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GrafiLite – print viewing lighting review

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GrafiLite – print viewing lighting review

Improving your print matching with proper lighting



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The GrafiLite from Colour Confidence is a version of the Ott-Lite ‘task lamp’ that uses a special 13W ‘True Color’ fluorescent tube to give a very good colour rendition.

2022 – Keith’s review of the LED based GrafiLite 2

grafilite / ott-lite

One of the major areas of inconsistency when it comes to most people checking their prints, is the light they use.

Whilst you can get proper viewing cabinets and print stands, they tend not to be cheap [we have a review of the one we use]

The GrafiLite from Colour Confidence is a version of the Ott-Lite ‘task lamp’ that uses a special 13W ‘True Color’ fluorescent tube to give a very good colour rendition.

What do you get?

The GrafiLite uses a 13W fluorescent tube that has been designed to produce a high quality light.

The ‘TrueColor’ 13W bulb has the equivalent light output of a 60W tungsten light bulb.

The tubes have an estimated 10,000 hour life and replacements are available for around £15

Buy an Ott-lite from Amazon.com

GrafiliteIt’s based on the Ott-Lite fluorescent tube that has been widely used in craft work for some time, where this particular lighting unit is known as a ‘Task Lamp’.

The box the the right also shows the neutral grey plastic mat that you get with the GrafiLite unit. (note you don’t get the colour swatches or prints shown on the box)

My own preference is to view most prints I want to check under daylight viewing condition (I have several places in the house which offer relatively even daylight)

However I sometimes want to see what they will look like under tungsten lighting (particularly if they are going somewhere with just tungsten lighting) – that’s no problem, I have some nice even lighting set up in some areas.

What though if it’s winter or at night, and I want to do a check – well I could use a proper print viewing cabinet, with adjustable lighting types and brightnesses. Problem is that they are expensive and bulky.

The GrafiLite allows me to quickly set up a consistent light source for evaluation of prints.

The grey plastic mat also provides a neutral background that helps prevent adjacent colours (like a wooden desk) influencing what you see.

I’ve written an article covering many of the issues that you have to consider when asking ‘why don’t my prints match my screen‘ also one on Room Lighting for Image editing

Using the GrafiLite

The device requires very little setting up, you open up the lamp holder, insert the tube (a push fit) and plug in the unit.

ott lite 13 watt fluorescent tube

Just like a fridge – the lamp switches on when you open it up :-)

Move you mouse over the image to the right to see how it opens.

The base unit is heavy enough that there is no danger of it tipping over.

I found the grey sheet a little small and made a larger one from some grey card.

If you do this, then do check that the card is properly grey, since any colour caste will affect your perception of colours. I had some grey backdrop paper that I was able to use.

The simple guide to print evaluation is to make sure that your monitor is brighter than your (fairly dim) working environment and that your print brightness is slightly brighter than your monitor.

Original ImageHover Image

If you don’t try and look at both screen and print at the same time then your vision will adapt to brightness and whitepoint variations quite well. I have my print viewing area some way from my monitors.

Remember this is not intended as instructions for detailed proof checking – that’s a whole lot more complex (and expensive)

Conclusions

How good quality is the light? Well, using the Eye-One Share software with my i1 spectrophotometer I was able (eventually) get a reading that gave a colour temperature of about 5600K and a Colour Rendition Index of 82.

If you have a GrafiLite then compare how some coloured objects look under the GrafiLite as opposed to normal ‘Energy Saving’ light bulbs … You’ll quickly realise why I don’t care one jot about the energy saving bit when it’s a room I’m working/living in – colours look wrong. They are fine for the hallway and bathroom, but until they get a lot better in light quality I’ll keep my tungsten lighting round the house (and yes, if they stop selling tungsten bulbs, I -will- stock up on spares!

I’ve seen the lamp advertised as having a CRI of 95 (also 90-93), so it could well be better than my Eye One suggests.

The Share software has one of the worst interfaces I’ve come across in a long while but it does include a spectrum of the light source. [Share software reviewed with the i1 Design]

It’s the wavy line in the right hand circular window…

spectrum and CRI of the Grafilite ott lite

You’ll notice that it’s not exactly smooth, but for a fluorescent light it’s pretty good.

grafilite being used for vieing colour swatchesThe GrafiLite is not meant for accurate proof evaluation.

One thing you will have to be careful with is reflections from the surface of any prints.

It’s quite easy to hold prints such that there is no obvious reflection, and by getting a slight curve, you can provide an even illumination over a larger area

You can see this in how I’m holding the Pantone book to the right)

Where I find it really helps is comparing prints of my B/W test print.

I’ve got quite a variety of printers here and for black and white I like to compare different papers with their different colours and depths of blacks.

The paper/ink choice makes a big difference to how a print looks and some images work better with different papers.

I find that soft proofing doesn’t help me too much here – there’s no substitute (IMHO) for having a ‘feel’ for how paper/ink combinations look.

Having a constant viewing environment helps make that ‘feel’ more consistent…

Summary

An economic solution to improving the consistency and quality of your printed work.

Ideal for those who can’t to go to the expense of buying a full viewing cabinet or stand.

I’ve heard people say that such lamps are a waste of time – but I’m of the opinion that taking care in standardising some elements of your print workflow is an important first step in improving it.

Many of the comments you may see are based on ‘received wisdom’ rather than actual use. We may use a Viewing Cabinet that costs over ten times what this lamp costs, but we still have a Grafilite in the office for quick checks.

The design of the lamp means you do need to take care over reflections and evenness of illumination.

You also need to pay attention to general room lighting and how you’ve set up your monitor to really get the most from using the GrafiLite.

The GrafiLite is available from a number of retailers (GrafiLite site) in the UK and Europe for around £50. Buy an Ottlite from Amazon.com

Note – If you find similar devices advertised, do check that they have genuine TrueColor tubes from Ott Lite in them – it’s the mixture of phosphors in the tube that gives the quality of the light.

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More colour management and printing related information

For information about printers, paper reviews and profiling (colour management) see the Printing section of the main printers and printing page, or use the search box at the top of any page.
All colour management articles and reviews are indexed on the main Colour Management page - please do let Keith know if you've any questions, either via the comments or just email us?

Some specific articles that may be of interest:

  • Why don't my prints match my screen? A short article showing why there is more to getting your prints to match your screen, than just calibrating your monitor. It's the vital first step, but you do need to consider some other factors for best results.
  • Why are my prints too dark - some basic suggestions to this common problem.

Articles below by Keith (Google's picks for matching this page)


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