Press Release: New Pantone Color Cue2 Measures and Captures Color on any Surface, Anywhere


Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today introduced PANTONE Color Cue™2, the next generation of its award-winning handheld colorimeter. Designers gather inspiration everywhere they look, from flower petals and seashells to fabric and plastic. Now with the click of a button, the new Color Cue™2 lets them capture their color inspiration for later use in designs of all kinds.

Color Cue™2 empowers designers across multiple industries including graphic arts, architecture, interiors, fashion and home with broad color matching capability. The device saves designers time and money when capturing color inspiration by drastically reducing the time for color identification compared to other measuring devices, which can cost thousands of dollars. Whether a final design is slated for the Web or print, Color Cue™2 helps designers complete a project faster and with less room for error.
"Color Cue™ expedites the entire design process by greatly reducing the amount of time it takes to find the right color," said Prabal Gurung, a designer at Bill Blass. "This frees me to focus my time and energy on my ultimate goal: making beautiful clothes."
"Our customers tell us that our first Color Cue™ has been an invaluable tool, allowing them to work with color more quickly and easily," explained Richard Herbert, president of Pantone. "With Color Cue™2, we have taken color identification to the next level, packing more color information into a sleek new device which is even easier to use. Design professionals worldwide will appreciate this affordable tool that allows them to speak the international language of color with greater fluency and accuracy."
The new Color Cue™2 combines the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® Library for coated, uncoated and matte stock and the PANTONE Textile Color System® Library for fashion and home and for architecture and interiors - into one portable, affordable, handheld device. With one small device, users can toggle across two PANTONE Libraries and cross-match any material or surface. For example, capture the color of a seashell and convert it to a PANTONE Color for use on a product package, silk skirt or hotel lobby carpet.
Color Cue™2 records the last 20 colors measured for later reference. It also identifies related colors - colors that are lighter, darker, or similar in tone to the identified color. The device is powered by a standard nine-volt battery that lasts for thousands of measurements.
New software in the Color Cue™2 enables designers to translate PANTONE Colors for use in different color spaces and popular image editing software, as well as accurately specify and communicate color for four-color process and Hexachrome® printing and the Web. Color Cue™2 provides additional formulas for reproduction including CMYK, CMYK EURO, sRGB, Adobe® RGB 255, HTML, L*a*b, PANTONE Hexachrome® and XYZ values. Ultimately, designers can focus time on the creative process and spend less time on color communication.
Color looks significantly different under different light conditions. Therefore, it is important to be able to view colors under a variety of simulated lighting conditions before finalizing a design. Color Cue™2 enables users to simulate lighting conditions for: D65 (6500 K, daylight), D50 (5000 K, horizon light), F2 (4150 K, fluorescent), A (2856 K, tungsten) and TL84 (4100 K, narrow tri-band fluorescent).
Pricing and Availability
PANTONE Color Cue™2 is available immediately for U.S. $349 on the Pantone Web site, www.pantone.com, and through select distribution partners.
About Pantone, Inc.
Pantone, Inc., developer of the globally accepted PANTONE Color Systems, is the leading source of traditional and electronic products for the selection and accurate communication of color. With over 40 years of experience, Pantone is recognized as the worldwide market leader in color communication and color technology for the graphic design, printing, publishing, textile and plastics industries. More information is available at www.pantone.com. 


Posted: Tue - September 13, 2005 at 08:58 AM          

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