Color is one of the toughest things to get consistently right because there are so many variables in the formulation process. Scientists at Xerox Corporation have invented an ultra-fast, low-cost spectrophotometer that's expected to streamline and simplify color printing. And the spectrophotometer has potential uses in other fields that demand precise color matching, including fabrics, paint, wallpaper, plastics and interior design.

Xerox researchers have addressed the challenge of delivering consistent color in printing systems by designing self-regulating systems that detect subtle color changes and correct the problem automatically, so subsequent prints are consistent with the customer's needs.

With Xerox-proprietary control algorithms, the system can make full color measurements on each passing page in a few milliseconds. In that brief time, the spectrophotometer shines light of different colors from several LED's onto tiny color patches on paper moving at the speed of the printer, analyzes the reflected light, and determines its color makeup "on the fly."

Xerox's invention is a breakthrough in both color measurement and control. Xerox’s spectrophotometer design costs less than one-sixth the price of current models. The technology combines automatic digital printer-control methods with a new high-speed inline spectrophotometer system used for accurately measuring color as seen by the human eye. The Xerox spectrophotometer is a cost-effective device that decomposes color into individual wavelengths and determines their intensity. By doing so, it can distinguish minute differences among similar colors.

The spectrophotometer system allows the printer to internally "view" and measure the spectral content of the output color at the same speed that the printer prints. The spectral information, which is stored in the machine's system software and processed using advanced modern control algorithms, is then used to process the color the customer has requested and make color adjustments automatically. All the intelligence needed to produce requested color is available in the printer itself --- no user intervention is required.