Light Source Computer Images Inc, of Larkspur, California, has launched Colortron, a hand-held device for digitally capturing and measuring colour. The device – about twice the size of a computer mouse – connects and self-configures to either an ADB or the serial port of a personal computer. It is designed for use in graphics, multimedia and pre-press applications. It works in conjunction with a personal computer to create an exact spectral curve that uniquely identifies colours from a range of sources, including reflective and emissive surfaces. It will be sold with software to enable users to capture, manipulate, specify and control colour. Software features include the ability to view a captured colour or its spectral signature on-screen, gain a read-out of the colour measurement as described in systems such as CIE and RGB co-ordinates, and to view the colour as it would appear under various lighting conditions. The company claims that Colortron’s ability to capture colours with 32-band resolution matches the performance of spectrophotometers costing 10 times as much. The device can also act as a monitor calibrator, a film or ink densitometer, or a light meter. Its suggested retail price is under UKP1,000.
