by Ann Withanee — October 20, 2010—Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company and a global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, has introduced CAPSURE, a compact, handheld device that lets design professionals, facility managers, contractors, paint retailers and do-it-yourselfers confidently measure and match color inspiration instantly from small, patterned, multi-colored textures and textiles to walls and carpeting.
Created for professionals in fashion, home furnishings, interior, industrial and graphic design, as well as facilities managers, contractors, paint retailers and do-it-yourselfers, CAPSURE allows users to accurately identify color inspiration from any surface, material or fabric and match it to a PANTONE Color for easy communication. With unsurpassed accuracy, CAPSURE significantly reduces the time it takes to measure or choose a color from a sample or any other form of color inspiration, according to the company.
The device uses powerful tri-directional image capture technology that eliminates the shadows and interference inherent to patterned and textured materials and surfaces. By illuminating the surface being measured from three different directions while simultaneously recording 27 color-accurate images in 1.6 seconds, CAPSURE can extract up to four dominant colors from an intricate pattern so that the viewer can clearly identify the desired color.
CAPSURE’s image capture technology lets professionals preview what they are measuring on its 1.75-inch color screen, in real time, to affirm image accuracy. Those images are then stored on the device for later reference. CAPSURE has the ability to record the last 100 colors measured for later reference. Users can also annotate colors with a voice recording as well as a time and date stamp. Additionally, the device provides harmonious shades and identifies related colors that are lighter, darker or similar in tone to the identified color.
CAPSURE comes pre-loaded with all PANTONE Color Libraries allowing users to match more than 8,000 colors with a single device. Users can also toggle across multiple PANTONE Libraries and cross-match any material or surface.
Users can also upload fan decks from popular paint manufacturers, at an additional cost, to match the color of an inspirational item in paint.
For convenient remote use, the device is powered by a rechargeable lithium battery that lasts for thousands of measurements on a single charge.
CAPSURE is available immediately for U.S. $649 at Pantone Web site.
