Instrumental Shade Sorting in the Past Three Decades

Colourists often need to manufacture a production batch of a large number of rolls of fabric to match a colour provided by a client. However, even fabrics dyed with the same colorants under well monitored conditions may show some colour variation. This variation should be characterised and the fabrics separated into groups within which the colour difference is considered acceptable. A systematic shade sorting process enables colourists to do this before delivery. We review the criteria for implementing such a system, along with the merits and demerits of the fixed grid and the grid-free system