A.I. Shade Sorting is based on the CIE L*C*H* coordinates of the batches. It calculates the sort tolerances based on the A.I. P/F tolerance, and tries to include all of the batches you have provided within the L*C*H* color solid it generates. Unlike traditional shade sorting the boxes, or bins, are not typically symmetrical in shape. This results in tolerances that better correlate with your visual evaluation of the sample, and identify batches that are anomalies based on their colorimetric properties.
A.I. Shade Sort also offers the option of a tapered sort. The batches in each bin are sorted from best to worst in terms of their proximity to the standard.
See also Applications Technology, A.I. Shade Sorting for a detailed discussion of this feature.
NOTE
A.I. Shade Sorting is not enabled for Datacolor TOOLSQCX.
Working/Master Standard Correlation
It is often the case that only one sample of the master standard, agreed upon by both vendor and supplier, physically exists. This sample is usually isolated in order to protect it from loss or physical damage. A working standard(s) is usually substituted for the use in day-to-day color evaluations. Multiple working standards may be in use, depending on the number of locations involved in laboratory and production activities.
The working standard(s) are very close in color to the master standard, but in practice, there is usually a color difference between them. There is also a small difference in performance from one instrument to another. This option is used to create a numerical correlation between a working standard and a master or
‘reference’ standard. It compensates for color differences between the standards, and performance differences between instruments.
See also Applications Technology, Master and Working Standards for a detailed explanation of this feature.
NOTE
The Working/Master Standard correlation option is not enabled for Datacolor TOOLSQCX.
Auto Select Standard from Group
This option is used to automate the batch measurement process. Instead of selecting the standard from the list of desktop standards, the batch is measured and the correct standard is selected automatically from the standards on the desktop. Autoselection
of the standard is based on the color difference between the measured batch and the standards on the desktop.
This option is intended for applications in which there are a limited number of standards on the desktop, and these standards are not similar in color. For example, in textile printing or wall covering applications, a floral pattern may be printed on a substrate. The pattern may include several different petal colors (i.e., red, yellow, etc.), and other colors that are used in the pattern.
See Standard Menu/Auto-Select Setup for instructions to set the maximum color difference used by Auto-Select to match the batch to the standard.
To use this option, the standards to be considered for selection must be on the desktop. When Autostandard is enabled, the operator does not need to select each standard before measuring a batch for comparison. The batch is measured and the program finds the standard that matches it. By eliminating the need to recall each standard, this feature reduces the time required to evaluate the colors in the pattern. This is especially helpful in a production environment.
This feature is not designed to select a standard from among several samples that are close in color. It is meant to be used to select from a series of standards with distinctly different colorimetric properties. For example, the standards on the desktop could be limited to the colors in a particular pattern, such as red, yellow, blue, green and brown. In contrast, if you have several white standards in a file that vary slightly from one another, this feature may not select the correct standard and is not meant to be used in this situation.
See also Std Menu, Standard Defaults, Auto Select from Group for details to configure this program option.
NOTE
Datacolor TOOLS™ Virtual Standard ⋅ 41
Virtual Standard
A virtual standard is a collection of properties or data characteristics used as a target measurement. The properties may or may not be colorimetric data. For example, a CIE Y value, or R457 Brightness, or possibly a Delta value for opacity can be included in a virtual standard. It is a feature used mainly by the paper industry, and "Grade" is the term usually applied.
A property included in a virtual standard is a collection of data characteristics specific to a given product. This option lets you create or edit the existing the properties of a virtual Standard (Grade) on the desktop. For the virtual standard, some of the properties must be defined while others are optional:
Below are the properties that can be included in a virtual standard specification:
• [REQUIRED] Illuminant/Observer Combination
• [REQUIRED] Instrument Condition (UV Included, UV Filter 420, etc.)
• [OPTIONAL] Target Value (the aim point)
• [OPTIONAL] Low Tolerance Value
• [OPTIONAL] High Tolerance Value
• [OPTIONAL] Low Warning Value
• [OPTIONAL] High Warning Value
• [OPTIONAL] Target Value (the aim point)
• [OPTIONAL] Low Tolerance Value
• [OPTIONAL] High Tolerance Value
• [OPTIONAL] Low Warning Value
• [OPTIONAL] High Warning Value NOTES
• Creating a virtual standard requires that a Generic tolerance be stored with
the virtual standard. This is included in the step-by-step procedure provided below.
• The Virtual Standard option is not enabled for Datacolor TOOLSQCX. Below are the steps involved in creating and using a virtual standard:
1. Create a generic tolerance and assign it to the virtual standard. 2. Retrieve the form containing the generic tolerance output. 3. Retrieve the virtual standard to the desktop.
Creating a Virtual Standard
1. Click on the down arrow in Std Measurement Method.
2. Highlight Virtual Standard.
The default measurement method for the Std becomes Virtual.
3. On the desktop, click New Std, and enter the name of the virtual std in the std name field:
Datacolor TOOLS™ Virtual Standard ⋅ 43 4. Click on the standard measurement button.
The window below displays:
5. Click on the property to be included in the virtual standard specification, and click on the Add Property button.
6. Select the correct Illuminant/Observer condition to be used. You are
7. For single measurement evaluations, accept the default for Instrument Condition.
NOTE
If you need to create a virtual standard that requires 2 measurements (such as CIE Whiteness), and each measurement requires a different instrument
condition, contact your Applications Specialist for detailed instructions. 8. Enter the target value for the property. You must enter a target value for the
virtual standard.
9. When you are finished, click on the Add Property button. The property displays in the right column.
10. Click OK to complete the specification. NOTE
The program does not currently recognize Warn or Fail limits entered into
this screen. To attach Warn and Fail limits to a virtual standard, you must include them in the Generic tolerance.
Creating a Generic Tolerance
After you have created the virtual standard on the desktop, you need to assign a generic tolerance to the virtual standard.
NOTES
• For the best use of this option, you will probably need to create a tolerance specific to the standard. To do this, you will assign a local tolerance to the virtual standard.
• You can select a generic tolerance to be plotted on a trend plot. There is a selection for #1 to #5 that corresponds to the generic pass/fail slots.
Datacolor TOOLS™ Virtual Standard ⋅ 45 1. Click Std Menu, Tolerances. The window below displays:
2. Click Std, This Std Only (local), Edit. In the Add Available Option field,
click on the down arrow, and select Generic.
3. The generic tolerance screen is displayed for this standard.
4. Choose the field to which tolerances are to be assigned. In this example, a tolerance will be assigned to Bat Whiteness (CIE/E#13).
6. Click OK. You must confirm the generic tolerance, and store it with the standard:
Using a Virtual Standard
To perform an evaluation using a virtual standard, you must have a form that includes the generic tolerances. You can use the QC INPUT – Gen Tol form or customize a form using the Datacolor TOOLS Form Editor.
NOTE
The Datacolor TOOLS Form Editor program and user’s guide can be found on the program CD.
1. Set the std measurement method to virtual std. 2. Recall the virtual std to the desktop.
3. Measure or input the batch to be evaluated.
4. From the Forms Menu, select screen form, QC INPUT – Gen Tol. 5. Measure/retrieve the batch to be compared to the standard.
Below is an example of the results generated using a virtual standard and the screen form QC INPUT-Gen Tol:
Datacolor TOOLS™ Overview ⋅ 47
Program Menus
Overview
This section provides a detailed explanation of every option that displays in each menu included in the program. It is presented in the same order that the menus appear on the Datacolor TOOLS menu bar:
Standard Menu
Menu Options
The Standard (Std) menu options control naming conventions for the standard, the
method for standard input, the display of standards on the desktop, and various other defaults for the standard, specific to particular color evaluation options.
From the main Datacolor TOOLS window, move to the menu bar, and click Std. A drop-down list displays with the list of menu options. To select an option, simply click on it. The right-facing arrow next to an option indicates there is a secondary list of submenu options (e.g., Std, Defaults, Standard Defaults).
Defaults
Defaults are responses used automatically by the program. By setting up defaults you automate the operation of the program, making it easier and faster to run. Defaults exist for naming, measuring, storing and retrieving standard data. Defaults are also set for colorimetric properties, which are then used to perform basic QC evaluations such as raw materials strength.
• From the menu bar, click on Std, Defaults.
− Standard Defaults. Standard defaults include general settings for naming, measuring and storing standards.
− Strength Defaults. Strength Defaults are settings for the standard used specifically for strength evaluations.
Standard Defaults
• Click on Standard Defaults.
Datacolor TOOLS™ Standard Menu ⋅ 49
Default Settings
• Auto Select from Group. Enables the Auto-Select Option.
− Click in the box to enable the feature. A check displays.
− Click in the box again to remove the check and disable the option.
See Auto-Select Setup below for instructions to setup this feature. See also Program Features, Auto Select Standard for an explanation of this feature.
NOTE
Autoselect Standard is not enabled for Datacolor TOOLSQCX.
• Auto Store in Standard File. All standards added to the desktop will be automatically stored in the default standard file.
− Click in the box to enable the feature. A check displays.
− Click in the box again to remove the check and disable the option.
See also System Menu, Default File Setup to confirm the default standard file being used.
• Auto-Retrieve Batches. All batches associated with the standard are retrieved when a standard is retrieved.
− Click in the box to enable the feature. A check displays.
Default Input Method
Default Input Method determines the method for the standard measurement. The method is the type of data input for the standard. The most common is measurement from the instrument. You can also input data from the keyboard in many different formats.
NOTE
Users of Datacolor TOOLSWORKSTATION cannot measure samples.
1. Click the drop-down list arrow shown at the end of the field, and select one of the following methods:
NOTES
The same selections are available using drop-down list arrow that displays next to the standard or batch measurement button, on the desktop button bar:
The button bar options allow you to change the standard measurement method while running the program. This change is not permanent. When you exit the program, the setting returns to the selection made in Standard, Defaults.
Datacolor TOOLS™ Standard Menu ⋅ 51
• Instrument. Standard data comes from the instrument. The measurement defaults to a single scan of the standard. This option is not enabled for Datacolor TOOLSQCX.
• Instrument Average. Takes multiple reads of the standard from the instrument, and then averages them. The number of reads is based on the selection made in Instrument Menu, Instrument Setup, General Options, Multiple Measurements. This option is not enabled for Datacolor TOOLSQCX.
• File. Retrieves sample data from a folder. When retrieving a standard, the default folder is identified in Std, Standard Defaults. When retrieving a batch, the default folder is identified in Bat, Batch Defaults.
• %R. User enters reflectance data from the keyboard for the standard.
− 16 pt. User enters data in 20 nm increments from 400–700m.
− 31 pt. User enters data in 10 nm increments from 400–700m.
• %T. User enters transmittance data from the keyboard.
− 16 pt. User enters data in 20 nm increments from 400–700m.
− 31 pt. User enters data in 10 nm increments from 400–700m. Colorimetric Data. User enters colorimetric coordinates from the keyboard.
• Lab. User enters L*,a*,b* values calculated from CIEL*a*b* color difference equation.
• LCH. User enters L*,C*,H* values calculated from CIEL*a*b*(C*H*) color difference equation.
• Luv. User enters L*,u*,v* values calculated from CIEL*u*v* color difference equation.
• Hunter Lab. User enters L, a, b, values from Hunter Lab color difference equation.
• XYZ. User enters CIE X, Y, Z values. NOTE
All colorimetric data is specific to an Illuminant/Observer condition. Please confirm the Illuminant/Observer selection before entering the data.
• %R IR. User enters reflectance data from the keyboard. This data includes wavelengths in the infrared region of the spectrum (710nm-1100nm).
• Avg Batches. Creates a new standard on the desktop by averaging all of the batches attached to the current standard.
• Virtual Standard. A virtual standard is a collection of properties for a sample that serve as the standard measurement. These properties may or may not be colorimetric data. This feature is frequently used by the paper industry for whiteness and opacity evaluations. See also Virtual Standard. This option is not enabled for Datacolor TOOLSQCX.
Standard Naming
These selections are used to handle naming standards on the desktop.
• Allow Duplicates. Allows duplicate standard names on the desktop.
• Overwrite Duplicates. When a new standard measurement is made, the program automatically overwrites the data for current standard, without requiring a new standard name. This is a feature commonly used when measurements are made in production situations, using a hand-held instrument. You can re-measure easily without retyping a standard name.
• Warn On Duplicates. When you try to measure a standard without entering a new standard name, you will receive a warning. It will ask if you want to overwrite the standard, enter a new name, or cancel the operation.
Auto Select Setup
This option is used with the Auto-Select Standard From Group option. It controls the tolerances to be used when the program automatically selects a standard from the desktop to associate with a batch. See also Program Features, Auto-Select Standard for an explanation of this feature.
NOTE
Datacolor TOOLS™ Standard Menu ⋅ 53 You must specify a color difference equation, a tolerance, and a coordinate
associated with the tolerance.
• Color Space. Click on the down arrow to view the choices, and highlight one.
• Coordinate. Click on the coordinate to be associated with the tolerance. It does not have to be DE.
• Tolerance for Auto-select. Enter a value representing the maximum difference between the batch and the standard.
In the example above, a tolerance of 0.10 DE CIELab has been set. The program will sort through all of the standards on the desktop and select those that have a DE of less than .10 units from the batch
NOTES
When multiple standards on the desktop satisfy the tolerance, (e.g., less than 0.10 DE CIEL*a*b* units of the batch) they are displayed in a list, and you must select one. The default setting for this option is off. To enable the option, click on the box next to the option in the Standards, Default dialog box. A check mark displays in the box.
Strength Defaults
This option sets the defaults for the standard to be used in the strength determination option. The strength defaults selected override the system strength defaults.
See also Applications Technology, Strength Evaluation for a complete discussion of strength evaluations, including all of the program options that are used to perform a strength evaluation.
• From the Std Menu, Defaults submenu, click on Strength Defaults. The
Maximum Absorption Peak
The strength evaluation is based on the spectral data for a single wavelength, the wavelength of maximum absorption. It is the wavelength with the lowest %R value (the highest K/S value). This is the area of the spectrum where the colorant absorbs the most light and is a valid indicator of strength. This is one of the most common methods used for strength comparisons. The wavelength selection is made by the program, and is based on the reflectance or transmittance curve of the standard.
User Selected Wavelength
The strength evaluation is based on the spectral data for a single wavelength. This method is similar to the wavelength of maximum absorption, except that the user determines the wavelength to be used for evaluation.
Sum K/S
This method calculates strength based on the sum of the K/S values across the visible spectrum.
Datacolor TOOLS™ Standard Menu ⋅ 55
CIE X, Y, and Z
This method calculates the strength by using a single tristimulus value (X, Y or Z) for the standard and batch. This method is often used when trying to compare the strength of similar, but not identical, materials.
Colorimeters can only report tristimulus values, and this method is used when a history of strength evaluations generated from colorimeters has been collected for a colorant.
The tristimulus value used in the evaluation should correspond to the band of the spectrum where the colorant has the greatest absorption. Typically, you would use X to evaluate blues and greens, Y to evaluate reds, and Z to evaluate yellows and some oranges. The tristimulus value used should correspond to a wavelength band where