Densitometer Calibration

Ever wish you had a way to check and make sure your reflection densitometer is measuring properly?

Every densitometer is packaged with a reference plaque used to calibrate the unit. However many of these plaques get old, dirty or lost. Once this happens, what should you use to verify and calibrate the densitometer? We recommend T-Ref™!

T-Ref™ is a printed Standard Reference Material (SRM) for agencies, printers, publishers, separators ...anyone who wants to control color reproduction quality. T-Ref™ consists of a printed sample of white, yellow, cyan, magenta, and black circular SWOP ink patches, with readings calibrated to the ANSI Status "T" response, and with calibration traceable to National Institute of Science and Technology primary references. Measure the color patches on your wide-band Status "T" densitometer and compare the readings against T-Ref's calibrated values. If they don't match, you should review the results with densitometer's manufacturer for possible re-calibration. By using the T-Ref™ you will be assured that your densitometer is reading as accurately as possible and can determine inter-instrument agreement within your plant or between companies. T-Ref™ was recently re-modeled to be the first reference material to comply with CGATS.11 and is an essential component of any ISO9000 program. Both T-Ref™ and Enhanced T-Ref™ consist of a laminated card packaged in a protective folder.

T-Ref™ can be purchased at http://www.printtools.org/colorrefcards/tref.php

Do you know with what Status your densitometer is reading with?

Densitometers and Spectrodensitometers are capable of reading with several different Status responses.

• Status T (ANSI T) - Wide band color reflection densitometer response that is the accepted standard in the United States for color reflection densitometers.
• Status E (also know as DIN) - A densitometer response which is the accepted standard in Europe. The main difference with Status T is higher Yellow readings.
• Status I - A densitometer response commonly referred to as narrow band or interference-type response.
• Status A (ANSI A) - This is the accepted standard for reflection densitometers for measuring photographic color prints and slides.
• Status M - This is the accepted standard for reflection densitometers for measuring photographic negatives.

Since each response will yield different density readings, it is critical to make sure your densitometer is calibrated and the correct Status is known when trying to communicate information.

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