January 16, 2006 – Pantone, which leads the standard in color communication and technology, has teamed with GretagMacbeth, the color management solutions leader, to produce a series of color calibration products for both professionals and mainstream consumers.
The first is Huey, a cigar-sized color thermometer for computer monitors. The technology attaches to a user’s computer monitor by suction, reads an onscreen color bar provided by the accompanying software, and then calibrates the monitor to Pantone color standards. As most printers are calibrated to Pantone, this allows users of Huey to see the virtual color result of their print product.
Other products coming through the pipeline of the Pantone/GretagMacbeth partnership will include Eye-One, Display LT and Eye-One Display 2.
While color calibration hardware and software has existed for years to assist professionals in viewing final output onscreen, Huey and the color software to come out of the Pantone/GretagMacbeth partnership will be significant for its affordability, which will bring color accuracy into the mainstream. For example, Pantone/GetragMacbeth’s Huey is being offered for a starting price of only $89.
Digital photographers and those in the graphic design and printing arts will most benefit from the new products, but the hardware and software will have repercussions in a wide range of industries, including online retailers. For example, consumers with calibrated monitors may be more willing to shop online, since the images they see better reflect the actual appearance of the product.
