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What are Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated Certifications?

BenQ

2024/10/25

Photographer Monitor Designer Monitor Color Hardware calibration Professional Monitor

Pantone is well known by designers and other pros who work extensively with color. The Pantone Matching System (PMS) standardizes color to ensure consistent hues. This eliminates guesswork when matching colors, which is a big deal. "Almost" is not good enough. Additionally, the Pantone Color of the Year affects trends each time it's announced. But, most people associate Pantone with products made of paper, plastic, or cloth. So why does a monitor brand like BenQ connect with Pantone or the designer circle? In the digital age, digital color is key. Most design and color-focused creativity start on a display. That's why BenQ is the first display manufacturer to seek and earn Pantone Validated certifications.

Additionally, the Pantone Color of the Year affects trends each time it's announced. But, most people associate Pantone with products made of paper, plastic, or cloth. So why does a monitor brand like BenQ connect with Pantone or the designer circle? In the digital age, digital color is key. Most design and color-focused creativity start on a display. That's why BenQ is the first display manufacturer to seek and earn Pantone Validated certifications.

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Background

Pantone started as a printing company in the 1960s. They soon realized the graphic arts industry needed an effective color communication standard. So, they introduced the first Pantone Matching System in 1963 with 500 colors. PMS has evolved ever since with more colors for use in ever-varied media. Nowadays, Pantone Matching System includes more than 1,300 colors. They cover formats including paper, plastics, textiles, and electronic libraries. In 2007, X-Rite, a leading manufacturer of color measurement and management products, acquired Pantone.

Benefit

the pantone validated certification tests the monitor’s ability to accurately reproduce pantone colors

The benefit of creating/obtaining Pantone Validated Certification links to PantoneLIVE. PantoneLIVE is a cloud-based digital version of the Pantone color library. The goal is for everyone in a creative color process to access the same color values for any job. The concept is great but presents challenges.

The first problem is finding a trustworthy display. This is where Pantone Validated Certification comes in. The certification tests the monitor’s ability to accurately reproduce Pantone colors. Only monitors that can reproduce a certain percentage of Pantone colors earn Pantone Validated. The test involves thousands of colors. This eliminates guesswork. So, when a designer needs a reliable display, they only need to check whether it is Pantone Validated. If so, they can be confident that the Pantone colors on the screen are accurate.

The second issue is choosing which BenQ display is best for you. DesignVue PD series or PhotoVue SW series both have Pantone Validated Certification. You could choose based on your budget. You might also consider whether you want to calibrate at a later stage. PD series monitors earn Pantone Validated Certification in factory preset mode. SW series monitors earn Pantone Validated Certification in factory preset and calibration modes. Both PD and SW monitors users can enjoy out-of-the-box Pantone color accuracy. SW series users have the added benefit of post-purchase calibration. They maintain accuracy using BenQ proprietary hardware calibration software, Palette Master Element.

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Pantone SkinTone Validated

Upon 2022, PhotoVue and DesignVue Monitors achieve the Pantone SkinTone Validated status, appealing to those who appreciate products that realize authenticity in the display of real-world colors, and that accurately represent the world’s palette of skin tones. Creative professionals can thus enjoy the color excellence BenQ delivers together with Pantone, the world’s leading color authority.

Leveraging the Pantone SkinTone guide, the first science-based system for matching and reproducing human skin tones, the program comprises 110 discrete skin tones based on thousands of human skin measurements from a diverse range of ethnicities and age groups. As an extension to the Pantone Validated program, Pantone SkinTone Validated assures color professionals that certified devices comply with the Pantone Matching System (PMS) and accurately reproduce lifelike skin tones to represent equality and inclusivity for all consumers.

The second issue is choosing which BenQ display is best for you. BenQ DesignVue Monitors and PhotoVue Monitors both have Pantone Validated Certification. You could choose based on your budget. You might also consider whether you want to calibrate at a later stage. PD series monitors earn Pantone Validated Certification in factory preset mode. SW series monitors earn Pantone Validated Certification in factory preset and calibration modes. Both PD and SW monitors users can enjoy out-of-the-box Pantone color accuracy. SW series users have the added benefit of post-purchase calibration. They maintain accuracy using BenQ proprietary hardware calibration software, Palette Master Element.

Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated

In 2022, PhotoVue and DesignVue Monitors achieve the Pantone SkinTone Validated status, appealing to those who appreciate products that realize authenticity in the display of real-world colors, and that accurately represent the world’s palette of skin tones. Creative professionals can thus enjoy the color excellence BenQ delivers together with Pantone, the world’s leading color authority.

Conclusion

BenQ, Calibrite, and Pantone worked to provide creatives a way to confirm a monitor’s Pantone Color rendering capability. BenQ is the first professional monitor brand awarded Pantone Validated Certification. BenQ has its selective DesignVue Designer PD series and PhotoVue Photographer SW series with Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated. If you count on color accuracy, count on a display with Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated.

Pantone Validated Now in DesignVue and PhotoVue Monitors

BenQ DesignVue and PhotoVue monitors offer integrated color correction and BenQ-exclusive AQCOLOR technology to guarantee superior fidelity in color accuracy, including tested quality in achieving Pantone Matching System colors.

What is BenQ Color Consistency Technology?

Color Consistency Technology is BenQ's proprietary technology to enhance the factory calibration performance. The benefit of incorporting the color consistency technology is to ensure the colors on all units of the same BenQ Professional monitor model will look very similar, no matter what panel is used, and which production line is utilized.

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The Importance of Uniformity in Presenting Accurate Images on Screen

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What is an ICC Profile and Why Should Designers Care About it?

Color plays a crucial role in things we use and buy, and for those who design items like these for a living, ensuring color is accurately applied and displayed is a key aspect of their work. With most of the steps in the design process now being executed digitally, designers are relying more heavily on their computers and monitors to guarantee the accurate display of colors. In order to ensure the highest level of color accuracy, designers have to first familiarize themselves with a tiny set of data called ICC Profile, which plays a small yet decisive role in the design process.

How is ICC Profile Used in Photographer’s Workflow?

Take a closer look at how to incorporate the ICC profiles in a practical workflow. There are some practical tips for utilizing ICC profiles in the photographer’s workflow, for example, how to set up RGB Working Color Space, where to store the ICC profiles, and how to convert color spaces.