Pantone has announced Capsure, a compact, handheld device that lets users instantly measure and match a color source – 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 contractors, paint retailers and do-it-yourselfers, Capsure allows users to accurately identify color colors from any surface, material, or fabric and match them to a Pantone Color for easy communication. Capsure is designed to significantly reduce the time it takes to measure or choose a color from a sample or any other form of color source.

The device uses tri-directional image-capture technology designed to eliminate 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 the viewer can clearly identify the desired color.

Capsure’s image-capture technology lets professionals preview what they are measuring on its 1.75-in. color screen, in real time, to affirm image accuracy. Those images are then stored on the device for later reference. Capsure can record the last 100 colors measured for later reference, and users can 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 8000 colors. Users can also toggle across multiple Pantone Libraries and cross-match materials and surfaces. Capsure includes:
• The Pantone Plus Series Formula Guide (coated and uncoated), the Pantone Plus Series CMYK (coated and uncoated) and the Pantone Goe System (coated and uncoated) for graphic design, printing and publishing; providing sRGB, Adobe RGB, HTML, Lab, and XYZ values for multimedia design;
• The Pantone Fashion + Home Color System Library (paper and cotton) for fashion and home; and
• The Pantone Paint + Interiors Library (paper and cotton) for architecture and interiors.

The included Capsure Palette Application Software, available free upon product registration, provides access to saved color measurements, details, and tags, and allows users to view measured color samples with selectable lighting conditions on their computer screen. Users can also create palettes with their favorite shades or custom palettes for a specific project. All palettes can be synchronized with design applications such as Adobe Creative Suite, CorelDraw, and QuarkXPress. The Palette Application Software is currently only PC-compatible, although Macintosh support is expected in January 2011.

Paint libraries can be purchased for an additional cost through the included Capsure Sync function, or via www.xrite.com (Pantone is part of X-Rite).

Price: $649.

PANTONE
www.pantone.com