Description and Measurement of White Surfaces

Richard S. Hunter

doi:10.1364/JOSA.48.000597

Journal of the Optical Society of America
Vol. 48,
Issue 9,
pp. 597-605
(1958)
•https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSA.48.000597

Description and Measurement of White Surfaces

Richard S. Hunter

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Richard S. Hunter, "Description and Measurement of White Surfaces," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 48, 597-605 (1958)

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Abstract

This is the report of Inter-Society Color Council Subcommittee on Problem 19 formed in 1953 to study the color technology of white surfaces. Physically, surfaces which appear white reflect strongly and diffusely throughout the visible spectrum. Psychophysically, whites occupy a volume without sharply defined boundaries in the top center of the color solid. Whiteness is the attribute of white surfaces which corresponds to their visual proximity to preferred white. Preferred white varies somewhat with changes of either observer or observing situation. Measurements and intercomparisons of the colors of whites are made to determine adequacies of match to standard and to determine compliance with color specifications. One-number reflectance measurements of whites are widely used as partial determinations of whiteness. There have been a number of investigations to find which formulas yield the most reliable measurements of whiteness from tristimulus values, but the whiteness scales which have resulted from these investigations have not enjoyed widespread commercial use.

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		Equations for color dimensions in terms of CIE X, Y, and Z
Name, date, and references	Important features	White-black (L) dimension	Red-green (a) dimension	Yellow-blue (b) dimension
Judd-Hunter (1942)^a,b	Used with subtractive (visual) colorimeter^b and Hunter Multipurpose Reflectometer^f	$100 k Y^{\frac{1}{2}}$ (where k varies from 0.2 to 1.2 depending on proximity of specimens being compared)	$700 Y^{\frac{1}{4}} (\frac{1.25 X - Y + 0.1907 Z}{1.25 X + 2 Y + 0.6563 Z}) or in Hunter A, G, B 700 G^{\frac{1}{4}} (\frac{A - G}{A + 2 G + B})$	$280 Y^{\frac{1}{4}} (\frac{Y - 0.847 Z}{1.25 X + 2 Y + 0.6563 Z}) or in Hunter A, G, B 280 Y^{\frac{1}{4}} (\frac{G - B}{A + 2 G + B})$
Judd-Hunter Scofield (1943)^c	Simpler than foregoing when used with tristimulus reflectometer	$100 Y^{\frac{1}{2}}$	$700 Y^{\frac{1}{2}} (\frac{1.25 X - Y + 0.1907 Z}{1.25 X + 2 Y + 0.6563 Z})$	$280 Y^{\frac{1}{2}} (\frac{Y - 0.847 Z}{1.25 X + 2 Y + 0.6563 Z})$
Adams chromatic value (1944)^d	Requires tables to convert X, Y, and Z to Munsell value (V) equivalents v=0.1V	92v(Y)	400[v(1.02X)−v(Y)]	160[v(Y)−v(0.847Z)]
Hunter R_d (1948)^e	Color-Difference Meter designed so that a and b compute automatically after R_d(Y) is set	100f_YY, where $f_{Y} = 0.51 (\frac{21 + 20 Y}{1 + 20 Y})$	175f_Y(1.02X−Y)	70f_Y(Y−0.847Z)
Hunter L (1949)^e	Color Difference Meter computes all 3 automatically	$100 Y^{\frac{1}{2}}$	$175 Y^{- \frac{1}{2}} (1.02 X - Y)$	$70 Y^{- \frac{1}{2}} (Y - 0.847 Z)$

Instrument and manufacturer		Geometry	Illuminant color	Remarks
(1)	Spectrophotometers
	G. E. Recording^a (General Electric Company, Schenectady, New York)	Near normal diffuse	Any	Plots curves automatically. Tristimulus integrator may be added.
	Beckman Model DU^b (Beckman Instruments, Fullerton, California)	45° 0°	Any	Wavelength and standard value set before each reading
(2)	Tristimulus filter reflectometers
	Hunter Multipurpose^c (Gardner Laboratory, Bethesda, Maryland)	45° 0°	Daylight	Convenient only for whites and light colors
	Photovolt Model 610 (Photovolt Corporation, New York City)	45° 0°	Daylight	Low cost. Small search unit movable to test surfaces
	Color Eye (Instrument Development Laboratories, Needham, Massachusetts)	Near normal diffuse	Daylight or lamplight	Good comparator, particularly for dark specimens
	Colormaster Differential Colorimeter^d (Manufacturers Engineering and Equipment Company, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania)	45° 0°	Daylight	Good stability, Precise comparator
(3)	Trichromatic colorimeter
	Hunter Color-Difference Meter^e (Gardner Laboratory, Bethesda, Maryland and Hunter Associates Laboratory, Falls Church, Virginia)	45° 0°	Daylight	Reads color directly on L, a, b “uniform color scales”
	Nickerson-Hunter Cotton Colorimeter^f (Gardner Laboratory, Bethesda, Maryland)	45° 0°	Daylight	Reads luminous reflectance and +b (yellowness) automatically

	Applications	Paints and plastics	Papers and printing	Textiles and detergents	Ceramics
Luminous reflectance (Green light) ( ${\bar{y}}_{C}$ , Fig. 7)	Efficiency of surfaces used to reflect light^a	x		x	x
	Cleaning efficiency measured by gray soil removal			x
	Opacity by contrast-ratio method^b,c	x	x		x
Blue-light reflectance (B and ${\bar{z}}_{A}$ , Fig. 7)	Degree of bleach and chemical purity^d,e		x	x
	Brilliance attainable by dyeing or color printing		x	x
	Effectiveness of fluorescent whiteners (Measure with UV in illuminant)		x	x

		Equations for color dimensions in terms of CIE X, Y, and Z
Name, date, and references	Important features	White-black (L) dimension	Red-green (a) dimension	Yellow-blue (b) dimension
Judd-Hunter (1942)^a,b	Used with subtractive (visual) colorimeter^b and Hunter Multipurpose Reflectometer^f	$100 k Y^{\frac{1}{2}}$ (where k varies from 0.2 to 1.2 depending on proximity of specimens being compared)	$700 Y^{\frac{1}{4}} (\frac{1.25 X - Y + 0.1907 Z}{1.25 X + 2 Y + 0.6563 Z}) or in Hunter A, G, B 700 G^{\frac{1}{4}} (\frac{A - G}{A + 2 G + B})$	$280 Y^{\frac{1}{4}} (\frac{Y - 0.847 Z}{1.25 X + 2 Y + 0.6563 Z}) or in Hunter A, G, B 280 Y^{\frac{1}{4}} (\frac{G - B}{A + 2 G + B})$
Judd-Hunter Scofield (1943)^c	Simpler than foregoing when used with tristimulus reflectometer	$100 Y^{\frac{1}{2}}$	$700 Y^{\frac{1}{2}} (\frac{1.25 X - Y + 0.1907 Z}{1.25 X + 2 Y + 0.6563 Z})$	$280 Y^{\frac{1}{2}} (\frac{Y - 0.847 Z}{1.25 X + 2 Y + 0.6563 Z})$
Adams chromatic value (1944)^d	Requires tables to convert X, Y, and Z to Munsell value (V) equivalents v=0.1V	92v(Y)	400[v(1.02X)−v(Y)]	160[v(Y)−v(0.847Z)]
Hunter R_d (1948)^e	Color-Difference Meter designed so that a and b compute automatically after R_d(Y) is set	100f_YY, where $f_{Y} = 0.51 (\frac{21 + 20 Y}{1 + 20 Y})$	175f_Y(1.02X−Y)	70f_Y(Y−0.847Z)
Hunter L (1949)^e	Color Difference Meter computes all 3 automatically	$100 Y^{\frac{1}{2}}$	$175 Y^{- \frac{1}{2}} (1.02 X - Y)$	$70 Y^{- \frac{1}{2}} (Y - 0.847 Z)$

Instrument and manufacturer		Geometry	Illuminant color	Remarks
(1)	Spectrophotometers
	G. E. Recording^a (General Electric Company, Schenectady, New York)	Near normal diffuse	Any	Plots curves automatically. Tristimulus integrator may be added.
	Beckman Model DU^b (Beckman Instruments, Fullerton, California)	45° 0°	Any	Wavelength and standard value set before each reading
(2)	Tristimulus filter reflectometers
	Hunter Multipurpose^c (Gardner Laboratory, Bethesda, Maryland)	45° 0°	Daylight	Convenient only for whites and light colors
	Photovolt Model 610 (Photovolt Corporation, New York City)	45° 0°	Daylight	Low cost. Small search unit movable to test surfaces
	Color Eye (Instrument Development Laboratories, Needham, Massachusetts)	Near normal diffuse	Daylight or lamplight	Good comparator, particularly for dark specimens
	Colormaster Differential Colorimeter^d (Manufacturers Engineering and Equipment Company, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania)	45° 0°	Daylight	Good stability, Precise comparator
(3)	Trichromatic colorimeter
	Hunter Color-Difference Meter^e (Gardner Laboratory, Bethesda, Maryland and Hunter Associates Laboratory, Falls Church, Virginia)	45° 0°	Daylight	Reads color directly on L, a, b “uniform color scales”
	Nickerson-Hunter Cotton Colorimeter^f (Gardner Laboratory, Bethesda, Maryland)	45° 0°	Daylight	Reads luminous reflectance and +b (yellowness) automatically

Abstract

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Figures (9)

Tables (3)

Equations (3)

Journal of the Optical Society of America