A lab dip is the trial colour sample exchanged to check whether the colour comes out as wanted. The reference and the submission are compared under the same conditions, and both sides record the same colour as approved.
Settle on one final colour reference
Choose the physical reference or colour standard to work from. If there are several, agree which one is final and write the same thing down on both sides. Never approve a final colour from a photograph or a screen alone.
Compare side by side under the same light
Compare the reference and the submission under the same light and in the same direction. Check that nothing other than colour has changed: surface grain, gloss, the backing fabric. To compare colour differences numerically, agree the measurement conditions and the tolerance first.
Keep the sample and the approval for every submission
- Record the material code, the colour name and which submission round it is.
- Mark clearly which is the reference sample and which is the approved one.
- Note approval or rejection, the date, and any change requested.
- Decide which standard production deliveries will be compared against.
Keep samples from different rounds apart. Record separately how far the approval covers colour, and whether thickness or other processing was approved too.
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