During the past years, several papers have been published that question the
use of the CIE colour-matching functions in the case of metameric samples.
Visually matching samples produced on CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors are
metameric to most colour stimuli created by illuminating reflecting materia
ls. As CRT monitors are often used in colour design applications, it seemed
important to check how well CIE colorimetry will predict such colour match
es. To investigate this problem, we set up an experiment in which painted s
amples were matched with samples produced on a CRT monitor.
The colour of incandescent lamp irradiated Munsell samples were visually ma
tched to the mixture of the RGB primaries of a CRT monitor. Both the reflec
ted colour stimuli of the Munsell samples and the emitted stimuli of the mo
nitor were measured spectroradiometrically.
Our results imply that there is an observer-dependent variability among the
matches, but we could not find a major difference between the tristimulus
data of the hard copy and soft copy presentations that would indicate error
s in the CIE colour-matching functions. The measurement accuracy, quantizat
ion errors of the monitor, and the achieved accuracy of the colour matches
are treated in this study. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.