Kent-based Frost Signs & Graphics (UK) has invested in a Barbieri SpectroPad Series 2 from City and West End Solutions, aimed at guaranteeing colour consistency for its clients.

The company – which specialises in vehicle wrapping – had found that on occasion reprints were coming out at a different shade to the original, but that the problem wasn’t evident until they were on site for installation.

“Any mismatches in colour were only seen when we were on site installing the new vinyl alongside the original, which was increasing our lead times, wastage and labour costs – and annoying the customers affected,” said owner James Frost. “We knew we needed a colour checking solution to give us confidence in an accurate consistent output without the original onsite – you can’t get a full sized bus into the studio to check it!"

“We spoke to CWE Solutions about Barbieri, and the SpectroPad seemed perfect for us.” 

Media, ink, temperature, humidity, workflow, and printer interventions are some of the many factors that influence the colour appearance in large format digital printing. To maintain an advanced level of accuracy, given the number of potential variables, you need a high end calibration device. The Barbieri SpectroPad 2 is this solution and allows users to recalibrate quickly and easily with confidence.

The SpectroPad Series 2 is a revolutionary portable, professional spectrophotometer which can measure a wide variety of different reflective media. Thanks to its independence from a computer, it can be also be used directly on the printer. Its integrated touch display enables interaction with the device and provides instant measurement results and assurance the output is correct.

“The fact that the Spectropad is portable as well as wireless allows us to further take spot readings directly from the vehicle when trying to match output without having to run cables and so on,” said James.

CWE Commercial Director Graham De Kock added: “At 6mm, the measurement aperture is the biggest available in a portable device, which offers a more accurate colour reading across a wider range of samples and will seriously help the team when evaluating their large media graphics.”