The Critical Role of Light in the Perception of Color

By Shawn Oetjen

Three necessary components are required to see or measure color: a light source, an object and a receiver. Removing or altering any of these three items will significantly impact how our brains perceive color.

For example, it’s fairly obvious that if we look at two different objects such as a banana and an apple, the color we perceive will change from yellow to red. But, different receivers will also impact how we perceive color. The receiver could be the eye of someone with superior color vision, the eye of someone that is color blind, or a spectrophotometer. Because of these variables, it’s important for printers and their customers to be on the same page regarding the way light affects the perceived color of a printed sample.

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Shawn Oetjen Author's page

Shawn Oetjen is the flexo trainer at Flexographic Tech in Minneapolis, where he oversees the unique cooperative training program founded by AWT Labels & Packaging and Computype. He graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Graphic Communications and also holds two associate’s degrees; one in graphics and packaging and another in computer networking, both from Dunwoody College of Technology. Oetjen possess a wealth of knowledge and experience from working in various capacities within the flexographic industry including education, production, technical service and sales. He has a keen knowledge and understanding of the flexographic process from start to finish. Oetjen is actively involved with the Flexographic Technical Association and received the FTA’s president’s award in 2010. Shawn Oetjen is on the Executive Committee for the Flexographic Quality Consortium and is the president of the Twin Cities Flexo Association.