Across commercial and packaging printing facilities in Australia and internationally, a clear trend has emerged over the past several years: print operations are upgrading their press-side measurement instruments to the X-Rite eXact 2. Some are replacing older eXact models, others are replacing densitometers that served them for decades, and some are making the move from visual colour management to instrumental measurement for the first time. The reasons behind this trend are consistent: customer demands have escalated, colour specifications have become more precise, and the eXact 2 is the instrument that meets current professional requirements in a way that previous generations of instruments simply do not.
The single biggest driver of the upgrade trend is customer colour specification requirements. Major brand owners in food, beverage, consumer goods, and pharmaceutical packaging have tightened their colour tolerances significantly over the past decade. Where a ΔE of 5.0 or even 6.0 might have been acceptable ten years ago, many brand specifications today require ΔE2000 of 2.0 or below for critical brand colours. Meeting these tighter tolerances requires an instrument with the measurement precision to detect small colour deviations reliably - and the eXact 2 provides that precision, with inter-instrument agreement specifications that are significantly better than older densitometer-only instruments could achieve.
The second driver is ISO 13655 compliance. The current versions of major printing standards (including ISO 12647-2 for offset printing) specify M1 measurement condition - measurement under D50 illuminant with controlled UV content - as the standard measurement condition for colour verification. Older instruments that do not support M1 measurement cannot produce compliant measurement data for customers or auditors who require ISO 13655 M1 results. The eXact 2 supports all four ISO 13655 measurement conditions (M0, M1, M2, M3) as standard, ensuring that users are equipped for any current customer specification. Access to the eXact 2 range is available through Seaga Group.
What eXact 2 Offers Over Previous Generations
For print operations upgrading from the original eXact or eXact Plus, the eXact 2 offers improved inter-instrument agreement, updated Bluetooth connectivity, and a refreshed user interface with a higher-resolution touch display. Inter-instrument agreement - the ability of different instruments to produce consistent readings on the same sample - is particularly important for operations with multiple presses where quality decisions need to be consistent across all measurement points. The eXact 2's improved agreement specification means that measurements taken on press A can be directly compared to measurements taken on press B without adjustment for instrument differences.
The eXact 2's connectivity improvements simplify the workflow of transferring measurement data to quality management software. Wireless Bluetooth connection allows data to be transferred from the press-side instrument to a PC or tablet running Color iQC software without the need for cable connections or manual data entry. In busy press rooms where operators move between presses frequently, wireless connectivity eliminates a practical friction point in the measurement workflow.
For operations upgrading from dedicated densitometers, the step change is more significant. The eXact 2 measures density (providing the familiar density readings that experienced press operators rely on for process control) alongside full spectrophotometric colour measurement. This means that density-based press management workflows can continue unchanged while spectrophotometric colour verification - for brand colour compliance, ISO certification, or customer reporting - is added on top. The transition from densitometer to eXact 2 does not require abandoning existing process knowledge. It extends it.
Commercial Benefits of Upgrading
The commercial benefits of upgrading to eXact 2 extend beyond technical measurement capability. Print operations with eXact 2 instruments and documented colour management programs are in a stronger position to win and retain business from brand owners who specify measurement capability as part of their supplier qualification requirements. Being able to demonstrate ISO-compliant M1 measurement, provide Delta E compliance reports for every job, and show a calibrated measurement program puts a printer in a different category from competitors who still rely on visual colour approval.
For operations supplying brand owners who already have their own measurement programs - and who send their own instruments or representatives to verify colour at the supplier's facility - instrument-to-instrument agreement matters commercially. When a brand owner's eXact 2 agrees with the printer's eXact 2 on the same sample, colour approvals happen faster and disputes are rare. When instruments disagree, colour approval becomes a negotiation rather than an objective measurement - a frustrating and time-consuming situation that systematic instrument compatibility eliminates. The X-Rite trade-in program makes upgrading cost-effective by providing credit for older X-Rite instruments against new equipment purchases.
Conclusion
The trend of printers upgrading to the X-Rite eXact 2 reflects the reality of a print market where customer colour requirements have become more demanding, ISO measurement standards have been updated, and instrument measurement capability is a commercial differentiator as much as a quality tool. For Australian print operations looking to meet current colour quality benchmarks, strengthen their supplier qualification position, and reduce the time and cost of colour-related rework, upgrading to the eXact 2 is a straightforward investment with clear, measurable returns.