On the relations between color,gloss, and surface texture in injection‐molded plastics

The relation between color and gloss of injection‐molded plastic specimens was evaluated by means of a 45°/0° geometry spectrophotometer and a glossmeter. The specimens were plaques having one smooth, glossy field and one rougher, textured region made of two different polymeric materials (acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene and polypropylene) in a range of colors. A significant influence of the lightness L* of the specimens on the measured gloss of the textured field, with a low gloss appearance, was found. This can probably be attributed to a contribution from bulk scattering, which is linked to the reflectance from within the specimen. The influence of texture on the measured color of the plaques was assessed by evaluating the color difference between the smooth field and the more textured area on the specimens. When the surface was textured, the color changed; in general it became lighter and less saturated. The magnitude of the change depended on the color of the material. The darker the material was, the larger was the increase in lightness L* as the surface became rougher. The shift in chroma C* was determined not only by the saturation but also by the lightness of the specimens. Darker specimens exhibited a larger decrease in chroma when the surface was textured. The change in the measured color caused by increasing the surface roughness could be predicted in a satisfactory manner using a model developed for xerographic printing paper. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 34, 291–298, 2009