If there is uneven lighting, color shifts, and the light is not as bright as it was before, your lamps might have to be replaced. Recent light boxes used with Pantone, as well as Datacolor LightBooths, have usage timers that tell how long before a lamp needs to be replaced.

Once ignited, the gauge will select the correct substrate mode. The probe should be placed flat on the coated surface. The thickness of the coating will show on the screen. Measurements should be taken on different areas of the surface to ensure accuracy.

A colorimeter or spectrophotometer should be used to measure the color of a solution. The instrument directs light through the liquid and quantifies absorbance at certain wavelengths. The values obtained indicate the color intensity of the solution and, by default, the concentration of the solution.

To keep a neutral background, helping to reduce color distortion and bias.

 A gloss meter measures the amount of light reflected from a surface at a specific angle. It's commonly used to assess surface finishes such as paint, coatings, plastics, and paper for consistency, quality control, and visual appearance evaluation.

The gloss scale is normally measured against the scale of 0 to 100 gloss units (GU). The scale is zero at matte and 100 at a mirror. Other very smooth surfaces can be over 100 GU at lower angles, such as 20°.

Common sources like D65, TL84, and CWF mimic daylight, store, home, and fluorescent lighting, and are used to provide conditions for dependable color comparison.

The dry film thickness is assessed after the coating is cured, while the wet film thickness is obtained immediately after the coating is applied using a wet film comb gauge. Dry film measurement is critical to ensuring that the coating applied matches the standards expected in terms adherence and polish. 

An 18% gray background reduces distractions and color bias, helping in a more accurate assessment.

Opaque liquids and powders can be put into a cuvette for color measurement.