SOUTHEAST

UNIVERSITY
Department of Textile Engineering
“Lab Report”
Course Code : TCS - 412.2
Course Title : Application of Computer in Textile – Lab.

Report No : 01
Report Name : Visual Assessment of color (between standard
and trial sample) by light box.

Submitted To -
Md. Shamim Alam
Assistant Professor,
Department of Textile Engineering,
Southeast University.
Submitted By -
Name : Zobair Hasan Moon
ID : 2019000400045
Batch : 40th
Section : WPT

Submission Date :
Exp no : 01
Exp Name : Visual Assessment of color (between standard and trial
sample) by light box.

Introduction
A standardized fabric light box or the textile light box (also known as Color Matching
Cabinet) is used for visual assessments to maintain color consistency and quality in
the light source, viewing area, and presentation of the sample.

Under different lighting conditions, the color tends to appear differently. This is a
natural phenomenon and is termed Metamerism. Due to this, there arises a need for
a standardized system with which this disparity can be identified and worked upon it.
Metamerism has become a considerable problem for the material supplier, vendor,
and manufacturer. And somewhere, it is affecting the end customer too. Because the
color in the garment shop was completely different than it is appearing in the home.
Due to the difference in the lighting conditions, the buyer gets disappointed. It
becomes the responsibility of the manufacturer to control the problem wherever it is
possible.
 Fig: A textile lightbox or color matching cabinet

Objective of the experiment:

 To know about the light box and color matching.

 To learn how to match the standard sample and trial sample color shades by
light box.
 To know about the different light source used in light box and their uses.
 To know why it is important to match color using light box.

Light sources:

Light Number of Color

Description Power
source lights Temperature

18 W
D65 International Artificial Daylight 2 pcs 6500K

Applicable to stores in Europe,

TL84 2 pcs 18 W 4000K
Japan, and Asia

CWF Cool White Fluorescent 2 pcs 20 W 4150K

Comparison referential light

F/A 4 pcs 40 W 2700K
source. Applicable to family/hotel.
Wavelength 365
UV Ultraviolet Light Source 1 pcs 18 W
nm

U30 Warm White Fluorescent 2 pcs 18 W 3000K

Application of Textile Light Box

Color light box/Color matching cabinet, is widely used in textile testing laboratories,
to check the color difference after another textile testing like color fastness, thus we
can get the grade evaluation according to the specified standards. Industries like
automotive, Ceramics, Cosmetics, Foodstuffs, Footwear, Furniture, knitwear,
Leather, Ophthalmic, Dyeing, Packaging, Printing, Ink, and Textile, all have a great
demand for color matching consistency and quality, this Textile Light Box will get its
job done perfectly.

Textile light boxes that use filters to provide light sources should not be used. The
following maintenance requirements must be observed:
 ➔ The tubes must be replaced after 2000 hours of use and should be cleaned
frequently. Please keep a record of all replacement dates and check the
counter regularly.
➔ Cabinets must be kept clean, in good repair, and free of non-essential items
such as documents and fabric samples.
➔ The cabinet must be painted regularly (at least annually) internally with
“Crown Colour Plan 14.40D Munsell N6.5”
➔ Cabinets must be positioned to avoid ingress of direct outside light into the
cabinet. Alternatively, the cabinet front may be surrounded by a black curtain
to block out stray light.
➔ An alternative to the cabinet could be a purpose-built room, which totally
blocks out outside light, is lit with the correct light sources to an adequate
level, is completely painted with the correct color, and is kept free of non-
essential items.

Guideline for Fabric Light Box or Textile Light Box

For all orders please follow the below guideline:

➔ You need a close color match in D65 and a reasonable match in TL84. (D65
is the most important light source for checking). Both light sources must be
used separately.
➔ The Tungsten light (F) should be used to check for color flaring, this is
particularly important for colors made from the yellow and red dye.
➔ The UV light is used to pick up the presence of optical brightening agents and
fluorescent dyestuffs and is particularly useful for checking whites.
➔ Only one light source should be used at any given time, it is not acceptable to
use two different light sources simultaneously.
➔ Color samples should not look noticeably different in different lights.

For further guidelines on how to assess color and shading, we must follow the buyer
fabric inspection guideline.

Conclusion
Achieving consistency and stability in the work process is a great challenge. Utilizing
the right color matching equipment can help in controlling the problem a lot. Lightbox
is used in many industries to standardize the work process. It helps in evaluating the
color under different lights in one confined cabinet. The operator can rely on these
devices and be confident about the color quality of the product. Apart from textile
industries, it is used in other industries as well, like paint, printing, plastic, paper, and
many more.
The device is capable of matching different types of samples like leather, rexine, and
natural and synthetic fabrics. There are some guidelines issued by the cabinet to get
the best match results. The analysis should be performed in a dark room, by blinding
all-natural and artificial light sources.