Getting Started with Color icontrol. English Version

Transcription

1 Getting Started with Color icontrol English Version Copyright 2007 X-Rite, Inc. All rights reserved. Version

2 Color icontrol Getting Started Once Color icontrol is installed on your system, there are still a few preliminary actions you must perform prior to being able to run the software fully. Each of these is explained below. Initial Logon for Color icontrol Double-click the program icon installed to your desktop. The Color icontrol opening splash screen will display, followed by the main program window and the log-on screen. Type your initials into the Operator ID field in the log-on screen and then click on the <SETUP> button at the lower left. (Operator ID s are limited to six characters maximum.) Installing the Software License The License Activation dialog box will appear (see Figure 1, next page). The first field is for entering the serial number of your software. This number can be found on the CD packaging on a small white label and marked S/N. The serial number will consist of an alphanumeric string, two letters followed by ten numbers. The remaining fields are all self-explanatory. Once you have filled in all the fields, click on the Click here after ALL fields entered button at the center of the dialog. At this point, the <Create License Request Document> buttons will become active, both the automatic and the manual. The automatic option will generate an with your license information included and send it to X-Rite s registration site. An activation key code will be generated and ed back to you. The manual option will generate a *.doc file and open it in Microsoft Word. This document can then be attached to an and sent to the address indicated to receive your activation key code. Once you have selected the appropriate option, click on the <EXIT> button to close the dialog. Close the program by clicking on the Exit command under the File menu while you wait for the return containing your activation key code. You will be able to run the software for two days (48 hours) without activating the license. This will allow plenty of time for you to receive your reply with the activation key code. Once you receive your reply, start the program again by double-clicking the desktop icon. Then, enter manually or cut and paste the activation key code included with your into the field at the bottom of the dialog and click the <Apply> button at the lower left. A message should appear: SITE KEY ACCEPTED. Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 2

3 Figure 1 The License Activation dialog. Immediately after licensing the software, the program will prompt you to install a spectrophotometer as the first task needing attention. The Spectro Manager dialog will open. Instructions for installing the sensor are included below. Installing an Instrument Prior to beginning this operation, be sure that the spectrophotometer is connected to the computer via a communication port and that you know the ID for that port. In addition, check to make sure the instrument is plugged into the power outlet and powered up. Once the instrument is physically connected to your computer, you must install it in terms of the software. To do this, follow the steps provided below. Figure 2 The Spectro Manager dialog. Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 3

4 1. A dialog box titled Spectro Manager (See Figure 2, previous page) will appear. 2. Click on the Install New... button. A second dialog titled New Spectro will appear with a list of available instruments for Color icontrol (Figure 3, right). 3. Select the instrument you wish to install by clicking once on the instrument name (or manufacturer) and clicking OK. (You may also at this point be asked for a calibration disk(s) that should have been provided with your instrument. If this is the case, follow the instructions that appear onscreen.) 4. The Spectrophotometer Installation Figure 3 The New Spectro dialog box. Wizard dialog box will appear (see Figure 4, below). 5. Enter the name of your spectrophotometer into the space provided. 6. Tab to the next field. 7. Enter the serial number of your instrument. 8. Click Next. 9. Depending on the type of sensor you are installing, the Choose Sensor Model dialog box may appear (not pictured). If it does, select your instrument s model type from the drop-down list and click <Next>. 10. Again, depending on the type of sensor you are installing, the Instrument Wavelength Range dialog may appear at this point (also not pictured). This dialog allows you to select the default wavelength range for taking measurements. Generally, this will appear when you have an instrument capable of taking measurements below 400 nanometers and above 700 Figure 4 The first Spectrophotometer Installation Wizard dialog box. Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 4

5 nanometers. However, if you need to compare data with other systems using sensors not capable of taking measurements in this range, it may be a good idea to limit the range of the instrument. Otherwise, accept the default as it appears in this dialog. 11. A dialog box allowing you to select the communications port and the baud rate of the instrument will appear next (see Figure 5, right). 12. Click on the radio button identifying the communication port where you have the instrument connected. The default is to have your instrument connected to comm port one. The baud rate should default to the correct setting. If your instrument is incapable of communicating at multiple baud rates, this section of the dialog will be unavailable. You may also enable the Read button on the sensor if you wish. Click <Next> once you have selected the comm port and baud rate. 13. The Installation Complete dialog (not pictured) will appear informing you that the instrument is now installed. Click the <Finish> button to complete the installation. Figure 5 This dialog is for selecting the comm port and the baud rate of the instrument. 14. Once the installation is complete, wait a few moments and the Calibration Mode Properties dialog box Figure 6 The Calibration Mode Properties dialog box. will appear (see Figure 6, right). This dialog will allow you to create an initial calibration mode for the instrument just installed. The mode contains such information as the size of the sample port, the type of illumination the instrument uses, whether or not you are Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 5

6 taking reflectance or transmittance data, etc. Click the <OK> button to accept the current settings as the default initial mode. 15. Once you have closed the Calibration Mode Choose Sensor Mode dialog box will appear, allowing you to create more calibration modes for that instrument (see Figure 7). The default mode just defined should be listed as the only mode. You may define an entirely new mode by clicking on the Define New button. You should refer to the documentation provided with your instrument to determine what capabilities your sensor has and what variety of calibration modes you may want to define. (See Spectro under Menu Commands in the Help file for more information about setting the various sensor modes in Color icontrol.) 16. Once you have selected the sensor, its communication port, and the mode in which it will operate, all that remains to do is to calibrate the instrument. Do this by clicking on the Calibrate command under the Spectro menu and following the instructions on the screen. You must have a job opened in order for the Calibrate command to appear as one of the options under the Spectro menu. Calibration generally consists of taking readings of one or more tiles. These tiles should be supplied with your instrument; refer to your instrument s documentation for more information. The next section guides you through this process. Calibrating the Sensor/Taking a Measurement Figure 7 The Choose Sensor Mode dialog box with Properties dialog, the multiple modes defined. The next action to take is to calibrate the sensor and to take a measurement in order to be sure that the instrument installation has been successful. Obtain a standard and three trial samples prior to starting (we will use the trials in the Color icontrol Tutorial which is included as a Adobe PDF file along with this document and the Installation instructions.) Important Note: These instructions use the menu commands as the main method of accessing Color icontrol s various functions. However, buttons on the toolbar as well as keyboard shortcuts exist for most of the commonly used menu commands, such as taking measurements and calibrating the spectro. See Toolbar Buttons and Shortcut Keys in the Reference section of the Color icontrol help file for more information. 17. Click on the Spectro menu. Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 6

7 18. Click on Calibrate 19. The system will prompt you to read the light trap/black tile. Place the light trap or black tile on the instrument port and click <OK>. 20. The system will prompt you to read the white tile. Place the white tile on the instrument port and click <OK>. 21. The system should report that the sensor has been successfully standardized. 22. Place the standard you obtained on the sensor port. 23. Open a new job. 24. Click on Data menu. 25. Click on Measure with Spectro... A sub-menu will appear. Click on Measure Standard. 26. A dialog box will appear allowing you to name the standard. Enter a name and click <Next>. Instructions for continuing will be displayed under the field where you entered the name. Follow those instructions until the system prompts you to enter another name for a measurement The Standard should appear as the first item in the Tree View at the upper left of the open job. 28. Click on Job. 29. Click on Close Current Job. A standard Windows Save As... dialog box will open. 30. Enter tutorial as the name and click <OK>. The system will automatically append the *.jb3 extension to the job when it is saved. 31. Click on Job. 32. Click on Exit. The program should close. The sensor is now installed and correctly functioning. Checking for Software Updates Once the instrument is installed, the user may check for a software update provided the system has internet access. Click on Help About Program... from the main menu. A dialog box will open displaying some basic information about the software. The dialog will contain a field displaying how long your software service agreement is valid. If you still have a valid software service agreement, you may click on the <Updates> button to go to a X-Rite website to download the latest version. Check the version number at the bottom of this dialog box with the version number posted on the website prior to downloading to be sure that a newer version is available. In addition, a button marked <Training> will take you to a calendar of training sessions for using Color icontrol with information about how to sign up. Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 7

8 When downloading the new version, save the install executable onto the local disk. Once the new setup program has been saved, exit all programs including Color icontrol before attempting to install the update. Do not attempt to install the update over the internet or while the previous version is still running on your machine. Editing the Default Job Settings File Once the paths for the default system settings are established, you should edit the default settings file. Color icontrol originally ships with two default settings files, one for screen resolution set at 800x600 and one for screen resolution set at 1024x768, titled "default_800.st3" and "default_1024.st3", respectively. One of these settings files will be the basis for any job opened in Color icontrol without specifying an alternative (i.e., another settings file or template). Which one gets used depends on the resolution of your monitor. This will be true even if you select to store your settings in the job and not in a settings file, because even if you select to store the settings in each individual job, the program has to have some settings to include when each job is initially created. Editing the default job settings file is described below. Editing the Default Settings File 33. To edit the default settings, first click once on "Edit Default Job Settings" under the File menu. (This option will only appear when there are no open jobs. If a blank job appeared when you started running the program, you must close it before you can use this option. Use the "Close Current Job" command under the 34. Job menu or click once on the Windows close button in the upper right corner of the job window.) 35. A job window will open with the title "Default_800.st3" or "Default_1024.st3," depending on your monitor's resolution. Click once on the "Settings" option under the Application menu. 36. The Settings dialog box will appear. Click on the General tab. (For now, we will only set up the most basic settings needed. You may need to edit this file again once your familiarity with the software has increased.) 37. At the top left of the dialog are three radio buttons for selecting the desired color space. The options are: CIEL*a*b*, Hunter, or FMCII. The system will default to CIEL*a*b*. Select an option or leave the system set to CIEL*a*b*. 38. In the center left of the dialog are three drop-down lists allowing you to select the primary, secondary, and tertiary illuminants for the system. The defaults are: D6510, A-10, and F The appended 10 on the end of the illuminant means that it is using the ten-degree observer. Two-degree observer illuminants are available and designated with a -02". Select your illuminants from the drop-down lists. 39. The last item in General Settings (for now) is the Print Header. This is simply what will be printed out at the top of hardcopy data printed from within Color icontrol. You may enter your plant location, customer name, etc. Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 8

9 40. Once you have selected these settings, click on the "Close Current Job" command under the Job menu. The default settings you selected will be stored into the file. These settings will be in place for every new job you open without specifying a template. Of course, there are many other settings, both in the General tab and in the Quality Control tab. Once you gain more familiarity with the software, you may want to return to re-edit the settings stored in the default settings file. Logging on to the System /Accounts and Passwords When first installed, Color icontrol has its security features disable, i.e., passwords are turned off. Enabling passwords will cause the splash screen to appear requesting you enter an operator ID and a password every time you log on. The best way to be sure that your Color icontrol system is secure is to determine the number of security levels you will require and what operational options will be available to each account/password combination. However, you may be in a position not to require security on the system. In that case, you can leave passwords disabled. To set up accounts, open the Account Management dialog box by clicking on Account Manage. The operation of the dialog is simple. Instructions for using it are included below. Using the Account Management Dialog Color icontrol ships with three accounts already created: Manager, Supervisor, and Operator; the default password for each is the name of the account. You may use the buttons at the bottom of the dialog to create new accounts or to delete accounts. Let us step through the creation of a new account. Creating a New Account 41. First, click on the Disable Passwords checkbox to re-enable the account/password option. 42. Click on <Add New>. 43. A new account titled A New User will be added to the list of available accounts. Click once in the Description field to place the cursor there and delete the phrase A New User. 44. Type in the name for the new account, Admin. 45. Click on the <Tab> key. 46. The cursor will jump to the first password field. Enter in a password for the Admin account. (You may select a password at random.) 47. Click on the <Tab> key again. 48. Enter the password again to verify it. 49. When creating new accounts, you will need to select the permissions that account will have when operating the software. A check mark means that the account being created will have access to an operation; a blank check box means that the operation will not be available to that account. For the Admin account, let us just leave the Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 9

10 permissions at their defaults. (A complete list of the available permissions is included below with a brief explanation.) 50. You have now created a new user account in Color icontrol. You may delete it or use it, as you wish. If you will be needing user accounts, you will need to create your own along with their passwords, or you may modify the existing accounts with new passwords. If you will not be needing user accounts, it would be best to click on the Disable Passwords checkbox again to turn that feature off. Permissions Descriptions This list of Permissions Descriptions is included for those needing to implement a set of User Accounts. Delete Data from Jobs Selecting this option allows the account to delete data from jobs. This includes replacing a standard in a job with a standard already loaded. For example, you open a job with a standard already loaded into it and you do not have permission to delete data from jobs. You will not be able to read a new standard into that job since a job can only contain one standard and reading in a new one entails deleting the old one, an action which you do not have permission to perform. Delete Data from the Database Selecting this option allows the account to delete data from the database. Set Up Name Formatting Selecting this option gives the account access to the Formatted Name Setup dialog box (reached through the Configure Naming Conventions... command under the Data menu). Modify Data in Job Deselecting this option disables several of the right-click menu options in the Job Tree View in QC mode preventing the user from altering the data in the job. The Create Hitch, Correct Measurement Using Hitch Factors, and Properties... options will be grayed out and unavailable unless this option is selected for use by the account. Save Data to Database Selecting this option disables the Save to Database command for the account, both from the Job Tree right-click menu and under the Data option in the main menu. Do Formulations Selecting this option gives the account access to Formulation mode. Do Corrections Selecting this option gives the account access to Correction mode. Evaluate and Store Primaries Selecting this option gives the account access to the Primary Evaluation mode. Change System Settings Selecting this option gives the account access to the main settings dialog box in each mode, otherwise, that option will be grayed out. In Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 10

11 addition, the Properties... option in the right-click menu of each view will also be unavailable without this permission. Setup or Modify Password Accounts Selecting this option gives the account access to the Account Management dialog box opened through the Manage command under the Account menu. Run the Instrument Selecting this option gives the account access to the instrument, including standardization and taking measurements. Change Database Path Selecting this option gives the account access to the Default System Settings dialog box accessed through the File menu (only available when there are no jobs open). Tools Access Selecting this option gives the account access to the options under the Tools menu. These include the SLI-Taper option (if purchased), e-submit, and the Blend Tool. Your system basics are up and running and ready for use. This concludes the Getting Started section. It is highly recommended that you now proceed to the Color icontrol Tutorial which will walk you through some of the basics of operating the software. Color icontrol Getting Started X-Rite 11