2 replies to this topic

[kavabanga]

This is my first post, so bare with me if this was already answered.
Can any of you give me a color spec for a RED LIGHT READABLE MAP. I know that it is a red-brown color but I would need exact CMYK values from a reliable and official source (if possible).

[Dennis McClendon]

I did a little checking without turning up anything. U.S. Army specification MIL-STD-2410(DMA) contains some interesting symbols but I found nothing about color formulas. Apparently the Defense Mapping Agency specifies colors using a publication called the Standard Printing Color Catalog, which gives five-digit numbers for specific colors (red-brown is 61121). Apparently the colors are specified using CIE notation. The manual can be ordered from DMA but doesn't appear to be online.

Then I began thinking about the problem. I don't think CMYK would work, because the red light would wash out the magenta or the cyan or whatever dots, and they would not contribute to the perception of the right color.

So I think the reddish-brown probably has to be an actual pigmented ink.

[David T]

I did a little checking without turning up anything. U.S. Army specification MIL-STD-2410(DMA) contains some interesting symbols but I found nothing about color formulas. Apparently the Defense Mapping Agency specifies colors using a publication called the Standard Printing Color Catalog, which gives five-digit numbers for specific colors (red-brown is 61121). Apparently the colors are specified using CIE notation. The manual can be ordered from DMA but doesn't appear to be online.

Then I began thinking about the problem. I don't think CMYK would work, because the red light would wash out the magenta or the cyan or whatever dots, and they would not contribute to the perception of the right color.

So I think the reddish-brown probably has to be an actual pigmented ink.

I'm working with the National Geosptaial-Information Agency (NGA) (formally Defense Mapping Agency/DMA) on an update to the Marine Corps Military Installation Map. The MIMs are Red Light Readable.

I'm not exactly how they print it to be red light readable, but I do believe it is CMYK printed.

Do a search on the web for STD-2410 (the one mentioned above), and you should be able to find the specification document. Additionally, I believe you can find an ArcGIS style on ESRI's website for 2410 that will have all the values preloaded.