A data processing unit for ascertaining a color recipe and for the quality control of the produced color recipe, which, after application using a predetermined application method on a specified substrate results in a color product with a specified hue, wherein the data processing unit comprises means for performing the method for ascertaining the color recipe and for the quality control of the produced color recipe, which, after application using a specified application method on a specified substrate, results in a color product with a specified hue, the method comprising:
- a) providing a database in which a multiplicity of data sets are stored, wherein each of the data sets in each case comprises at least information about a color recipe, about a substrate, about an application process and about the hue of the color product resulting after the application of the color recipe using the application process on the substrate,
- b) specification by a user of a target application method, of a target substrate and of a desired target hue that results for the obtained color product after the application of a color recipe using the specified target application method on the specified target substrate,
- c) searching the database with a computer program to see whether it contains at least one data set whose color recipe, about which information is contained in the data set, after application using the target application method specified in step b) onto the target substrate specified in step b), results in color product with a hue which corresponds to the target hue specified in step b) or deviates from it at most by a specified tolerance, and
- d) if at least one suitable data set is found in step c), displaying the information about the color recipe stored in the at least one data set,
- wherein at least 80% of the data sets also include information about at least one reference hue, a reference application method and a reference substrate, wherein the reference hue is obtained when the color recipe about which information is contained in the data set is applied to the reference substrate specified in the data set using the reference application method, wherein the reference application method is different from the application method about which information is contained in the data set, and/or the reference substrate is different from the substrate about which information is contained in the data set, wherein
- i) the reference substrate is a standard paper as specified in the DIN ISO 2846-1:
- 2017, wherein the method further comprises e) manufacturing the color recipe and applying the so manufactured color recipe onto the standard paper using the reference application method and then comparing the hue of the reference color product manufactured in this way with the reference hue about which information is contained in the data set, or,
- ii) at least 80% of all datasets also include information about the spectral curve of the surface of a first production color product, which has been obtained by applying a part of a first production batch of the color recipe indicated in step d) onto a white coated paper, and recording a spectral curve between 400 and 700 nm of the surface thereof with a spectrophotometer, wherein the method further comprises coating the so manufactured color recipe onto the same white coated paper, recording from the surface of the so obtained color product a spectral curve between 400 and 700 nm with a spectrophotometer and comparing the so obtained spectral curve with the spectral curve being stored in the dataset,
- wherein the means for performing a method for ascertaining a color recipe and for the quality control of the produced color recipe comprise:
- a) a database wherein a plurality of data sets is stored in the database, wherein each of the data sets comprises at least information about a color recipe, about a substrate, about an application method and about the hue of the color product resulting after the application of the color recipe using the application process on the substrate, wherein at least 80% of the data sets also include information about at least one reference hue, one reference application method and one reference substrate, wherein the reference hue is obtained when the color recipe about which information is contained in the data set is applied to the reference substrate using the reference application method, wherein the reference application method is different from the application method about which information is contained in the data set, and/or the reference substrate is different from the substrate about which information is contained in the data set, wherein the reference substrate is a standard paper as specified in the DIN ISO 2846-1:
- 2017, and wherein the database comprises more than 100 data sets,
- b) a computer program which is programmed in such a way that it allows a user to enter a target application method, a target substrate and a desired target hue for the obtained color product resulting after the application of a color recipe with the specified target application method on the specified target substrate into the computer program,
- c) wherein the computer program is also programmed so that it can search the database in order to ascertain whether the database contains at least one data set whose color recipe, about which information is contained in the data set, after the application with the target application method specified in step b) on the target substrate specified in step b), results in a color product with a hue which corresponds to the target hue specified in step b) or deviates from it at most by a specified tolerance, and
- d) wherein the computer program is also programmed in such a way that, if at least one suitable data set is found in step c), it displays to the user the information about the color recipe stored in the at least one data set.