X-Rite proposes opening the XRGA standard to third parties, so that printers can exchange data between sites using different instruments, regardless of legacy affiliation.
XRGA is a standard that X-Rite implemented around two years ago to integrate its own technology with that of GretagMacbeth, PANTONE, and other entities that X-Rite acquired over the past several years. This standard aligns all X-Rite instrumentation to a single standard, regardless of the point of manufacture or date of manufacture of a product.
Through its subsidiary Pantone LLC, X-Rite’s proposed program would reduce problems that companies face when they try to exchange colour data that has been measured with different model instruments made by the same manufacturer or with instruments made by different manufacturers.
“Just about every company in the printing industry deals with this problem at one time or another,” said Stephen Miller, Market Manager of Print Solutions at X-Rite. “Unfortunately, some printers deal with this on an almost daily basis as they are trying to exchange high-quality colour measurement data to stakeholders in their supply chain.
“XRGA proved to be such an effective tool at harmonizing the colour measurement data of our own wide array of instruments that we think it’s worthwhile to offer the same method to benefit the entire colour measurement industry,” continued Miller. “While X-Rite competes with a number of other respected companies in this field, we should cooperate as a industry to develop a common standard of instrument agreement to benefit all of our customers.”
XRGA incorporates ISO-13655 with other best practices in colour science methods to greatly reduce measurement variation among instruments due to different calibration standards. This means that handheld and bench-top colorimeters and spectrophotometers, formulation and quality assurance software packages and equipment, such as pressroom colour scanners, are all measuring and communicating using the same standards.
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