LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. & CARLSTADT, N.J.--April 5, 2004-- ColorVision, Inc., the recognized leader in affordable digital color management, and Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color, today announced ColorPlus, the newest addition to the PANTONE COLORVISION product line. ColorPlus is an affordable monitor calibration tool for consumers and photo hobbyists that calibrates a monitor to produce stunning photos in a few easy steps. According to Lyra Research of Massachusetts, one in four U.S. households owned a digital camera in 2003. Additionally, 73 billion digital pictures were saved to computer hard drives worldwide in 2003. That figure is expected to grow to 170 billion by 2007. Professionals know that digital devices, including cameras, monitors and printers, reproduce color differently. The most common cause of disappointment with digital photographs, on screen and in print, comes from an uncalibrated monitor. This is because monitor performance changes over time as luminance degrades and phosphors age. Knowing this, professionals calibrate their monitors at least once a month. "Digital camera sales have exploded over the past few years and this strong growth is expected to continue," said Ed Lee, director, Digital Photography Advisory Service for Lyra Research. "As consumers become more comfortable with the technology, they will begin to focus on the quality and how they can create better and better prints. Interest in tools that help consumers get better results from their digital pictures is going to be one of the next growth areas in this market." ColorPlus is a Windows-compatible hardware color sensor that corrects CRT, LCD and notebook monitors for accurate, reliable and consistent color -- day-to-day and image-to-image -- so that colors look their best and brightest. It produces a wider range of colors, better flesh tones, more defined shadows and realistic highlights. Users save time, ink and paper by printing their photos right the first time with less trial and error. With ColorPlus, consumers can now use the same tools as the pros to make their images studio quality. The ColorPlus sensor connects to a computer using USB and is then attached to a CRT/LCD monitor during the calibration process. The device is driven by an intuitive software interface that guides users in balancing the screen colors and setting the gamma, whitepoint and luminance targets to industry standards in a few simple steps. The results are accurate, consistent display colors that better match the color output capabilities of today's photo printers. "Professionals have been calibrating their monitors to create predictable, repeatable results for years, yet the cost of calibration hardware was restrictive," said Richard Herbert, president of Pantone. "Pantone and ColorVision have already made monitor calibration more affordable for prosumers and professionals. Now with ColorPlus, consumers can have the tools the professionals use to produce stunning photography and graphics." "In less than four years, the price of a five- to six-megapixel camera has dropped from over $10,000 to around $500," states Brian Levey, vice president of ColorVision. "With the explosive adoption rate of digital imaging, the need for monitor calibration has grown exponentially. Monitor calibration devices were considered luxury items only the wealthy could afford, but Pantone and ColorVision have now made it possible for all digital photo enthusiasts to afford this necessary component of the digital darkroom." ColorPlus is the next generation of the award-winning PANTONE COLORVISION family of products, which includes Spyder and SpyderPRO. Both Spyder and SpyderPRO include a wide choice of gamma and color temperature targets, curve manipulation, precision and expert control modes that apply color preferences at the operating system level. The software includes unlimited seat licenses for multiple displays. SpyderPRO also includes advanced features for adjusting calibration parameters for a single monitor or calibrating multiple monitors to a common standard, while creating industry-standard ICC display profiles compatible with color-aware applications such as Adobe Photoshop and others. PANTONE COLORVISION offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and unlimited, free e-mail and telephone support. As updated software is released, registered owners with a valid serial number can download free upgrades from the ColorVision Web site at www.colorvision.com/support.html. Pricing and Availability ColorPlus by PANTONE COLORVISION comes bundled with Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition and is available immediately in the U.S. for an estimated street price of $99. Spyder is available immediately for $149 and SpyderPRO is available for an estimated street price of $229. Both come bundled with Adobe Photoshop Album. ColorPlus, Spyder and SpyderPRO can be purchased at major retail outlets including CompUSA, Fry's, J&R, Micro Center, B&H, Adorama and others. PANTONE COLORVISION products are also available from Pantone and ColorVision at www.pantone.com and www.colorvision.com, respectively.