Manufacturing - Distributing - Product Sourcing

Color rendering describes how a light source makes the color of an object appear to our eyes, and how well subtle variations in color shades are revealed. A lamp’s color rendering ability is measured on the Color Rendering Index (CRI) scale from 0 to 100 (with 100 representing the index given to natural sunlight). The higher the CRI rating, the better the lamp’s color rendering ability.

CRI ratings are developed via a computer analysis. First, a lamp with a given color temperature lights eight standard color samples, which is compared to a blackbody radiator at the same temperature. If the samples show no color shift between the two, the CRI rating is 100. If there are changes, a lower rating is given based on the degree of color shift.

Note that a CRI rating above 90 will eliminate variations in the true color of the samples.

The CRI level of fluorescent lamps readily available today are categorized as follows:

Acceptable: 60 – 70 CRI =	Cool White
Good: 70 – 80 CRI
Better: 80 – 89 CRI

In design, high CRI lamps are crucial for color critical applications where color rendering and matching is important.

Color rendering is sometimes confused with color temperature. First it must be understood that color rendering is a comparative tool between lamps with the same color temperature as a base. If a lamp is chosen with a cool color temperature, for example, we can affect richer blues and greens in an environment. However, if a Full Spectrum lamp that includes a high CRI rating is chosen, we can positively effect color enhancing for the weaker colors, rescuing in a sense the reds, yellows, and oranges from distortion and darkening.

Shown below is a representative comparison of two types of fluorescent lamps. The one on the left is a commonly utilized "Cool White" lamp. This lamp provides the lowest level, rated merely as acceptable, Color Rendering Index (CRI) of around 70 and has a very low Scotopic/Photopic (S/P) Ratio. This lamp, as you can see, does not provide a balanced full spectrum of visible color which in turn distorts our natural perception of colors. This tends to increase eye strain which promotes fatigue resulting in reduced productivity and an increase in work related errors.

Conversely, Light Energy Source, Inc. lamps, like our Life-Lite offer a balanced "Full Spectrum" including high CRI ratings in excess of 90+, while incorporating impressive Scotopic/Photopic (S/P) Ratios. Incorporating high CRI values within our phosphor blends allow for a perfectly balanced color spectrum which results in true color matching which in turn resolves all the problems associated with lower quality light sources.

The specific phosphor blend utilized within any given lamp is what determines the lamps characteristics and subsequent CRI rating.

High CRI properties in conjunction with enhanced S/P Ratios are two of the main attributes of all phosphor blends utilized in lamps manufactured by Light Energy Source, Inc for general distribution.

"Cool White" Lamps	Light Energy Source, Inc.

Copyright © 2005 Light Energy Source, Inc.