Somewhat more complex to use

• Slower for normal press adjustments

• More data oriented

Though spectrophotometers have more capability, for many companies interested in color accuracy and consistency, the capabilities are worth the price.

Spectrophotometer vs Densitometer

Both tools help manage print quality, but they are meant for different things.

The table outlines that a densitometer emphasizes control of a production process, while a spectrophotometer emphasizes color accuracy and control.

Where to Use a Densitometer

A Densitometer is a great tool to use where specific color matching is not as important as maintaining consistency in production.

Here are examples where using a densitometer can be the best tool:

Daily Press Checks

Press operators can check the daily densities of ink and make adjustments to keep density consistent through the press runs.

CMYK Printing

When creating prints that include the standard printing colors, density of the ink is useful in understanding the performance of the ink and how the dots will be affected by gain.

Thin Budget Printing

Densitometers can be a better fit for smaller printing shops where not as much critical color work is being done.

Fast Production

Because measuring the density is quick and easy, densitometers can be used in fast production settings.

Where to Use a Spectrophotometer

When accurate color matching or consistency in a brand’s color are the most important factor, a spectrophotometer is the most useful tool.

Brand Colors

In order to keep a brand’s identity, packaging and advertising materials must all be the same color and spectrophotometers can help with this.

Spot Colors

Unlike a densitometer, a spectrophotometer can measure spot colors and other specialty inks.

Color Management

Spectrophotometers are important for businesses using ICC profiles and color management workflows.

Quality Printing

Spectrophotometers are important in verifying compliance with ISO printing standards to certify print quality and serve as an official record of performance.

The Rise of Spectrodensitometers 

With changes in printing technology, many companies are now manufacturing spectrodensitometers. These print devices offer the ability to measure a traditional density with the addition of color measurement in the spectral range.

Spectrodensitometers have many benefits for modern printing.

They're:

• Great for multiple measurement tasks

• More efficient

• Less expensive

• Better for managing color

• A good investment

They offer a flexible solution for a lot of printing professionals.

Choosing the Right Instrument for Your Business 

Select a densitometer if:

• All you print is CMYK.

• Press control is your primary concern.

• Budget additions are a concern.

• Color matching is simple.

Select a spectrophotometer if:

• Spot color printing is prevalent.

• Brand color accuracy is a concern.

• A color management system is in use.

• Color analysis and reporting are necessary.

For businesses that want to maximize versatility, a spectrodensitometer may be the best value as it combines both measurement technologies in a single device.

Conclusion

Densitometers and spectrophotometers both have a place in todays printing; they simply control different elements of color. Densitometers help with managing the stability of a press and controlling ink density, and therefore are essential to managing day to day printing. Spectrophotometers give the advanced management of color and the necessary information for accurate correspondence and consistency of color for a brand.

Customer needs for accurate color have many print shops moving to merged systems that give both density and spectral measurement. Understanding the purpose and control each of these systems provides allows print shops to effectively manage quality, reduce waste, and effectively increase overall productivity.

Choosing the best color measurement technology isn’t just a choice for quality control. With how competitive the printing market is today, it’s an investment toward consistency, profitability, and most importantly, customer satisfaction.