Reading light for long autumn nights | Easy-to-read light and color rendering

Long autumn evenings are a time when you want to roll up your sleeves and enjoy reading. In such times, the lighting in your room can significantly affect readability.

While a "reading lamp" might conjure images of a light for your hands, the overall quality of light in a room actually plays a large role in how easy it is to read.

Readability isn't just about brightness

Sufficient brightness is certainly important. But just as important is that text and paper colors appear "natural." This is determined by color rendering (Ra).

What changes with a high Color Rendering Index (Ra)?

Color rendering is an index indicating how naturally colors appear under a given light. The closer it is to sunlight (Ra100), the more natural colors appear. A low color rendering index can make paper whites look dull or create less contrast. A high index makes text clearer and easier to read.

Ideal lighting conditions for reading

High color rendering: Above Ra90, text and paper colors tend to appear natural.
Bright white to daylight white: A crisp, bright light is suitable for reading and work.
Glare-free diffused light: Uniform light that doesn't reflect off pages and cause glare.

For how to read color temperature, please refer to What is Color Temperature?

In the case of lipro

The Sunlight Ceiling Light has a color rendering index of Ra97+ (providing a look close to natural sunlight). You can switch between a sharp, bright white to daylight white for reading, and a warm white for relaxing, using the remote control to adjust color temperature and brightness.

Summary | Readability = Brightness x Color Rendering

When considering a reading light, think about color rendering in addition to brightness. Light that makes text appear natural will make reading on long autumn evenings even more comfortable.