Epson launches new spectrophotometer

Epson has launched its SD-10 spectrophotometer, which it says is accurate, compact and affordable, and which works with an app downloadable to your smartphone.

Battery powered and equipped with a precision Mems Fabry-Pérot tuneable filter, the SD-10 is small enough to fit in a hand or pocket, and has just won a Good Design Best 100 award 2021.

The SD-10 is self calibrating, has a large aperture lens with a wide spectral range, and enables users to take spot readings, compare colours or a patch set. The all-in-one system comes with a high-capacity lithium ion battery for mobile operation.

The downloadable iOS and Android app extends functionality, it has an integrated annular multi-spectrum light source and LCD display, and has USB and Bluetooth interfacing, supporting M0, M1e and M2 standards.

Epson says the SD-10 spectrophotometer can be used to digitise colour readings and colour matching for a faster and more accurate workflow. It can be linked with a smart device to centrally manage colour information. Being portable it allows users to measure colours anytime, anywhere

Epson says the SD-10 solves colour matching problems in a wide range of print and design-related work, such as those commonly found in the sign and display industry.

The company says when producing printed matter, there are often issues around accurate colour matching, particularly with corporate logo colours. It says the user-friendly SD-10, Epson’s first portable spectrophotometer, helps solve problems related to colour matching that were, until now, the work of a specifically trained and experienced operator, whereas with SD-10 spectrometer, anyone can easily measure and quantify colours without specialised knowledge, so colours and processes can be standardised.

With an LCD screen, users can measure colours and convert them into accurate values. It also connects to a smart device via Bluetooth. Epson says Spectrometer app is simple and straightforward to use, even for those who are new to colour measurement. Wired and wireless connection with a PC is also possible.

Accordingly, the SD-10 can also be used for media with uneven surfaces, such as fabric, and the colour measurement results are not affected by any external environment.

The Epson Spectrometer app displays the numerical values measured by the SD-10 as a colour picker with readings in a variety of formats including LAB, CYMK, LCH, RGB. In addition to being able to compare approximate colours and numerical values, users can also compare the colour differences between two measured colours and display the difference numerically. The app also identifies similar colours of measured colours, colour scheme examples and complementary colours, and similar Pantone colours.

By linking with the functions of Epson’s genuine Epson Edge Print and Epson Edge Print PRO software, users can then get the exact colour you want with any Epson large-format inkjet printer.

Good Design Awards are presented annually for designs that benefit and enrich our lives and society.

Epson’s SD10 was described by the judges as they said, “The ability to match colours objectively based on numerical output instead of human sensory perception promises great benefits in terms of colour matching accuracy and efficiency. The digitisation of the last remaining analogue part of the printing process should remove a bottleneck and enable rapid advances in efficiency. The fact that the product is reasonably priced thanks to sensor technology developed in-house and that the product fits neatly in the hand are also very appealing. The GUI is intuitive. It displays colours as numerical values and visualises differences in colour differences with a dedicated application that was developed at the same time. Coordination with familiar colour samples such as Pantone is also being considered, and it is not difficult to imagine its widespread use in the future.”