When to use Color Inspector vs. Print Inspector
If you are measuring process color bars or care about G7 (CMYK, nColor) then you will be using Print Inspector. If you are measuring brand/spot colors with multiple instrument types or surface effects, then Color Inspector is the better choice. Both can evaluate spot colors — but with key differences.
Key Differentiators
A couple of differences should help you decide immediately:
- If you are using control strips with automated measurement instruments (iSis, i1iO, IntelliTrax, eXact AutoScan) → Print Inspector
- If you are measuring random brand colors with manual instruments with different geometry (spherical, 45/0) or surface characteristics (gloss, roughness, metallic) → Color Inspector
One of the fundamental differences is that Color Inspector allows multiple instruments to define the color and appearance of the same subject in parallel — a spectrophotometer, goniometer, and gloss meter simultaneously. This is essential for metallic, pearlescent, or brushed surfaces that cannot be characterized by a single measurement mode.
When working with Color Inspector, measure physical samples to create references for each instrument. The brand color will then have multiple tracks to accommodate how each instrument measures the color differently, accounting for differences in light source, measurement geometry, aperture, and surface interaction.
Features Comparison
Print Inspector
|
Color Inspector
|
|
|---|---|---|
| By Type of Work | ||
| Process CMYK and ECG (extended color gamut, nChannel) | | |
| Control strip used (ordered sequence of patches) | | |
| Single spot color measurements (no ordered sequence) | | |
| Sample auto-recognition / unordered sample sequence | | |
| Simulated spot values (process build of CMYK-OGV to simulate color)1 | | |
| Press calibration — curve generation | | |
| ICC profiling | | |
| By Color Specification | ||
| Illuminant = D50 | | |
| Illuminant ≠ D50 | | |
| Observer = 2° | | |
| Observer ≠ 2° | | |
| Geometry 0/45°, 45°/0 | | |
| Geometry D/0°, D/8° • SPIN / SPEX | | |
| By Sample Properties | ||
| Samples with surface effects | | |
| Metallic, high-gloss samples | | |
| Metamerism analysis | | |
| Multi M-condition data | | |
| Multi-instrument parallel sample definition | | |
| Sample averaging and consistency index | | |
| By Instrument / Software | ||
| Press-side instruments: IntelliTrax, eXact AutoScan, Techkon Spectrodrive | | |
| Built-in systems: Image Control, Axis-Control, HP ColorBeat | | |
| X-Rite i1iO with CC Capture | | |
| Handheld instruments: i1Pro, eXact, SpectroDens | | |
| Pocket instruments via CC Capture, CC Nano, Variable Spectro 1 | | |
| Myiro Tools | | |
| Barbieri Gateway + LFP2 | | |
1 Color Inspector can translate spot into simulated spot by defining process build values and tracking — but as spot color only, even if printed as a process.
2 Color Inspector via Barbieri requires manual creation of scripts for measurement coordinates.
= partial / conditional support
