Specifications
The Digital Fine Print Course
Viewing a Fine Print
Fluorescent Lamps
There are a number of fluorescent lamps available that employ a large number (7+) of
phosphers to create a smoother (less spiky or discontinuous) spectrum. Lamps manufac-
tured by GretagMacbeth (http://www.gretagmacbeth.com) and GTI Graphic Technology
(http://www.gtilite.com) are used in general room lighting installations as well as spe-
cially constructed viewing booths for the critical matching of colour samples.
Copyright Les Walkling 2012
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Like CRT and LCD monitors, fluorescent lamps are not ‘black body light sources’ and
therefore their colour temperature calibrations are ‘correlated colour temperatures’.
Different spectra can therefore all correlate to the same colour temperature. This can
make colour matching between different devices even more difficult.
Sony 21” CRT 5000ºK Solux 4700ºK Apple 23” LCD 5000ºK Graphiclite PDV 5000ºK
In practice a 5800ºK monitor calibration will often provide the best overall softproofing
match with these specialist 5000ºK fluorescent light sources due to their discontinuous
spectrum. Solux 4700 lamps generally provide a better match to a 5000ºK monitor.
Macbeth 5000ºK and Graphiclite 5000ºK fluorescent lamps
Apple 23” LCD 5000ºK and Graphiclite 5000ºK viewing booth