Dye changes take minutes to reach the reel and color readings arrive later still, so operators who over-correct end up swinging the shade back and forth. The phrase covers that loop, especially during grade changes and pulp swings. Online color sensors, small steady dye moves and stable wet-end chemistry shorten the chase.
We spent half the night chasing shade after they swapped the pulp lot, and the tint never settled.
Make one dye move and wait for the reel to show it; reacting to every reading is how a small swing becomes a lost shift.
Also heard as
- chasing color
Related terms
Shade
The exact color of a paper grade measured against its approved standard, for whites as well as tinted sheets.
Off shade
Describes paper whose color has drifted outside the tolerance of its approved standard.
Grade change
Switching a paper machine from one product to another while it keeps running.
Shading dye
Small dose of blue or violet dye used to cancel the yellow cast of a white sheet and steer its tint.