Spectrophotometer
An instrument that measures the full spectral reflectance or emission of a sample, allowing both displays and printed materials to be profiled.
Measured in
nm
In depth
Because it records the whole spectrum rather than three filtered values, a spectrophotometer can profile any device and is unaffected by the metamerism that limits colorimeters. It is the instrument used to build custom paper profiles, which is why printers producing on unusual media invariably own one.
Examples in practice
Printing and measuring a target of 1,500 patches builds a custom profile for a fine-art rag paper the manufacturer never profiled.