Do You Need A Colorimeter or Spectrophotometer?
The type of color matching technology you need depends on what you’re trying to do.
Colorimeters are powerful devices when it comes to matching solid colors and comparing similar ones, a good colorimeter can produce accurate results effective for basic QA and inspection. They often provide more mobility than a bench top spectrophotometer and are great for printing, and painting. However, when it comes to identifying metamerism, or the phenomenon of colors changing when viewed in different light, a spectrophotometer is the way to go.
Spectrophotometers provide a wealth of color data needed for identifying exact matches and determining formulas. Industries like automotive coatings use spectrophotometers to measure automotive paint that might have effects and appear different in various lighting.