Techkon SpectroDens User Manual

Manual

Spectro-Densitometer

SpectroDens

Software

SpectroConnect

TECHKON manuals, technical documentation and programs are
copyrighted. Reproduction, translation or transfer to an electronic
medium – in whole or in parts – is prohibited.

TECHKON software is the intellectual property of TECHKON GmbH.
Purchase of the software grants the user a license for the use on one
computer only. Programs may only be copied for back-up purposes.

TECHKON can not be held liable for any damages that may occur by
the use of TECHKON products.

The TECHKON team takes great care in producing this manual. Nev­ertheless, we can not fully guarantee the complete absence of errors.
TECHKON GmbH and the authors can not be held liable neither for
any possibly incorrect statements nor their consequences.

Products that are not made by TECHKON GmbH are mentioned for
information purposes only and such statements do not represent
trademark infringement. All registered trademarks are recognized.

TECHKON products and product names are registered internationally
under several intellectual patents and trademarks.

Specications can be subject to change without notice.

Version 4.3, March 2018

You can reach us at the following address:
TECHKON GmbH
Wiesbadener Str. 27 • D-61462 Königstein/Germany
T +49 (0) 6174 / 92 44 50 • F +49 (0) 6174 / 92 44 99
[e-mail] • www.techkon.com

Welcome

We welcome you among the worldwide community of users of TECHKON products.
We are happy that you have selected this high-quality measurement instrument. It will
be a valuable tool for your day-to-day quality control tasks. With this manual we invite
you to learn how to use SpectroDens.

The manual is divided into three chapters:

CHAPTER 1: How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

CHAPTER 2: Description of the measurement functions

CHAPTER 3: How to use the Windows software SpectroConnect

For the rst steps we recommend to read chapter 1; in particular paragraph 1.4.

You will be fascinated that after only 15 minutes you will know how to work with
SpectroDens. The second chapter will show you detailed insight into the measure­ment functions and chapter 3 is about the Windows software SpectroConnect, which
is part of the package.

Please get the device registered by using the registration card, which you will nd in
the appendix of this manual. That way we can keep you updated about product news.

Please visit us as well on internet at www.techkon.com. You will nd useful information
about the complete product range and new software versions.

Do you have any suggestions for improvements or do you require information that
goes beyond the contents of this manual? We will be glad to hear from you. Your sug­gestions or questions make an important contribution to the continuous optimization
of our documentation and products.

Your TECHKON Team

Content

CHAPTER 1: How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

1.1 Product description ............................................................................................................................ 5

1.2 Packing list ................................................................................................................................................ 8

1.3 Design of SpectroDens ..................................................................................................................... 9

1.4 Working with SpectroDens .......................................................................................................... 11

1.5 Care and maintenance ....................................................................................................................19

CHAPTER 2: Description of the measurement functions

2.1 Measurement functions of SpectroDens Basic ................................................................33

2.2 Additional functions of SpectroDens Advanced ............................................................ 51

2.3 Additional functions of SpectroDens Premium ............................................................. 63

2.4 Storage of measurement values .............................................................................................. 77

CHAPTER 3: How to use the Windows software SpectroConnect

3.1 Software description ....................................................................................................................... 80

3.2 Installation .............................................................................................................................................. 80

3.3 Overview / Software module: Compare colors ...............................................................81

3.4 Software module: SpectroDens settings ............................................................................82

3.5 Device update and device upgrade ...................................................................................... 83

3.6 Software module: Export ............................................................................................................. 84

3.7 Software module: ColorCatcher............................................................................................... 85

3.8 Software module: PhotoLab ...................................................................................................... 86

3.9 Software module: MediaWedge .............................................................................................. 89

3.10 Software module: Transfer curve ..............................................................................................91

3.11 Software module: ISO-Report ....................................................................................................93

3.12 Software module: SpectroChart .............................................................................................. 94

3.13 Software module: SpectroCheck ............................................................................................ 95

APPENDIX:

Specications
Manufacturer certicate
EC-Declaration of Conformity
Registration card

5

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

Chapter 1

How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

1.1 Product description

With the new SpectroDens generation TECHKON continues the success story of
the SpectroDens hand-held devices in the long term. The dictum during product
development was: Pursue proven concepts and integrate new meaningful tech­nologies. The result sets a new standard.

A measurement device for all applications

SpectroDens is an all-purpose measurement device, that is universally used for qual­ity control in the printing industry as well as for other tasks, where colors have to be
judged critically. SpectroDens is exceptionally suitable, no matter which application.
Thanks to the individually adjustable display functions, you can quickly set up the
device for your particular job. The solid aluminum unibody case makes the device a
reliable tool even in a harsh industrial environment. Direct positioning of the measure­ment head on the measurement eld ensures a secure and quick measurement. In ad­dition to single measurements you can easily carry out scan measurements. Tracking
wheels on the bottom of the device make it possible to scan very fast up to 200 color
patches at once on a print control strip or test chart.

Two devices in one

As a spectro-densitometer, SpectroDens combines the qualities of a highly accurate
spectro-photometer and an easy-to-use densitometer. Measurement is spectral, i. e.
the entire color information – the spectral ngerprint of the color – is precisely regis­tered. The data is converted into measurement data for descriptive analysis and dis­play:

 Densitometric data is widely used in quality control during the printing process.
 Colorimetric data is used in the evaluation of print proofs, the creation of color pro-

les in color management as well as the color matching and formulation of inks.

Densitometry / Density measurement

A push of a button provides you with solid density as well as all useful additional in­formation such as dot gain, dot area, gray balance and print contrast. In the automatic
measurement mode the device always displays the relevant information instantly. You
can even quickly and easily produce complete printing curves. The spectral measure-

6

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

ment technology calculates not only density values for CMYK, but also exact data for
the density of spot colors.

Colorimetry

All standard colorimetric functions are displayed clearly. Even the entire CIE L*a*b*
color circle appears in the high resolution color display. As a result understanding CIE
L*a*b* values becomes very easy and clear. In the color library 25.000 reference colors
and complete digital color books can be saved.

Standardized measurement

Thanks to its ISO-compliant measuring head SpectroDens works strictly according to
the standards valid for the graphic industry. Select dierent status lters for density
measurement in the device settings. A special technical feature is the polarization lter
which can be switched on and o by a push of a button and makes SpectroDens par­ticularly good at evaluating the Ugra/Fogra media wedge.

Using the latest LED technology SpectroDens provides D50 illumination and there­fore fullls the M0, M1, M2, M3 measuring conditions in accordance to ISO 13655. The
lifetime of the LED illumination is nearly unlimited. Moreover the new design of the
direction-independent measuring head provides reliable measurements of a wide
range of print media.

Software SpectroConnect

The supplied Windows-software TECHKON SpectroConnect provides the connection
between SpectroDens and the PC via the micro-USB connector or via the optionally
available WLAN-module. Measurement data can thus be comfortably processed on
the PC and transferred, for example, to Microsoft Excel™.

Use the color library to load complete digital color books quickly and easily into the
device. An import of color values in CXF® format is possible as well. SpectroConnect is
also the connecting module for other applications, e. g. programs for the production
of printing curves, for colorimetric quality control or for checking the compliance of
printing products to ISO standards.

7

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

7

Three dierent performance packages

We supply SpectroDens in three types of performance packages: The model Basic
with all density functions and the Advanced version which adds essential colorimetric
functions and a color library. The fully equipped agship model SpectroDens Premi-
um meets all demands with regard to quality control. All SpectroDens devices can also
be used for scans and feature a brilliant color display. Optionally data transmission by
means of a WLAN module is possible. SpectroDens can be upgraded post-purchase
by program upload to higher versions (charged service).

SpectroDens Basic

 Automatic density  Density CMYK (with reference measurements)  Dot area  Dot

gain

 Print contrast  Gray and color balance  Ink trapping  Printing curve  Density

spectrum

 Spectral density for spot colors  Trend function ExPresso mini  Slur/dou-

bling

 Dot area to Yule-Nielsen for printing plates  LED technology provides mea-

surement conditions M0, M1, M2, M3 according to ISO 13655

 Spot Colour Tone Value

(SCTV)

 Spot Colour Tone Value (SCTV) Printing curve  Average

SpectroDens Advanced

Same functions as SpectroDens Basic and additionally:

 CIE L*a*b*  ΔE*a*b*  CIE L*C*h*ab  CIE XYZ  CIE color circle  ΔE*cmc
 ΔE*CIE94  ΔE*CIE2000  Remission spectrum  InkCheck: Color control of spot

colors

 Color library with up to 20 color books and a total number of 25.000 reference

values

 Memory capacity for 3.000 sample values and 300 reference values  G7™

SpectroDens Premium

Same functions as SpectroDens Advanced and additionally:

 Ugra/Fogra media wedge evaluation  ISO-Check: Color control according to ISO

126 47

 CIE L*u*v*  CIE L*C*h*uv  CIE xyY  DIN Lab99  Metamery index  Whiteness

 Yellowness  Pass/fail tolerance  Opacity  OBA-Check

8

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

1.2 Packing list

Contents of delivery

 Measurement device SpectroDens
 Charging console with integrated

absolute white standard

 AC adapter with universal plugs

for Europe, UK and USA

 This manual with ISO 9000 compliant

certicate

 Manufacturer certicate
 Micro-USB cable for PC connection
 CD with Windows software

TECHKON SpectroConnect

Contents of delivery of SpectroDens

Optional accessories

 Exchangeable apertures
 Print control strips TECHKON TCS

(the digital print control strips TECHKON TCS can be downloaded free of
charge at www.techkon.com)

 Device upgrades for Basic- or Advanced models to higher functionality
 Color reference SpectroCheck
 WLAN module

Replacement parts

 Charging console with white standard
 AC adapter
 Rechargeable battery

You will nd the technical specications in the appendix of this manual.

9

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

1.3 Design of SpectroDens

SpectroDens is a solidly designed measurement device which is very functional and
easy to use. It is compact in size; the buttons can be reached with the right index nger
when the device is held with the right hand. The LCD display is inclined towards the
user, so the display information can be read clearly.

SpectroDens can be easily positioned on the measurement sample.

The device incorporates a high-resolution spectral sensor which analyzes the color
spectrum of the measured sample. The spectral data is the base information for cal­culating densitometric and colorimetric data which is displayed. Densitometric values
can be solid density, dot area, dot gain or trapping values. Colorimetric values are typi­cally CIE L*a*b*- or ΔE*-color information.

The USB-connector is for linking with a PC. The USB-cable with a Micro-USB plug,
which ts into the connector at the back of the device, is part of the package.

Tracking wheels

Device label with

serial number

USB port for PC
connection

Navigation buttons

Right hand
grip zone

Measurement
aperture

Measurement
head

Green measurement
button (also for
switching on)

Device display

10

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

The charging console incorporates an absolute white standard, which should not be
touched but should always be kept clean.

The above image shows how to connect the plug of the AC adapter with the charging
console. The AC adapter can be used universally for 100 – 240 V and 47 – 63 Hz.

There are three adapter plugs for dierent countries. To change an adapter plug, just
unlock the lock, pull the plug o the AC adapter and push in the new one. Make sure
it is connected rmly.

Connect the mains plug to the power socket. The socket must be located near the
facility and must be easily accessible. Do not use the power plug if the power cord is
damaged.

Always use the original TECHKON SpectroDens AC adapter. The use of other power
sources is hazardous.

AC adapter with three dierent mains plugs Device in the state of charging

UK

USA

Europe

1. Absolute white standard

2. Charging contacts for wireless, inductive
battery charging

3. Low voltage connector for the plug of the
AC adapter

1.

2.

3.

11

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

1.4 Working with SpectroDens

Switching on and o

SpectroDens is switched on by pressing the green measurement button. It is immedi­ately ready to measure. In this state power consumption is very low.

If no button is pressed within one minute, the device will switch o automatically.
Switching it on again with the green measurement button will show on the display
the last measurement done. There is no button to turn SpectroDens o.

Charging

The battery status is displayed as a battery symbol in the upper right corner of the
LC-display, when the unit is turned on.

When the battery turns empty, the battery symbol turns to red. In this state several
measurements still can be obtained; but it is time to put it on the charging console to
avoid a total discharge and damage of the battery.

Charging starts automatically by placing the device on the charging console. Please
keep the charging contacts on the console and under the device always clean. Five
seconds after placing the device on the console the display will show an animated
battery symbol. When the symbol displays a full battery, the charging is completed
and the battery is fully charged.

Up to 10.000 measurements can be carried out with one battery charge. Completely
charging an empty battery will take approximately four hours.

SpectroDens has a regulated charging management. This means it will power-charge
an empty battery, so the device can be used again after a few minutes. On the other
hand, there is no overcharging of full batteries.

Disposal instructions: Please dispose of the battery only in a designated recycling cen­ter.

You can park the device on the charging console when not in use. This way it is guar­anteed to have always an operational measurement instrument at hand.

12

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

How to measure

After switching on SpectroDens, it is instantly ready to measure. Just position the mea­surement aperture on top of the measurement sample and press shortly with the in­dex nger the green measurement button. Within one second the resulting measure­ment value will appear on the display of the device.

Please ensure that the device always has a rm stand on a at surface. There must not
be a distance between the measurement head and the sample where light could pass
through, because this can inuence the measurement. On the bottom of the device
there are tracking wheels which allow to drive easily and fast to the measurement
point.

The color of the background material underneath the measurement sample can have
an inuence on the measurement result. Dierent technical standards describe which
backing material to use.

In the printing industry the following procedure is widely used:

 white backing for proofs and
 black backing for prints.

TIP:

By pressing the red Escape button and one of the Arrow buttons simultaneously (see
p. 13), SpectroDens switches directly between the densitometric and the colorimetric
measurement function that was last used.

13

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

The center of the display shows the
current measurements.

1. Reference measurement

2. Sample measurement

3. Battery and charging status

4. Stack of paper icon for paper white
calibration;
CAL icon for absolute white calibration

5. DELTA-mode (= for comparisons)

6. Average function

7. Color library

8. Device settings
9 Measurement conditions

10. Measurement functions

Device settings with the display menu

Thanks to the interactive device menu, settings are very easy to adjust. The display
is divided logically into a center and a frame. The center displays the measurement
results. It is framed by interactive “soft keys” and status information displays. Pressing
shortly on one of the arrow buttons will move an active cursor from “soft key” to “soft
key” around the frame. An active “soft key” is indicated by a frame.

By keeping an arrow button pressed, the cursor travels from “soft key” to “soft key” at
a constant speed until the arrow button is depressed again. By pressing the enter but­ton a function behind a “soft key” is selected and a selectable menu appears. Within
such a menu again the navigation is done via the arrow buttons and the selections
are made with the enter button. Some menu items or “soft keys” might be shaded in
appearance and can not be selected, because they are only active in a higher perfor­mance package (Advanced or Premium) of SpectroDens.

Pressing the red, round escape button will always bring you one step back in the
menu or will close a menu window. It can be compared to the escape button or undo­function on a PC. It will always bring you back to the measurement mode.

1. Escape button

2. Arrow buttons

3. Enter button

1. 2. 3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

10. 9.

1.

2.

3.

14

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

2. Sound will activate an acoustic signal after
each measurement.

3. With activated Automatic Paper White
Calibration SpectroDens will always perform
automatically a paper white calibration when
a measurement on a paper white is made.

We recommend to activate this function only
when the substrate to be printed is often
changed.

1. The SpectroDens INFO screen informs
about the type of device (Basic, Advanced
or Premium), the software- and hardware­version as well as the serial number. It also
indicates whether a WLAN module is installed
and informs about device checks.

Menu: Device settings

The “soft key” with the cogwheel symbol opens the window for the device settings.

Within this window you can navigate with the arrow buttons and select with the enter
button. The red escape button brings you back to the measurement mode.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

4. In the measurement function Automatic
Density, the device recognizes %-patches,

switches automatically to the display of the
dot area and shows the calculated values.

The automatic switch to %-values can also
be turned o using the device setting %
Measurement Automatic Density to avoid
switching caused by uctuation. When the
function is deactivated, the device will always
show the density values and the dot area will
not be calculated automatically.

5. SpectroDens can be connected to a WLAN
network to send information via wireless data
transmission to the PC. The WLAN module is
available as optional accessory.

6. Active Functions allows the user to per­sonalize the device by disabling those of the
measurement functions that are not currently
needed. So the handling is concentrated on
the essentials. If necessary, the inactive mea­surement functions are simply reactivated.

7. Sets the menu Language of the device.

8./9. All measurement values get a Date- and
Time-stamp. This information will be visible
when the data is transmitted to the PC soft­ware SpectroConnect.

10. For the measurement of densities, the Dis-
play format CMYK can be selected.
The device can display two or three decimals.
The information in the chosen format is car­ried out in all density modes.

Menu: Device settings

11./12. The functions Density adjustment
(SLOPE) and Absolute white reference val­ues are for the internal device adjustment.

The device is correctly adjusted by the fac­tory and changes of these settings should be
made only in special cases (see page 20 f.: Set­ting of the Density adjustment (SLOPE)).

13. A Reset puts the device to factory settings.

Attention ! All stored measurement values
and a recently made calibration will be de­leted and should therefore be saved on the
PC if necessary, by using the Windows soft­ware SpectroConnect.

Only the factory-set calibration values are still
valid. A reset may be useful, if SpectroDens
does not work properly.

14. The information of Device Voltages is for
device diagnosis by service personnel.

16

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Menu: Measurement functions

When the “soft key” in the left section of the lower bar is activated, a window opens
where you can select the measurement functions.
The measurement functions listed below are described in detail in chapter 2.

Index of the measurement functions:

1. Automatic Density p. 33

2. Densities CMYK p. 36

3. Dot Area p. 37

4. Dot Gain/Contrast p. 38

5. SCTV p. 39

6. Trapping p. 40

7. Printing Curve p. 41

8. Printing Curve SCTV p. 42

9. Printing Plate p. 43

10. Slur and Doubling p. 45

11. Density Graph p. 47

12. ExPresso Mini p. 48

13. CIE L*a*b* p. 51

14. CIE Color Circle p. 53

15. G7™ p. 54

16. Remission Curve p. 59

17. InkCheck p. 60

18. CIE XYZ p. 62

19. CIE L*C*h* ab p. 62

20. ISO-Check p. 63

21. CIE L*u*v* p. 67

22. CIE L*C*h* uv p. 67

23. CIE xyY p. 67

24. DIN Lab99 p. 67

25. Metamerism-Index p. 68

26. Whiteness/Yellowness p. 69

27. PASS/FAIL p. 70

28. Media Wedge p. 71

29. Scan p. 72

30. Opacity p. 74

31. OBA-Check p. 75

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

17

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

Menu: Measurement conditions

When the “soft key” in the right section of the lower bar is activated, a window opens
where you can set the measurement conditions which dene the parameters of the
measurement, e. g. which lter will be applied.
The measurement conditions 4. – 18. are described in detail together with the corre­sponding measurement functions in chapter 2.

1. The device has an integrated Polarizing l-
ter, which can be activated or deactivated by
a push of a button. Polarizing lters compen­sate for measurement dierences between
glossy and non-glossy surfaces (e. g. freshly
printed and dried sheets). The technical stan­dards in Europe recommend the use of such a
lter for densitometric measurements. On the
other hand, colorimetric measurements (e. g.
L*a*b*-measurements) should be taken with­out a polarizing lter.

By selecting Auto from the menu, this will be
taken into account and there will be automat­ically the right lter setting.

2. There are two possibilities for dening the
White Reference: Density measurements
usually are referred to the white value of the
paper printed on. Colorimetric measurements

refer to an absolute white reference which is
supplied as a ceramic tile on the charging
console.

By selecting Auto from the menu, there will
always be the right setting according to the
measurement mode which is selected.

3. Depending on the regional technical stan­dards dierent Density Filter settings are
required. SpectroDens as a powerful spectro­photometer has the great advantage that any
lter specication can be exactly calculated
out of the spectral data. There is no limitation
known from conventional lter based densi­tometers with xed lters built in.

In Europe lter ISO E is to be selected as the
standard lter.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

18

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Menu: Calibration

Prior to every series of measurements a calibration should be carried out. After a cali­bration the device is long term stable, however it is recommended to perform a cali­bration before starting a new measurement task just to be sure the device is working
properly.

For density measurements the calibration is carried out on paper white. This will en­sure that the density values are in direct ratio to the ink thickness which is applied
on the paper. When there is a change in the paper type, a new calibration has to be
done. Only in a few cases density measurements are referenced to an absolute white
standard.

A calibration is as easy to carry out as a measurement: Select the “soft key” Calibration
and place the device with the measurement head on top of a blank area of the paper
sheet. The calibration can be started now by pressing either the enter button or the
green measurement button.

After one second there will appear a window with the message that the calibration
has been done. The device is now ready for measurements. The message window will
disappear with the next measurement.

During the calibration process always take care that the instrument is on a at, stable
surface and that the material backing the paper is the same as for the following mea­surements (white, gray or black). When the paper sample is printed on both sides, it
is recommended to use a black backing material in order to avoid mismeasurements
due to color shining through the back of the opaque paper.

19

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

1.5 Care and maintenance

SpectroDens is a highly-precise optical instrument. It is designed to work in harsh,
industrial environments. However, it should be handled with care. Avoid mechanical
shocks, heat, dusty or humid environments! Keep it always at a safe place, for example
in the carrying case.

Cleaning

The measurement head with the optical system is sealed against dust and dirt. Take
care that the visible, open measurement aperture is always free of dust. You can clean
the measurement aperture with oil-free, clean compressed air and a brush used for
cleaning photographic equipment. For easy cleaning the aperture can be taken o
from the measurement head by unscrewing three screws with a special TORX T6
screwdriver (which is part of the package of a spare aperture set).

Clean the device casing and the display window only with a soft cloth and a non­aggressive plastic cleaner. Never use alcohol or chemically aggressive solvent-based
cleaners which can destroy the surfaces. The same procedure is valid for the white
standard which is integrated in the charging console. If the white standard should be
defective, it has to be replaced completely.

Should the display window show small scratches, these can be polished out with spe­cial display polish greases as they are e. g. available for mobile phones and other elec­tronic equipment as well.

Please do not stick any labels at the bottom of the device. This could lead to faulty
measurements, because the direct contact – which is important for the correct opti­cal eld of depth – might not be maintained. The battery charge can be aected by
a label as well.

20

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Device adjustment

Should SpectroDens do not work properly, rst check, if all instrument settings and
measurement conditions are set correctly. Especially the settings of the Density ad-
justment (SLOPE) and the Absolute white reference values inuence the measure-
ment result.

Setting of the Density adjustment (SLOPE)

With the SLOPE correction values it is possible to adjust SpectroDens to the density
values of other devices.

Activate the “soft key” with the cogwheel icon
and select the menu item Density adjust-
ment (SLOPE).

Select the menu item CYAN.

Enter the Cyan value, you nd on the calibra­tion chart. By pressing the arrow buttons the
value can be increased or decreased.

In the same way enter the data given by the
calibration chart for Magenta, Yellow and
Black.

21

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

Select the menu item Make SLOPE calibra­tion.

Carry out a paper white calibration as de­scribed in the device display.

Now measure consecutively the solid patches
of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.

A correct measurement is indicated by a
green dot behind the respective color.

The SLOPE correction values are shown.

A reset of the SLOPE correction values is done
by activating the menu item Reset SLOPE
coecients. You reset the device back to its
original factory settings.

22

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Setup of the SpectroDens WLAN connection

To be able to use the WLAN function in SpectroDens, a WLAN module has to be
installed. The module is available as accessory from TECHKON. It is a small electronic
board which can be inserted into the instrument easily.

Assembly of the WLAN module

SpectroDens WLAN module

To insert the module the casing has to be
opened.

Lift the upper case carefully and put the two
casing parts side by side on the table.

23

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

The slot into which the WLAN module has to
be inserted is located on the main board.

Due to its reverse battery protection the
board cannot be inserted in a wrong way.

After the WLAN module is inserted in its slot,
connect the battery cable again. The plug has
to clip into the socket.

When putting the casing together, make sure
the WLAN module ts properly in its com­partment.

Tighten carefully all four screws on the bot­tom of the device. Now the instrument is
ready to use.

24

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

In the upper left corner of the device display
the WLAN symbol will be shown when acti­vated.

The color of the symbol depends on the sta­tus.
Gray: Searching
Blue: Connection established

To be able to use the WLAN connection, the
function has to be activated in the settings of
the instrument.

Notice: To save power, it is recommended to
turn o WLAN if not required.

After a successful connection with the soft­ware SpectroConnect, the WLAN information
can be checked in the SpectroDens INFO
window.

Conguration of the device

25

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

Setup of the WLAN connection

Start the software SpectroConnect, select SpectroDens settings, turn on the instrument and
connect it with the USB cable to the PC.

The symbol to the right of the serial number indicates the type of connection; in this example
it is an USB connection.

The WLAN settings folder is available after connecting the instrument via USB cable to the PC.
To establish a WLAN connection, please start the WLAN wizard.

26

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

The WLAN wizard will guide you trough the setup process.
Make sure you have all information about your WLAN network available.

Two types of WLAN connections are possible: Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc.
Infrastructure should be selected if a WLAN network is already installed in the working area.
Ad-Hoc allows a direct connection to a PC using its WLAN module or any WLAN USB stick.

Infrastructure

Select Infrastructure and click on the Next button.

27

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

The wizard will show all WLAN networks which are available.

Select your network and click on the Next button.

Should your network not be listed you can try again by clicking on Search again using
SpectroDens.

Please enter the IP-Address, the netmask and the password of your WLAN network in order to
connect.
You can enable DHCP if your network is supporting this function. Then a free IP-Address will be
used automatically.

After entering the information, please click on the Next button.

28

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

SpectroDens is now looking for the WLAN network and if available will establish a connection.

The gray color of the symbol is indicating the search function. Once the WLAN network is found
and the connection is established, the color of the symbol will change to blue.

SpectroDens is now connected to the WLAN network and ready to be used wirelessly.

29

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

The settings will be applied and shown in the WLAN settings.

By activating the function Automatically search for WLAN SpectroDens the connection will be
established automatically when used next time.

Now you can disconnect the USB cable.
The connection via WLAN will be indicated by the symbol next to the serial number. The blue
color of the symbol indicates an active connection.

30

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Ad-Hoc connection

To establish an Ad-Hoc network select this function during the wizard setup.

The IP-Address, the netmask and the name (SSID) of the network are predened in this case and
will be shown for your information.

Click on the Next button to continue.

31

CHAPTER 1 – How to use TECHKON SpectroDens

Use the software of your WLAN network card or WLAN USB stick to setup the WLAN connection
to your device

Select the WLAN network named after the serial number of your device.

Conrm the settings and check the connection.

Once the connection with your network card or WLAN USB stick is established you have to go
back and click on Repeat search to connect SpectroConnect to the WLAN network.

A successful connection will be indicated by the blue WLAN symbol.

Continue in the same way as described for the infrastructure network (see p. 29).

32

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Device information and safety instructions

The use of this device in a dierent way than recommended by TECHKON GmbH
can endanger the device safety.

WARNING: This device may not be used in potentially explosive atmospheres.

Please protect your eyes and do not look directly into the optics when the device
is switched on.

Operating conditions: Ambient temperature: 10 to 35 °C, max. 30 to 85 % rel. humidity
(non-condensing); storage temperature: -20 to 50 °C.

Reset

A device reset sets the device back to factory settings. All calibration data (including
SLOPE values), stored measurement values, reference-, target-, and tolerance-values
will be deleted.

If the reset procedure in the settings window is not possible, a hardware reset has to
be carried out. The battery plug has to be unplugged for a couple of seconds and then
to be connected again.

Warranty

The warranty for TECHKON products is 24 months starting with the date of purchase.
Consumable and wearing parts are excluded from this. The invoice is the certicate
of warranty. The warranty is invalid if the damage is caused by inadequate use of the
device.

Should a TECHKON product do not work according to the specication, please contact
us before sending us the device. In most cases we can solve the problem over the
phone or via E-mail.

Inspection intervals

TECHKON SpectroDens is maintenance free. We recommend to validate the com­plete functionality of the devices in a 24 months time interval in the TECHKON ser-

vice center.
Please send the device always securely in the carrying case with complete accessories.
For a at fee the device will be cleaned, checked and re-calibrated. In case a repair or
exchange of components should be necessary we will inform you in advance.

33

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

In this example the measurement has been
taken on a Cyan patch. SpectroDens recog­nizes the type of process color and displays
the solid density value of Cyan, which is dis­played with the “C” symbol. Values for Cyan
(C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y) and Black (K = key
color) can be shown.

The density value is a value without a unit.
It corresponds to the amount of ink applied
on the paper surface. The higher the density
value the higher the thickness of the ink layer.
The correct density value is dependent on
the printing parameters (paper, ink, printing
process). Usually, density values are between

1.00 and 2.00.

The second measurement has been taken on
a Magenta patch. The former Cyan measure­ment still gets displayed. Measurements of a
specic process color will be overwritten as
soon as a new measurement of this specic
color will be made.

Chapter 2

Description of the measurement functions

2.1 Measurement functions of SpectroDens Basic

Automatic Density

SpectroDens Basic comprises all functions related to density measurement. A very
practical feature is the Automatic Density mode. By a push of the green measure­ment button the relevant measurement values are displayed. Depending on the type
of measurement patch this can be:

 Solid density D  Dot area in %  Gray balance

K

C M Y SLUR C+MKC M Y

1

80%40%

BAL

2

K

C M Y SLUR C+MKC M Y

1

80%40%

BAL

2

34

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

For the display of dot area (or dot percent­age) in %, two measurements have to be
made: First the solid density patch and then
the %-patch, which is in this example a 80 %­patch. The resulting dot percentage is in this
case 91.9 %; the referring dot gain is 11.9 %:

91.9 % - 80 % = 11.9 %

Should a solid density value be displayed
instead of the desired dot percentage value,
then the density measured rst was signi­cantly higher than the second one. In this
case we recommend to delete the displayed
value by pressing the red escape button and
to measure again.

When making a measurement on a gray
balance patch, the referring density values
for all four process colors are shown in a bar
graph. The values for Cyan, Magenta and Yel­low should be in close range to each other to
ensure a neutral gray balance without a color
hue.

It is important that the gray balance patch, on
which the measurement is taken, comprises
the right %-values to achieve a neutral gray
when printed correctly. The process standard
ISO 12647 for oset print denes the values as:
C = 50 %,
M = 40 % and
Y = 40 %.

The value for Black indicates how dark the
gray color is. The higher the value for Black
(= K) the darker the sample.

1. Measurement 2. Measurement

A gray balance patch is composed of dierent
portions of Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. It does
not include black ink.

K

C M Y SLUR C+MKC M Y

1

80%40%

BAL

2

M YKC M Y 80%40%

0KCBAL

BAL C+M BAL

BALM Y

S/D

35

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

In DELTA Mod e (= comparison mode) the
measured values are compared to reference
values. The mode is activated by navigating
to the “soft key” with the triangle symbol and
selecting it.

In the example on the left side a Yellow patch
was measured.

The measured solid density is:

Y = 1.25

This is 0.20 less than the set reference (= tar­get) density of Y = 1.45.
The measured value is outside the limits of
the set tolerance of ± 0.06. Therefore it is
marked with a cross symbol in the round icon.

A checkmark symbol would be shown in case
of a measurement within the tolerance limits.

The setting of reference values and toler-
ances is done in the menu under the item
measurement conditions.

In the Density Reference Setup up to ve
data sets (REF 1 – 5) for reference (= target)
densities can be edited. Reference densities
recommended for the ve dened paper
classes are already pre-set.

The tolerances dene the lower and upper
limits around the reference values. In this ex­ample for Yellow:

1.45 + 0.06 = 1.51

1.45 - 0.06 = 1.39

K

C M Y SLUR C+MKC M Y180%40% BAL

2

36

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

In this example, a solid Magenta patch was
measured. The solid density is:

M = 1.47

But why are densities for the other colors
shown as well ? Shouldn’t they have a value of
0 ? No. These are the so-called partial densi-
ties. No printing ink is 100 % spectrally pure.
There will always be partial colors besides the
actual main color.

This function also makes comparison be­tween measurements and reference values.
In this example the reference value was not
taken from the reference memory but was
measured just before by putting the “soft key”
to Reference:

1. First select via “soft key” Reference and
make a measurement on a patch which will
be the future reference patch.

2. Now activate via “soft key“ Sample and
make a measurement on a sample patch. A
triangle symbol in front of the measurement
value indicates that delta values (dierence
between reference and sample) are shown.
Future sample measurements will be com­pared to the once measured reference values
as well.

3. Now activate the DELTA Mode by select­ing the triangle symbol.

The function Densities CMYK is especially
suitable for the measurement of multicolored
composed CMYK colors, e. g. in logos, to nd
out the reason for possible color shifts.

For information about the ∆Dmax-function
see page 47.

Densities CMYK

In the measurement function Densities CMYK all four partial densities for Cyan, Ma­genta, Yellow and Black are displayed.

Patch for reference measurement

Patch for sample measurement

37

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

Dot Area

For the function Dot Area (= dot percentage) two measurements have to be carried
out. First a measurement on a solid patch and then a measurement on a %-patch
(= screen patch). The dot area value is calculated with the Murray-Davies formula.

1. First place the measurement head above
a solid patch and start the measurement by
pressing the green button. The solid density
value will be displayed.

2. Now make a second measurement on a
%-patch and the dot area in % will be shown.

In this case a measurement has been taken on
a 40 %-patch.

The resulting dot gain can be easily calculated:
59 % - 40 % = 19 %

The dot gain value gives the information
to what degree a point is enlarged (or de­creased) during each process step of the re­production process chain.

The double arrow on the left side of the de­vice display indicates which measurement
has to be done next.

Should several dot area values refer to the
same solid density, this value has to be mea­sured only once and can be saved for con­secutive %-measurements. After a solid den­sity measurement, just keep the enter button
pushed for approximately 3 seconds until the
density value is framed. Now an unlimited
number of %-measurements can be made.
Deactivating is done by keeping the enter
button pressed again.

K

C M Y SLUR C+MKC M Y

1

80%40%

BAL

2

1. 2.

38

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Dot Gain / Contrast

The function Dot Gain / Contrast is closely related to the previously described func­tion of dot area. Here also, rst a solid density measurement is carried out and then
%-measurements follow.

In the lower part of the device display there is
shown which patch has to be measured next.

In this case there just has been measured a
solid density patch with a density of 1.84.

The double arrow points to the 80 meaning
an 80 %-patch has to be measured next.

After the last %-measurement has been done
(in this case the 80 %-patch) additionally to
the Dot Gain value the Printing Contrast will
be calculated and displayed.

The round escape button will always lead
back to the previous step in case a wrong
measurement has been made.

The setting for the %-patches to be measured
is done in Dot Gain Setup.

Up to three percentage values can be edited.
The TECHKON TCS print control strips include
two dierent %-patches; 80 % and 40 %.

K

C M Y SLUR C+MKC M Y180%40% BAL

2

1. 2. 3.

39

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

SCTV

The Spot Colour Tone Value (SCTV) function, which is dened in ISO 20654:2017, pro­vides a precise colorimetric quality inspection for spot colors. SpectroDens supports
SCTV for single tone value measurements and the SCTV printing curve (see page 42).

1. First place the measurement head above
a solid patch and start the measurement by
pressing the green button. The solid density
value will be displayed.

2. Now make a second measurement on a
%-patch and the dot area in % will be shown.

In this case a measurement has been taken on
a 80 %-patch.

The resulting dot gain can be easily calculated:

81.2 % - 80 % = 1.2 %

The dot gain value gives the information
to what degree a point is enlarged (or de­creased) during each process step of the re­production process chain.

The double arrow on the left side of the de­vice display indicates which measurement
has to be done next.

Should several dot area values refer to the
same solid density, this value has to be mea­sured only once and can be saved for con­secutive %-measurements. After a solid den­sity measurement, just keep the enter button
pushed for approximately 3 seconds until the
density value is framed. Now an unlimited
number of %-measurements can be made.
Deactivating is done by keeping the enter
button pressed again.

1. 2.

80%40%S2S10BALS2S180% 40%K C M Y S2S1KKC M YKC M Y

40

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Trapping

With the feature Trapping there can be checked, how good two layers of ink which
are printed over each other represent the resulting mixed color.

There are no standard values for the trapping measurement. The values which can
be obtained depend on the printing process and particularly on the type of ink and
paper used. Typical values for standardized print with Paper Class 1 (glossy, coated) are:
C+M > 60 %, M+Y > 72 % and C+Y > 85 %.

SpectroDens oers extended trapping calculation according to Professor Ritz and Fe­lix Brunner, which ensure a better comparison between C+M, M+Y and C+Y measure­ments. An alternative determination how well two separate colors overprint can be
checked with a colorimetric function, such as the L*C*h*-feature, where the L*- and
C*-values give the information of the printable gamut.

Three measurements are necessary: Two
measurements on each of the two separate
process colors and nally one measurement
on the resulting overprinted patch.

Here in this example rst Cyan and second
Magenta has been measured. The nal mea­surement is done on a blue patch as the
overprint of Cyan and Magenta. The trapping
value is 73.2 %. The higher the value the bet­ter the overprint of two colors.

Additionally to the trapping value in %
there are the densities for the separate color
patches displayed. The densities are always
displayed with the lter channel of the sec­ond printed ink; in this case Magenta. This
explains why the density value for the rst
printed ink Cyan is so low. SpectroDens will
recognize automatically the order of colors as
they are printed. Switching the rst and sec­ond measurement therefore will lead to the
same result.

K

C M Y SLUR C+MKC M Y

1

80%40%

BAL

2

1. 2. 3.

41

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

Printing Curve

The measurement function Printing Curve displays a complete transfer curve, which
describes how screen dots (and tonal values) are transferred during the several pro­cess steps of the reproduction process.

First, make the required settings in the Print-
ing Curve Setup:

1. Tolerance range can be set according to
standard values (in this case the ISO Paper
Class 1/2 was selected)

2. Dot (screen) frequency (only relevant for
the display of tolerance values)

3. Increments of the wedge to be measured,
e. g. in 5 % steps

In the rst step a 100 %-(solid) patch is mea­sured. SpectroDens recognizes automatically
the color and displays the solid density. In this
case D = 1.50 for Cyan.

The double arrow in the upper left corner in­dicates that the next patch to be measured
will be a 90 %-patch. Now all other pre-set
%-patches can be measured on the measure­ment wedge.

Step wedges with separation bars (as shown)
can be measured by scanning. Just keep the
green start-button pressed during the whole
scanning procedure.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

42

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Now the corresponding current dot area is
indicated in the lower right section of the dis­play. In this case: + 7.3 % dot gain is displayed
at 90 % dot percentage.
The shaded area close to the curve shows the
tolerance range. The curve should be within
this area.

A wrong measurement can be easily deleted
by the red escape button and the device will
be ready again to read the patch correctly.

When using the scan function we recom­mend to use a patch width of 5 x 5 mm (min.
4 x 4 mm) with the standard aperture and a
patch width of 4 x 4 mm (min. 3 x 3 mm) with
the exchangeable 1,5 mm aperture.

Printing Curve SCTV

The measurement function Printing Curve SCTV displays a complete transfer curve of
a spot color, which describes how screen dots (and tonal values) are transferred during
the several process steps of the reproduction process.

The measurement of the Printing Curve

SCTV is carried out analogous to the regular
Printing Curve (described on page 41 f.).

Only the calibration of the device is done on
paper as well as on the absolute white stan­dard.

43

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

Printing Plate

Beside energy and focus of the laser, dot gain is the most important information which
has to be checked in plate exposure. Special plate measuring instruments working
with video analysis have been developed for this application; for example TECHKON
SpectroPlate. Compared to densitometers and colorimeters they oer big advantages.
Nevertheless it is basically possible to make measurements with a densitometer on a
printing plate. In doing so one should regard the following: Variations in the coating of
the printing plates may result in strong inuences on the measurements, especially in
the crucial range under 10 %. Variations of 0.02 D can cause errors up to 6 %.
The values measured with a densitometer do not correspond with the geometric dot
area, due to the fact that the densitometric measurement process is subject to optical
inuences, which increase the measurement value. Therefore densitometers measure
always a higher value than video analysis devices. But the measurement value of the
densitometer can be taken as a reference value for the tonal value adjustment.

For the measurement of the zero point (1.), the solid patch (2.) and the screen patch
(3.) you should select areas on the printing plate which are located as close as possible
to each other.

1.

2.

3.

The measurement feature Printing Plate measurement allows reading values directly
on printing plates. The process is comparable to reading on printed paper.

Before taking a measurement it is important, that the rubber coating is washed o
the printing plate, because otherwise light gets lost and the measurement result will
be distorted. In addition a correction factor, the so-called Yule-Nielsen factor, can be
set according to the material characteristics of the printing plate. Usually the plate
manufacturer will furnish the information about the factor for the dierent plate types.

44

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

The setting of the Yule-Nielsen factor is done
in the settings window of the measurement
conditions. If there is no information about
the factor available from the documentation
furnished with the plates, we recommend to
keep the value in a neutral range at n = 1.00.

The measurement is performed as known
from measuring on printed paper:

1. First, calibrate on a light, not imaged area
of the printing plate, as it would be a paper
white calibration.

2. Now measure a dark, 100 %-imaged patch.
SpectroDens will select one of the four CMYK
channels where the contrast signal is highest
depending on the color shade of the plate. In
this case the Cyan channel gave the highest
signal, because the plate is blue/violet.

3. Now the measurement on a %-patch is
carried out and displayed. Additional %-mea­surements can be easily made. It is not neces­sary to measure the solid density again, be­cause it is already saved, which is indicated by
the frame around the value.

C 40%

1. 2. 3.

45

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

Slur and Doubling

With the measurement function Slur and Doubling printing deciencies, caused by
inexact, geometrical transfer of the image from the plate to the paper can by evalu­ated.

Slurring means that the printed dot deforms from the transfer of the printing plate to
the rubber blanket or from the rubber blanket to the paper. The eect of doubling will
be present when a printed dot is transferred a second time with less intensity geo­metrically slightly oset. This ghost image is caused by ink being re-transferred to the
rubber blanket which should have stayed completely on the printed paper.

To make the slur and doubling measurement possible, it is necessary to have on the
color bar vertical and horizontal lined patches with identical line thickness as it is the
case with the print control strip TECHKON TCS.

Three measurements have to be carried out:

1. The rst measurement on the solid patch;
in this case of Magenta.

2. The second measurement on the horizon­tal lined patch of the same process color.

After the measurement of the horizontal lined
patch the dot area of the patch is calculated
and stored (see the following gure).

K C K C M Y

BAL

M+Y

S/D

1.

K C K C M Y

BAL

M+Y

S/D

2.

46

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

0 % is the best achievable factor, meaning the dot transfer is perfect, the horizontal
and vertical lines of the measurement patches have the same thickness and that nei­ther slur nor doubling eects are present. Values up around 5 % still are acceptable.
%-values higher than 10 % indicate signicant geometrical errors in print due to slur or
doubling eects. There are no standard values for the maximum allowable %-factor.

3. The third measurement on a vertical lined
patch. After the measurement of the vertical
lines again the dot area of the patch is calcu­lated and stored (see the following gure).

As a result the so-called slur/doubling factor
in % is displayed.

K C K C M Y

BAL

M+Y

S/D

3.

47

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

Density Graph

The function Density Graph enables the exact display of density values for any spot
color. Usually the standards dene density lter characteristics only for the process
colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. Thanks to the spectral measurement of
SpectroDens, a virtual spectral density characteristic for any spot color can be ob­tained. The great advantage is that the process control of spot colors can now be
as easily achieved as known from the four process colors.

In the following example a measurement
has been made on a blue spot color.

The density graph is derived from the re­mission spectrum and represents the den­sity spectrum for wavelengths from 400 to
700 nm. The peak of the curve displays where
the spectral density value has to be taken.

In this case the spectral density for the blue
color is D = 1.57 at a peak wavelength of
580 nm.

Only spectral densities relating to the same
peak wavelength (Dmax) can be compared.

SpectroDens displays the spectral density
automatically as well in the Densities CMYK
measurement mode.

The density values for CMYK show to what ex­tent the spot color can as well be registered
by the CMYK-color related standard density
lters.

Here in this case, the blue color is close to a
Cyan, therefore the density value in the Cyan
channel is quite high.

48

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

ExPresso Mini

The measurement function ExPresso Mini allows the fast control of the printing qual­ity during the printing process. The last ten consecutive measurements of a printing
color can be taken on a print control strip of a printed sheet for the ink zone control. In
addition ExPresso Mini provides the opportunity to get an overview of the stability of
the print run, by measuring the last ten printed sheets.

Advanced functions for the fast and comprehensive control of the printing quality
during the printing process features the software TECHKON ExPresso 4.0 in connec­tion with the automatic measurement system TECHKON SpectroDrive.

ExPresso Mini can display the last ten mea­surements per color.

When, after the tenth measurement, the dis­play is lled up with measurement values, the
already existing values shift with every new
measurement one step to the left, and the
rst value falls away.

The reference line marks the average value of
all measurements.

The tolerance area is dened with ± 0.10 den­sity.

The average value is recalculated after every
measurement.

49

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

In ExPresso Mini the Delta Mode can be ac-
tivated.

Taken measurements will then be compared
to reference densities, pre-set in the Density
Reference Setup.

The reference data and the result will be dis­played. The reference line is always the refer­ence value and the corresponding tolerance.

The gure describes the situation inside and
outside of the tolerance and the situation
outside of the graphic space.

50

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

The measurement conditions M0, M1, M2, M3 according to
ISO 13655 -2009

Many types of paper contain optical brighteners or pigments to improve the visual
performance of the paper. The brighteners and pigments are used to make the paper
look brighter and whiter. But for the accurate color adjustment they are quite a chal­lenge, because the type of ambient light inuences the color perception in most cases
to a large extent. To be able to evaluate these printing substrates precisely when mea­suring, new standards have been dened concerning the measurement conditions.

The following measurement conditions are selectable in the measurement parameter
menu of the SpectroDens color measurement device.

Measurement condition M0 is used when the printing substrate contains no or only
little optical brighteners. The measurement light corresponds to the standard illumina­tion type A and the UV component of the source, which activates the optical brighten­ers, is not specied. Almost every color measurement device in the graphic industries
works so far with this measurement condition. This measurement condition should
also be used, when measurement values have to be compliant to older devices.

Measurement condition M1 was dened to activate optical brighteners with a speci­ed component of UV light, to be able to evaluate the eect of the brighteners more
precisely. The measurement light conforms to the illumination type D 50 with a speci­ed UV component.

Measurement condition M2 describes the measurement without UV light. In older
devices this measurement condition was realized using an UV-Cut lter. The compari­son of the measurement value M1 to M2 shows clearly how strong the eect of optical
brighteners is.

Measurement condition M3 is mainly used for densitometric measurements and only
to a less extent for colorimetric measurements. It describes the use of polarization
lters which reduce surface reections to minimize measurement deviations between
wet and dry printing sheets.

51

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

The thematic separation between densito­metric and colorimetric functions is displayed
by a dotted line within the measurement
function window. CIE stands for the interna­tional color institute Commission Internatio­nale de l’Eclairage which publishes the stan­dards for colorimetry.

The most popular color system in the printing
industry is the CIE L*a*b* color space. Every
color is precisely described by three values:
The L*-value stands for the luminance and can
have values between 0 (a theoretical, abso­lute Black) and 100 (a theoretical, ideal White).
The a*-value describes the color value on the
Green/Red-axis (- a*: Green, + a*: Red) and the
b*-value the color value on the Blue/Yellow­axis (- b*: Blue, + b*: Yellow).

Colorimetric L*a*b*-measurement on a blue
sample. The blue color has a low luminance
of L = 47.21 and a low portion of Red.

2.2 Additional functions of SpectroDens Advanced

CI E L* a*b *

The previously described measurement functions all were based on densitometry.

Thanks to the spectral performance of SpectroDens it is possible to calculate and dis­play colorimetric values as well. Measurements in colorimetry modes have the advan­tage of an absolute description of color based on characteristic values.

L* = 0

L* = 100

C*

h*

h* =

0h* = 180

L* = 50

52

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

In colorimetry the white reference is absolute in contrary to densitometry where the
white is usually referenced to paper white. Before making colorimetric measurements,
an absolute white calibration has to be carried out by placing SpectroDens on the
charging console and calibrating on the round, white ceramic standard.

Colorimetric measurements can only be com­pared when the measurement conditions are
the same:

 Pollter: o
 White reference: Absolute
 Illuminant: D50
 Observer: 2°

When selecting Auto in the polarizing lter
setting, there will be automatically the polar­izing lter inactivated when making colori­metric measurements.

The color distance ∆E* describes how close two dierent colors match. A value of 0
means that they are identical. ∆E*-color dierences in the range of 5 result in con­siderably perceptible deviations when reference and sample are close together and
observed at the same time.

For measurements of the color distance ∆E*
of two dierent colors, activate the D ELTA
Mode rst by selecting the “soft key” with the
triangle icon.

Now two measurements are made:

1. Reference measurement

2. Sample measurement

The color distance ∆E* is displayed with two
digits. Additionally the components ∆L*, ∆a*
and ∆b* can be seen.

Color comparison:

Reference Sample

53

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

Select the CIE Color Circle Setup function
out of the list of measurement conditions.
Then choose L*a*b* or L*C *h *.

As a result the CIE Color Circle feature dis­plays L*a*b*, L*C*h* or L*C*H* values.

The measurement function CIE Color Circle,
(as well as CIE XYZ and Remission Curve), can
be operated in absolute mode with DELTA ON
or in comparison mode with DELTA OFF.

CIE Color Circle

The function CIE Color Circle shows the L*a*b*-color values as well. Optionally L*C*h*­values can be displayed. Additionally there is a graphic display and a color is shown as
a spot within the color circle.

54

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

G7™

The measurement function G7™ supports the calibration of presses and proofs ac­cording to the method developed by the IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise
Alliance).

The G7™ mode can be selected out of the list
of measurement functions.

In the pop-up window of the measurement
conditions the item G7™ Setup can be cho­sen. Now target values can be edited and
printing conditions can be selected.

Edit the target values for SC, HR and HC for
K and CMY. For Auto Set a*/b* use half a*/b*
values of measured paper as target value.

You will nd a comprehensive description of
the SCCA function on page 59.

For the comparison to the right ISO reference
values the used paper type must be selected.

55

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

In order to take correct measurements an ab­solute white calibration must be performed
and will be conrmed in the display when
done.

A measurement of the paper white is neces­sary for correct calculations.

Now the instrument is ready to measure. The
selected paper type and backing are indicat­ed in the display.

When measuring solid inks the values are
compared to the ISO reference values. The
∆E*-value is indicated and the symbol shows
if the value is within or out of tolerance.

The recognized color and L*a*b*-value of the
measurement are displayed as well.

The selected paper type is always indicated.

56

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

The ∆E*-value is calculated as long as the dif­ference is in a reasonable range.

If the dierence exceeds a limit, then only the
measured density value is displayed without
comparison.

This procedure works for all CMYK colors.

The selected paper type is always indicated.

The color detection works for trapping patch­es as well. The recognized type of patch is dis­played in the printing order of the two colors.

The measured value is compared with the
ISO reference and the dierence is displayed
as ∆E*.

If paper white or any other undened patch is
measured then all four densities are displayed
simultaneously.

57

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

If a gray balance patch is measured all four
densities are displayed in a bar chart.

If the value is close to the SC_cmy “neutral
density” target it will be displayed with rec­ommended adjustments.

SC stands for “Shadow Contrast”.

The HR_cmy is detected as well. The recom­mended adjustments are shown by the ar­rows and numbers.

HR stands for “Highlight Range”.

As soon as the value is close to the HC_cmy
“neutral density” target it is recognized and
displayed.

HC stands for “Highlight Contrast”.

The recommended density adjustments for
black patches of SC_k, HR_k and HC_k are
displayed in the same way.

58

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

1. Detected color

2. Measured density

3. ∆E*-dierence compared to ISO reference

4. Indication in/out tolerance

5. Paper type

1. Detected color

2. Direction of adjustment

3. Recommended adjustment

4. Detected patch type

5. Measured value

6. Paper type

1. Color

2. Recommended adjustment

3. Adjustment as bar graph

4. Direction of adjustment

5. Detected patch type

6. Dierences of HR_cmy and a*b* values
compared to target values

7. Paper type

1. Indicator for neutral density ND CMY

2. Direction of adjustment (+/-)

3. Recommended adjustment

4. Detected patch type

5. Measured value

6. Paper type

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5.

6.

1.3.2.

4.

5.

6.

7.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5.

6.

59

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

Remission Curve

The function Remission Curve oers the complete spectral graph.

Remission values are shown in 10 nanometer
steps in the spectral range of 400 to 700 nm.
A remission value has a range between 0 (no
remission, absolute darkness) and 1 (total re­mission of the emitted light).

The remission curve is the most exact and to­tal description of a color.

SCCA reference value correction

The practice of following print standards like
ISO 12647 that pre-denes the combination
of ink, paper and target reference colors for
commercial printers to use in production is in­valuable. But if the paper does not fall within
the specied target values the accuracy of
the press run is greatly diminished. The more
out of spec the paper is the worse the color
match will be.

One member of the IDEAlliance Print Prop­erties & Colorimetric Committee, David Mc­Dowell, developed a formula that recalculates
the data set with new aim points based on
the specic paper color being used on press.
It is called SCCA (Substrate Corrected Colori­metric Aims).

Techkon became aware of this new specica­tion and implemented the ability to measure
the paper and based on those measurements
and using the SCCA formula calculates new
aim points right on the instrument. This fea­ture will allow printers to quickly and easily
achieve an acceptable color match regardless
of the presence of optical brightening agents
in their substrates.

60

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

InkCheck

The measurement function InkCheck combines in a very easy way the advantages of
colorimetry with the familiar densitometry. Thanks to this helpful function, working
with the process standard ISO 12647 is simply achieved. The colorimetric deviations
are reported and additionally recommendations for amounts of ink supplied in terms
of density values are given.

In contrast to the measurement function ISO-Check (see p. 63) the measurement
function InkCheck is not only able to check the CMYK print ink, but also spot colors,
provided that the appropriate spot colors were chosen as references in advance. In ad­dition to the color books which are included in the contents of delivery, for example
the HKS-color books, you can create your own color books for spot colors and use
them as a reference.

The recommendations for amounts of ink supplied in terms of density values for spot
colors are based on CIE L*a*b* measurements.

First, a color book which holds the reference
color data has to be selected in the reference
menu. The reference values for the 5 paper
classes dened in the ISO standard are pre-set
in the device memory. The data set “Proof” is
for measurements on white backing and the
data set “Print” for measurements on black
backing.

Notice: If they can not be found in the device
memory, they can be uploaded with the Win­dows software SpectroConnect.

First, a calibration on paper white has to be
made. Position the device on the paper white
and conrm the request to measure the pa­per white by pressing the green measure­ment button.

61

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

Now the device is ready for measurements on
solid color patches. In this case a yellow patch
was measured.

Density trend: It is recommended to increase
the density by 0.11.

Color deviation: The color distance to the ref­erence is 4.8 ∆E*. After following the density
trend it can be as low as approx. 1.4 ∆E*.

A closer color match will be limited because
the paper and ink characteristics do not allow
to get closer to the reference standard.

Please note that the density values are ob­tained without the polarizing lter activated
and therefore are lower as values obtained
with polarizing lter. Please ensure that the
right measurement conditions are set.

62

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

CIE XYZ

The CIE XYZ will display standard color values.

CIE L*C*h* ab

The CIE L*C*h* ab display is closely related to the CIE L*a*b* display (see p. 51).
Instead of Cartesian coordinates, polar coordinates are used. The value C* stands for
Chroma and the angular value h* for hue.

L*C*h*-values are very popular, because they
describe colors in a simple way. The further
the color is located from the center of the
color circle, the more saturated and vivid it
appears.

XYZ standard color values are (beside L*a*b*­values) a dierent way of describing the color
values. They are not as practical to use and
therefore not as widely used in the printing
industry.

63

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

2.3 Additional functions of SpectroDens Premium

ISO-Check

The measurement function ISO-Check provides the fast check of a print with regard
to the compliance with the ISO standard values ISO 12647-2. The L*a*b*-values, the dot
gain and the dot spread of the printing inks CMYK are documented.

First the ISO Check Setup in the menu sec­tion of the measurement conditions has to
be set.

You can select the control strip and the pa­per type. If you choose the TECHKON print
control strip you can select two dot values
additionally.

ISO 12647-2 denes the following standards:





Dot frequency 150 lpi (60 L/cm)

Dot values 80 % (75 %) and 40 % (50 %)

In the next step the paper white must be
measured. When the message for measuring
the paper white is displayed, please conrm it
by pressing the green measurement button.

When the ∆L*a*b*-values are marked with
checkmarks, the paper white is in accordance
with the ISO-standards.

A special ISO/PSO control strip (as shown) can
also be measured by scanning. Just keep the
green start-button pressed during the whole
scanning procedure.

......

64

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

When the solid density is measured, the com­pliance with the tolerances is checked.

In this example the measurement has been
taken on a black solid patch.

At the same time the recommendation how
to adjust the density is calculated.

The smallest possible ∆E*-value is calculated
in advance.

The measurement function ISO-Check recog­nizes, whether the given tolerances can be
achieved with the set of print ink in use. If this
is not the case, another set of print ink must
be used.

65

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

After the measurement of the solid patch, you
can measure the %-patch, which you have
dened in the setup.

The dot gain is checked in regard to its con­formity to the ISO-standards.

Concerning the midtone the spread will be
displayed additionally (CMY).

The deviation of the colors CMY is allowed to
reach ± 4 % in the middle-tone of 40 % per
ink .
But to avoid that the gray balance is disturbed
too much, the spread limits the permitted dif­ference between the highest and the lowest
tonal value to 5 %.

66

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

By measuring the trapping only the variation
from the reference will be displayed.

The ISO standards dene no tolerances for
trapping, only informative reference values
are given.

But it is recommended, not to exceed a ∆E*­value of 10 in the secondary colors, which
corresponds with the sum of the permitted
∆E*-deviations of the primary colors.

Instead of scanning the TECHKON strip the
measurement function ISO-Check can also
capture the ECI/bvdm Gray Control Strip ver­sion tvi 10 (i1) and (M i1).
When using the scan function we recom­mend to use a patch width of 5 x 5 mm (min.
4 x 4 mm) with the standard aperture and a
patch width of 4 x 4 mm (min. 3 x 3 mm) with
the exchangeable 1,5 mm aperture.

ECI Gray Control Strips: ECI/bvdm tvi 10 (i1) and M i1

ECI/bvdm

tvi 10 • v2

ECI/bvdm tvi 10 (i1) • 6 mm • Control strip with tone values in 10 percent steps for print process control in accordance with ISO 12647 • www.bvdm.org • www.eci.org

Stop cmy cy cm my Paper 100 10 90 20 80 30 70 40 60 50 50 60 40 70 30 80 20 90 10 100 100 10 90 20 80 30 70 40 60 50 50 60 40 70 30 80 20 90 10 100 Start

cmy 70 k 70 cmy 50 k 50 cmy 30 k 30 Stop cmy 70 Paper k 70 my cmy 50 cm k 50 cy cmy 30 cmy k 30 100 20 80 40 60 60 40 80 20 100 100 20 80 40 60 60 40 80 20 100 < Start

ECI/bvdm Gray Control Strip (M i1) • FOGRA30 • ISO 12647-2 gray balance condition ‘CIELAB black ink’ • O set on uncoated yellowish paper (PT 5) • ISO 12647-2:2004/Amd 1

• Reference FOGRA30.txt (www.fogra.org) • www.eci.org, www.bvdm.org

ECI/bvdm

GrayCon M i1 • v2

FOGRA30

67

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

CIE L*u*v*, CIE L*C*h* uv, CIE xyY and DIN Lab99

The Premium-version of SpectroDens enables the display of additional color spaces,
which might be used mainly in industries outside printing:
CI E L* u* v*, CIE L*C*h* uv, CIE xyY and DIN Lab99.

Dierent formulas for calculating the color
distance ∆E* can be selected as well. The
Euclidean color distance ∆E* a*b* is the most
widely used, although it is criticized that for
certain areas in the color space the visual per­ception of color distances does not match the
∆E* a*b* color distance accordingly.

The ISO-Check function features the use of
the SCCA reference value correction (select­able in the ISO-Check setup).

You will nd a comprehensive description of
the SCCA function on page 59.

68

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Metamerism-Index

Metamerism is the visual phenomenon that two colors match under certain light con­ditions and dier under dierent light conditions.

Colorimetry oers the possibility to detect this eect by measuring the color distance
between the two color samples under two exactly dened light sources. The result of
this operation is the Metamerism-Index.

For the determination of the Metamerism-In-
dex there are two measurements to be made.

1. A reference measurement, which refers to
illuminant condition D65.

2. A sample measurement on the sample
patch.

As a result the color distances in ∆E* a*b* for
illuminant conditions A, C and D50 are shown.

Identical color impression under light condition 1:

Color deviation under light condition 2
caused by metamerism:

69

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

Whiteness / Yellowness

Whiteness- and Yellowness-indices are quality parameters important for the paper

industry. SpectroDens Premium will display the whiteness and yellowness indices ac­cording to the following standards: Whiteness: E 313, Berger, Stensby, TP 425 – Yellow­ness: E 313, D 1925.

Whiteness index:
Values are usually between 90 and 120 for
“white” paper. The higher the value, the “whit­er” (= the brighter) the paper. Articial opti­cal brighteners in the paper will lead to high
values as well.

Yellowness index:
Positive value: the paper has a yellow cast
Negative value: the paper has a blue cast

Whiteness Berger, Stensby

Paper Whiteness is dened by how closely a
surface matches the properties of a perfect
reecting diuser, i.e. an ideal reecting sur­face that neither absorbs nor transmits light,
but reects it at equal intensities in all direc­tions. For the purposes of this standard, the
color of such a surface is known as preferred
white. Whiteness is closely related to our vi­sual perception of the color of paper. Some­times these variations in whiteness are subtle.
For instance two pieces of paper that fall at
dierent ends of the spectrum on the CIE
whiteness index may appear white by them­selves however when juxtaposed; their varia­tions are revealed.
The type of light paper is viewed under can
aect how it looks to the human eye along
with other elements like optical brightening
agents (OBAs) used in paper production. For
example, when OBAs are applied to a dull
sheet of paper it will look brighter in natural
light and dull in articial light. When there are
little to no OBAs applied the paper will look
brighter in articial lighting when compared
to its counterpart with larger amounts of
OBAs.
The Techkon SpectroDens uses the Stensby
and Berger formula’s for quantifying the
whiteness of a print substrate.

70

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

PASS / FAIL

The PASS / FAIL function shows at a glance if a measured sample is in or out a set toler-
ance compared to a reference value.

First, set the allowable limits of the ∆E*-toler­ance.

Select in the menu section of the measure­ment conditions the item PASS / FAIL toler-
ance and edit the desired tolerance value by
pressing the arrow buttons.

Every sample measurement is compared to
the reference.

If the color distance is within the set tolerance
(in this case 1.24 < 3.0), PASS will be displayed.

For out of tolerance measurements, accord­ingly FAIL will be shown accompanied by an
acoustic signal of three short beeps.

Brightness T (TAPPI 452)

Like whiteness, paper brightness is also a measurement of the amount of light reected from
paper. Unlike whiteness, it is focused on a narrow wavelength of blue light as opposed to all
wavelengths in the spectrum. The higher the number on the brightness scale, the more light a
particular sheet reects. Brightness is just one part of the equation when determining the visual
aspects of paper. Two sheets with identical brightness can look drastically dierent because
shade and whiteness are not taken into account.

In general, there are two measurement systems that are widely used for determining paper
brightness. One (used in North America) is the TAPPI scale. The other (used primarily in other
parts of the world) is the ISO system. Some papers can have a rating higher than 100 on the
brightness scale. This is due to optical brightening agents present in the paper. When these are
applied, the paper can actually reect more light than is coming from the source. An easy way to
remember this is the brighter, the whiter.

Yellowness CIE

Yellowness is the degree that the color of a surface is shifted from preferred white (or colorless)
towards yellow.

71

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

First, a Color book has to be selected which
contains the Fogra reference data. If not
found in the device memory, the color book
which is valid for the paper class to be mea­sured, can be uploaded from the Windows
software SpectroConnect.

Additional settings have to be made in the
Media Wedge Setup window. The settings
for ∆E*-tolerances are according to Fogra
specications.

By activating Automatic Measurement the
device will make consecutive measurements
automatically with Measurement Interval to
be set. Starting and stopping a measurement
series is done by pressing the green measure­ment button.

The reading of the media wedge is from left
to right and from rst to second row. The
measurement begins with patch A1, then A2,
etc.. Wrong measurements can be corrected
by pressing the red escape button and re­measuring.
After all measurements have been performed,
the total result will be displayed.

Media Wedges with separation bars can also
be measured by scanning. Just keep the
green start-button pressed during the whole
scanning procedure.

SpectroDens recognizes the version 2 as well
as the version 3 of the media wedge by the
dierent number of reference values. The
Windows software SpectroConnect allows
to analyze the measured data in detail and to
print a report (see p. 89 f.).

Media Wedge

The Ugra / Fogra Media Wedge CMYK is a control element for checking the color con­sistency of digital proof systems issued by the printing institute Fogra. This practical
function is for measuring and analyzing the patches of this control element.

72

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Scan

The measurement function Scan provides the scanning of individual control elements.

The scanning procedure is very easy. Choose the measurement function SCAN in the
device menu. Then place the measurement device on the print control strip. Take care
that the measurement aperture is positioned on the rst measurement patch (= start
position) and that the device edge is aligned to the print control strip (see picture).

Now press and hold the measurement button, move the device in constant speed
along the print control strip until you reach the last patch to be measured (= stop
position) and release the measurement button. If the measurement was carried out
successfully a short acoustic signal can be heard and all color patches are displayed in
the device. Using the SpectroConnect Export module measurement data can nally
be exported in any other Windows application e. g. Microsoft Excel™, Word™ or other
programs which can handle color data, e.g. a RIP calibration software.

Examples of control elements which can be scanned:

ECI Gray Control Strips: ECI/bvdm tvi 10 (i1) and M i1

TECHKON ISO/PSO Checker

ECI/bvdm

tvi 10 • v2

ECI/bvdm tvi 10 (i1) • 6 mm • Control strip with tone values in 10 percent steps for print process control in accordance with ISO 12647 • www.bvdm.org • www.eci.org

Stop cmy cy cm my Paper 100 10 90 20 80 30 70 40 60 50 50 60 40 70 30 80 20 90 10 100 100 10 90 20 80 30 70 40 60 50 50 60 40 70 30 80 20 90 10 100 Start

cmy 70 k 70 cmy 50 k 50 cmy 30 k 30 Stop cmy 70 Paper k 70 my cmy 50 cm k 50 cy cmy 30 cmy k 30 100 20 80 40 60 60 40 80 20 100 100 20 80 40 60 60 40 80 20 100 < Start

ECI/bvdm Gray Control Strip (M i1) • FOGRA30 • ISO 12647-2 gray balance condition ‘CIELAB black ink’ • O set on uncoated yellowish paper (PT 5) • ISO 12647-2:2004/Amd 1 • Reference FOGRA30.txt (www.fogra.org) • www.eci.org, www.bvdm.org

ECI/bvdm

GrayCon M i1 • v2

FOGRA30

73

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

SCAN function with strip detection

The SpectroDens enhanced scanning feature
includes:





Dene the color bar by uploading a color
library to the SpectroDens or by scanning a
color bar with the instrument.





Advanced pattern recognition algorithm’s
that automatically detect that the color bar
being scanned is correct, has the correct
number of patches and the colors are in the
right sequence.





If the incorrect number of patches are
scanned or the scanning speed is too fast or
too slow the SpectroDens will display an error
message informing you.





No guide bar required. The 4 wheels keep
straight alignment while scanning.





Easily export scanned measurement data
to other software applications automatically
with SpectroConnect software (included
with the instrument at no cost).

It is possible to scan a sequence of 200 patch­es.

Just select Strip detection o in the SCAN
measurement function.

74

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Opacity

Opacity refers to the transparency or opaqueness of paper. Papers with lower opac­ity tend to let text and images show through more than papers with higher opacity.
Opacity is expressed as a percentage in paper. For example, paper with 98 % opacity
means that 98 % of light is not allowed to pass through the paper.

Select the Opacity function from the mea­surement functions menu.

Place the sheet of paper to be a measured on
a black backing.

In the next step take a measurement of the
same sheet of paper after you have placed
it on a stack of white paper (minimum 50
sheets).

Now the measurement device displays the
result of the opacity measurement.

For further measurements just press the enter
button and repeat the whole procedure.

75

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

OBA amount no OBA faint low moderate high

∆B 0 to 1 1 to 4 4 to 8 8 to 14 14 to 25*

∆CIEb* 0 -0,3 to -2,0 -2,0 to -3,7 -3,7 to -6,2 -6,2 to -10,4*

OBA-Check

Optical Brightening Agents (= OBAs) which are used more and more in the paper pro­duction, have a signicant eect not only on how we perceive the paper under dif­ferent illuminants, but also on the results of the printing process. The measurement
function OBA-Check provides precise information about the intensity of the optical
brightening agents used and the shade of the paper.

Choose the function OBA-Check from the
menu measurement functions.

First you have to switch to the „soft-key“ CAL
to carry out a calibration on the absolute
white standard.

SpectroDens performs the OBA-Check ap­plying the measurement conditions M1 and
M2, i. e. with and without stimulation through
UV light (see p. 50). The dierence between
the two CIEb*-values leads to the nal mea­surement result.

The amount of optical brightening agents
according to ∆B (ISO 15397) and its categori­zation according to ISO 12647-2:





(0 ≤ ∆B < 1) no OBA





(0 ≤ ∆B < 4) OBA faint





(4 ≤ ∆B < 8) OBA low





(8 ≤ ∆B < 14) OBA moderate





(14 ≤ ∆B < 25*) OBA high

The table shows the relation between ∆B­and CIEb*-values for the practical application.

* and beyond

76

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Average values

From a series of single measurements Average values can be calculated and dis-
played. This function may be used when the surface of the sample has no even distri­bution of color.

By selecting the “soft key” with the average
symbol a pop-up window will appear where
Average measurement can be set, started
and cancelled.

Here the Number of measurements to be
calculated to one average value is set. The
maximum number of single measurements
is 9.

Now activate Start Average measurement.

The central window indicates how many sin­gle measurements have been taken.

After the last single measurement has been
taken, the resulting average value will be
displayed and the procedure can start again
from the beginning.

Activating the menu item Stop Average mea-
surement you quit this measurement mode.

77

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

2.4 Storage of measurement values

The versions SpectroDens Advanced and Premium include a Color library. This is a
digital memory for storing color values, which can be compared or exchanged with

the Windows software SpectroConnect.

There are three dierent sections where color values can be stored:





Reference memory for up to 300 reference values





Sample memory for up to 3000 sample values





Color book memory for up to 20 color books with a total number of 25000

reference values

Reference memory

To access the Reference memory, you have to select Reference in the display. A mem­ory capacity for 300 references is at your disposal. After the 300th color value is stored,
the message indicates that the memory is full.

By pressing the enter button with the device
in Reference mode a pop-up window opens.
Within the window navigation is done with
the arrow keys.

1. With Save the last reference measurement
is stored.

2. Select shows a list of stored color values.
Within the list, values can be selected and dis­played by using the arrow- and enter-buttons.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

1.

2.

78

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Sample memory

The Sample memory has almost the same functions as the reference memory. Here
up to 3000 sample color values can be stored. However the sample memory is a ring
memory, i. e. maximum 3000 samples can be stored before the rst sample will be
overwritten by a new measurement.

The pop-up window opens by pressing the enter button with the device in Sample
mode.

3. By activating Save automatically all future
reference measurements will be stored auto­matically.

4. By activating Search automatically Refer-
ence Mem the closest matching reference
color when making a sample measurement
will be displayed. This feature is active in the
sample mode with DELTA Mode on.

5. Delete will remove selected color values
from the list.

6. Delete all will remove all values in the list.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

4.

5.

3.

3.

5.

6.

79

CHAPTER 2 – Measurement functions

The “soft key” with the color book symbol
opens the window for the settings of the
color book memory.

1. Here a Color book is selected from the list.

2. With Load Reference from Color book a
single color value from a color book is loaded
into the reference memory.

3. Search for closest color determines the
closest color match in a color book compared
to a sample value.

Color book memory

Additionally to storing reference and sample color values, complete Color books can
be managed. A color book is a folder which can hold up to 25000 single color values.
An example are the HKS® spot color collections which are included in SpectroDens
with the software package SpectroConnect. New color books can easily be edited
and transferred into the device. Up to 20 color books can be stored in SpectroDens;
there is no limitation of storing color books in the Windows software SpectroConnect.

1.

2.

3.

80

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Chapter 3

How to use the Windows software SpectroConnect

3.1 Software description

The supplied Windows software TECH­KON SpectroConnect allows to trans­fer measurement data to the PC and to
make device specic settings via the PC. The measurement values can be displayed
on the computer monitor. Color information is displayed, colors can be compared and
data can be exported into other software applications, e. g. Microsoft Excel™.

When using SpectroDens Basic the device has to be connected via the USB cable to
the PC when working with SpectroConnect. When performing a measurement with
the device, the value will be displayed immediately on the computer screen.

The models SpectroDens Advanced and Premium have an internal memory for up
to 300 reference values, 3000 sample values and 20 “digital” color books, which can
contain up to 25000 color values. When connecting the device to the PC via the USB
cable, all stored values will be uploaded to the software and displayed on the comput­er screen. Of course, the device can be operated as usual when connected to the PC.

The software requires a computer with a free USB port and a completely installed
Microsoft Windows 7, 8 or 10 operating system.

3.2 Installation

It is important, to carry out the following steps in the right order, to make sure that the
USB device driver will be installed properly.

1. Make sure that the device is NOT connected to the PC.
Insert the SpectroConnect CD into the CD drive of the running computer.
You will nd the CD at the back of this manual.

2. The installation routine will start automatically.
Follow the steps of the installation, until it is completed.

3. Now, after the installation was nished successfully you can connect the device
with the Micro-USB cable to the computer.

81

CHAPTER 3 – Software SpectroConnect

3.3 Overview / Software module: Compare colors

The application will be installed in the
Windows program les section in the
folder TECHKON GmbH / TECHKON
SpectroConnect. After starting the program
the software module Compare Colors will appear. Like all the SpectroConnect
software modules it is divided into four logical segments: On the left side you see the
memory content of the connected device, in the center the active program module,
on the right side the color library which is stored on the PC and in the section at the
bottom a bar which lists all available and selectable program modules.

1. The menu bar includes functions known
from standard Windows applications. They
comprise: New, Open, Save, Print and Quit.

2. The window Samples shows samples
which are stored in the device. Only in Spec­troDens Advanced and Premium available.

3. The window References shows stored ref­erences. Only in SpectroDens Advanced and
Premium available.

4. The window Color books displays the col­or books which are stored in the color library
of the device. Per Drag and Drop you can

copy references and complete color books
from here.

5. In this section, the appropriate measure­ment device can be selected.

6. Window of the active program module

7. This bar shows the list of available program
modules. They can be selected from this bar
directly via mouse click and the application
will appear in the middle of the display.

After launching SpectroConnect it is pre-set
to display the module Compare colors.

Software symbol
SpectroConnect

1.

2.

3.

6.

7.

4.

5.

82

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

3.4 Software module: SpectroDens settings

In this module device specic settings can be made.

1. SpectroDens Info: All settings, which can be made at the device can also be made
with this software feature.

2. Lock device functions: Device functions can be locked and unlocked with this feature.
Locked functions will appear in shaded gray on the LCD display.

3. Device update: New device software can be uploaded into the device. There
are two dierent types of les to upload:
 Device update: loads the new version of device software
 Device upgrade: upgrades to SpectroDens Advanced or
Premium (must be purchased)

4. Device screenshot: This shows the device display on the computer screen.
All measurement buttons can be remotely operated by the
mouse pointer. The screenshot can be saved. This is a very
useful feature for product trainings.

5. WLAN settings: Window for the conguration of the WLAN connection
(see p. 22 .)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

83

CHAPTER 3 – Software SpectroConnect

3.5 Device update and device upgrade

By the application of this module SpectroDens can be loaded with a new internal
rmware which is selected by Device update or SpectroDens can be expanded in
functionality by Device upgrade.

The SpectroDens Basic model can be extended via data upload to Advanced- or
Premium- functionality without the need to send the instrument to the TECHKON
service center. Of course, the same procedure applies for upgrades from Advanced
to Premium.

The procedure is explained in the program window:

84

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

3.6 Software module: Export

Measurement data can be exported in any other Windows application e. g. Microsoft
Excel™, Word™ or other programs which can handle color data, e.g. a RIP calibration
software.

SpectroDens works like the keyboard: Pressing the measurement button will place the
measurement value automatically at the location where the cursor is.

1. Here is dened, which data will be trans­mitted, how it will be formatted and what
type of spacing between the measurement
data will be. All the settings can be saved and
recalled later.

2. The Export window can also be used for
testing data transmissions.

This example shows the transfer of CMYK
density values.

1.

2.

85

CHAPTER 3 – Software SpectroConnect

3.7 Software module: ColorCatcher

The program module ColorCatcher is available in the models SpectroDens Advanced
and Premium. Based on a L*a*b*-measurement and referring to selected ICC proles
this program module displays the conversion into the color models L*C*h*, RGB and
CMYK. Furthermore an automatic search for the closest matching color of a pre-set or
self created color book is carried out. The lower part of the module window informs
you about the exact color deviations between the sample and the recommended
color of the color book.

1. Selected ICC proles

2. Measured sample color

3. Calculation of L*a*b*-, RGB-, L*C*h*- and
CMYK-values based on selected ICC proles
for the current sample.

4. Shows the closest match to the current
sample out of the selected color book.

5. Calculation of L*a*b*-, RGB-, L*C*h*- and
CMYK-values based on selected ICC proles.

6. Self created color book

7. Colors from a color book

8. Variations and visible dierences

1.

2.

3.

4.

6.

7.

8.

5.

86

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

3.8 Software module: PhotoLab

TECHKON PhotoLab is an optionally available program module for evaluating and
displaying L*a*b* color data graphically. Color dierences between sample and refer­ence colors can be analyzed. PhotoLab is only available in the SpectroDens Premium
version.

Furthermore, color values and complete color
books from the device memory or out of
the PC color library can be selected and be
moved by drag-and-drop with the mouse
pointer directly to the center of the display
where the L*a*b* color circle is.

A pop-up window will ask, if the values should
be used as sample or as reference values.

4. A mouse click on the program symbol
will start the plug-in PhotoLab within the
SpectroConnect environment.

1. In the upper section of the module win­dow, the color dierences between sample
and reference are shown numerically.

2. Reference: viewnder with tolerance circle
Sample: bold point
The current selected value is marked in white.

3. Color samples and references are directly
imported into PhotoLab by making measure­ments with SpectroDens having it connected
to the PC via the USB-cable.

1.

2.

3.

4.

87

CHAPTER 3 – Software SpectroConnect

1. Samples and references can be selected di­rectly with a mouse click or by choosing from
the “pull-down” menu.

Delete and renaming is done via the menu.

2. Dierent modes of the L*a*b*-display can
be selected:

 The modes Bargraph and Quality Certi-

cation Chart show the trend of ∆L*-, ∆a*- and

∆b*-values of a measurement series.

 The Table Vi ew shows all values numeri-

cally.

 In the Job window job relevant text data

can be edited.

3. A measurement value highlighted in red
indicates an out-of-tolerance sample.

4. The black circle line indicates the tolerance
limit of the ∆E*-region. If the black pointer
reaches into the outer segment of the circle,
the tolerance has been exceeded.

5. Enlarged view of the tolerance circle

6. Display of the color components ∆L*, ∆a*
and ∆b*.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

88

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

1. General settings:
This is the window for setting the dimensions
of the L*a*b* color circle and the ∆L*a*b* color
deviation.

2. Tolerances:
In this window the tolerances for the color de­viations are dened and the size of the toler­ance circle is set.

3. Mean values:
It can be appropriate to take several single
measurements on one sample which then are
averaged to an average value. The number of
measurements which result in the calculation
of the average value is dened in this window.

PhotoLab settings

When you open the pop-up window PhotoLab settings in the menu bar of the pro­gram module PhotoLab, you can select and edit three areas.

89

CHAPTER 3 – Software SpectroConnect

3.9 Software module: Media Wedge

The program module Media Wedge serves the fast, colorimetric analysis of the Ugra /
Fogra Media Wedge. This digital control element is available from Fogra, the Ger­man “Graphic Technology Research Association” (www.fogra.org). The test element
is placed at the border of a proof. The software evaluates the color quality printed in
colorimetric terms.

Color dierences between the Fogra target values and the measured samples will be
clearly represented in this program module.

The software module Media Wedge is only available in the SpectroDens Premium
version.

1. Manual selection of the media wedge ver­sion. (You will nd the version number on the
printed test element.) The software supports
the Ugra / Fogra Media Wedge in version 3.0
as well.

2. With SpectroDens Premium there is a me­dia wedge feature within the device as well.

Measurements can be made remotely with­out a connection to the PC. When the device

gets connected later, the measured data will
be uploaded.

3. Selection of reference values

4. Overview of measurement results

5. A short protocol can be printed with a
Dymo label printer on a self-adhesive label
which can be stuck on the proof. Alternatively
a detailed report of the measurement values
can be printed (see p. 90).

5.

1.

3.

4.

2.

90

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

Media Wedge evaluation: Label and details

After the import of the media wedge a short protocol will be generated and can be
printed on a self-adhesive label with a Dymo label printer.

The software supports the Ugra / Fogra Media Wedge in version 3.0 as well.
The picture shows the section Details.

91

CHAPTER 3 – Software SpectroConnect

3.10 Software module: Transfer curve

Using the software module Transfer curve you can fast and easily determine transfer
characteristics on prints and check the compliance of the dot gain according to ISO
12647 targets or individual standards. The software calculates at the same time com­pensation values for the adjustment during plate exposure.

Values for CMYK as well as spot colors can be analyzed. Measurement results can be
displayed as graphics or charts. Furthermore several curves can be compared and av­erage values can be calculated.

Any step wedge can be evaluated. The design of the step wedge can be dened in 1 %
steps by using the window Reference values.

92

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

In the section Target values the target values can be edited. Furthermore settings for
the assignments of the targets can be dened.

93

CHAPTER 3 – Software SpectroConnect

3.11 Software module: ISO-Report

The software module ISO-Report allows a fast and comprehensive documentation
according to the ISO standard. The ISO-Report can be printed out. ISO-Report is only
available in the SpectroDens Premium version.

94

Manual TECHKON SpectroDens

3.12 Software module: SpectroChart

The software module SpectroChart allows the fast and easy evaluation of test charts
like for example ECI 2002, IT8.7/3, Fogra27L, Fogra39L and others.
Related target templates in .ttg-format are deposited in the folder User  Public 
Public Documents  TECHKON GmbH  TECHKON SpectroConnect.

The measurement results are saved in ISO-format. This way they can be imported into
common ICC prole generator software.

In the program section Job (1.) the job is specied. Here you also choose the target
you wish to use. Additionally you can determine its patch width and the amount of
patches per row (2.).

The resulting nal size of the target will be calculated automatically and then displayed
to you. Alternatively you can simply use the presets of a target template or else choose
one of the pre-dened paper formats.

When the button Create Ti le (3.) is used, the target can be saved as a ti le on the
PC, where you can initiate to get it printed. Additionally the “Job” section can be used
to save the job and to start the export of the measurement values.

In the program section Measurement (4.) the current measurement result is displayed
clearly. Furthermore here you can dene and activate a ∆E value as tolerance.

1. 4.

2.

3.

95

CHAPTER 3 – Software SpectroConnect

3.13 Software module: SpectroCheck

TECHKON SpectroCheck (optionally available) is a color reference used to check the
measuring accuracy of the SpectroDens advice.

Connect SpectroDens and SpectroCheck via the USB cable with the computer. The
program module SpectroCheck will now lead you step by step through the checking
procedure of the measurement device. The information, whether the device corre­sponds to the technical specications, can also be printed out.

Note: The checking of the TECHKON SpectroDens has to be made with 3.0 mm stan­dard aperture.

Specications can be subject to change without notice. Specications valid for standard device with 3 mm aperture.
All mentioned trademarks and copyrights are recognized. SpectroPlate, SpectroDens, SpectroJet, SpectroDrive, DENS,
SpectroCheck , InkCheck and TECHKON are registered trademarks of TECHKON GmbH.

Specications

Measurement geometry 0° : 45° optics according to ISO 5-4

Spectral range 400 to 700 nm in 10 nm steps, spectral resolution 10 nm,

pixel distance sensor < 3 nm

Measurement aperture 3 mm round standard; 1.5 mm round optional

Light source LED, provides measurement conditions M0, M1, M2, M3

according to ISO 13655

Polarization lter Twice linear crossed, switched on and o per button release

Measurement time Approx. 1 sec. per measurement; max. 12 seconds in scan mode

White reference Absolute and relative; absolute white standard integrated and

protected in charging console

Illumination types A, C, D50, D65, F 2/7/11

Standard observer 2°, 10°

Density lter DIN 16536, DIN 16536 NB, ISO/ANSI T, ISO/ANSI I, ISO E; spectral

density Dmax

Density measurement range 0.00 – 2.50 D

Repeatability 0.01 D; 0.03 CIE ∆E*a*b*

Inter-instrument agreement 0.01 D; 0.3 CIE ∆E*a*b*

Display Color LC backlight display, anti-reective, 320 x 240 pixels

Power supply Rechargeable LiFePO4 battery, regulated recharge via charging

console with AC adapter, 100 – 240 V, 47 – 63 Hz, approx. 10000

measurements per battery charge, battery level control

Communication port USB; WLAN module optional

Weight 495 grams

Dimensions 62 x 50 x 185 mm (approx. 2.4 x 2.0 x 7.3 inches)

System requirements for TECHKON software:

Windows 7, 8 or 10; 32- and 64-bit, minimum: IBM-compatible PC with Intel Core Duo

processor or comparable processor, 4 GB RAM, 2 USB ports

Performance packages SpectroDens Basic, Advanced and Premium: see page 7

Accessories, spare parts and contents of delivery: see page 8

Appendix

Manufacturer certicate

applicable for ISO 9000 documentation

Device: Spectro-Densitometer TECHKON SpectroDens

Serial Number:

Manufacturer: TECHKON GmbH • Wiesbadener Str. 27 • D-61462 Königstein

Telephone: [phone] • Telefax: [phone]
[e-mail] • www.techkon.com

Certication: The device is compliant with EU directive 2014/53/EU concerning

the electromagnetic compatibility EMC and is provided with the
CE label. The device is RoHS compliant (class 9). Japanese Radio
Law and Japanese Telecommunications Business Law Compliance.
This device is granted pursuant to the Japanese Radio Law (電波

法) and the Japanese Telecommunications Business Law (電気
通信事業法). This device should not be modied (otherwise the

granted designation number will become invalid).

The device complies with the Japanese Type Approval:

Notice: The supplied AC adapter is according to regulations UL, IP 40, IEC

950 and VDE EN-EC10. The device is to be used only with the origi­nal TECHKON SpectroDens AC adapter.

Maintenance: The device is maintenance free. The measurement aperture has to

be kept clean from dust. It can be cleaned with clean, compressed
air and an optics brush.

We recommend a functionality check-up every 24 months at the

TECHKON service center, which includes the issue of a new Manu­facturer certicate.

R 202-LSE115

T D 16-0031 202

Warranty: The warranty for TECHKON products is 24 months starting with the

date of purchase. The warranty is invalid if the damage is caused by
improper use of the device. Only original TECHKON spare parts and
accessories are to be used.

Recycling: The device is according to §14 ElektroG registered under the EAP

no.: DE 98280049. Devices for disposal can be sent directly to the
manufacturer.

Calibration: The integrated spectral sensor is calibrated by a white calibration.

After performing a white calibration with the supplied absolute
white standard integrated in the charging console, the device is
long term stable. We recommend to make a white calibration be­fore every measurement series, to ensure the device is calibrated
correctly.

The remission values documented on the back of the charging

console are derived from a ceramic white standard, which is refer­enced to measurements taken and certied by the National Insti­tute of Standard and Technology (NIST).

Standards: The calculation of colorimetric values is according to the formulas

and tables of ISO 13655:2009 and publications of CIE.

The calculation of densitometric values is according to the formu-

las and tables of ISO 5-3.

ETSI EN301-489-1 EMC standard for radio equipment and services

V2.1.1 (2017- 02)

ETSI EN301-489-17 EMC standard for radio equipment: specic con-

ditions for broadband data transmission systems V3.1.1 (2017-02)
ETSI EN 300 328 RF spectrum use V2.1.1/2016-11

Place Date Signature

D-614 62 Königstein

EU-Konformitätserklärung

EC-Declaration of Conformity

Déclaration de Conformité de la CE

Dichiarazione di conformità CE

Hersteller: TECHKON GmbH

Manufacturer / constructeur / costruttore

Adresse: Wiesbadener Str. 27

Address / adresse / indirizzo

erklärt, dass die Produkte:

Declares that the products / déclare, que le produits / si dichiara che il prodotto

Typ: SpectroDens

Type / tipo

Verwendungszweck: Farbmessungen

Intended use / utilisation prévue / Color measurements / mesure de la
uso previsto couleur / misurazione del colore

bei bestimmungsgemäßer Anwendung den grundlegenden Anforderungen ge­mäß EU-Richtlinie 2004/108/EC entspricht und dass die folgenden Normen ange­wandt wurden:

complies with the essential requirements of the 2004/108/EC Directive, if used for its intended
use and that the following standards has been applied: / répond aux exigences essentielles de
l'article 3 de la directive 2004/108/EC, prévu qu’il soit utilisé selon sa destination, et qu’il répond
aux standards suivants: / soddisfa tutti i requisiti della direttiva 2004/108/EC qualora venga utiliz­zato per l’uso previsto e che le seguenti norme siano applicate:

angewendete Norm: EN 55022:2006

Applied standard / standard appliqué /
norma applicata issue / édition pubblicato

D-61462 Königstein

Ausgabe: 2008-05
+A1: 20 07

EN 55024
Ausgabe: 2003- 01
1998+A1:2001+A2:2003

ETSI EN301-489-1 EMC standard for radio equipment and services V2.1.1 (2017-02)
ETSI EN301-489-17 EMC standard for radio equipment: specic conditions for
broadband data transmission systems V3.1.1 (2017-02)
ETSI EN 300 328 RF spectrum use V2.1.1/2016-11

Name:

Company:

Department / Job title:

Address:

City / ZIP-Code:

Country:

Telephone:

Telefax:

E-mail:

Your TECHKON-Dealer:

Device Serial number:

(Label on the bottom

of the device)

TECHKON Registration card

Please send me information about

the entire TECHKON product range

Please put my E-mail address on the

mailing list for the TECHKON-Newsletter

TECHKON GmbH

Wiesbadener Str 27

D-61462 Königstein

Via telefax to: [phone]

#

Please copy this registration card and send it by mail or via telefax to us. This way we can keep you informed in future about product news.

You can send your registration information by E-mail as well.

TECHKON GmbH

 Wiesbadener Str. 27  D-61462 Königstein/Germany  Telefax: [phone]  E-mail: [e-mail]