A system for monitoring and controlling color decoration on a rotationally non-oriented cylindrical object comprising: a spectrophotometer or spectrometer; and, an image-based machine vision inspection system including at least one camera, an illumination system, a microprocessor or computer-based processor, and timing/triggering/control electronics, the image-based monitoring inspection system being configured to capture an image of a perimeter of a color printed cylindrical object in a field of view and to feed image data to the processor; wherein the spectrophotometer or spectrometer is configured to take a spot color reading within the field of view of which a camera of the image process monitoring system is capturing the image and to feed spot color data to the processor; and, wherein the processor is configured: with a-priori knowledge of the coordinates of where the spot color spectrophotometer or spectrometer reading is located within the camera's field of view, to use at least one image logic algorithm to determine an exact positional orientation of the color decoration on the cylindrical object as imaged in the field of view, to use logic to determine if the spectrophotometer's or spectrometer's spot color data is from a desired location within the image, to use logic or rules to determine whether the spot color data is useable in comparison to the actual orientation of the sample captured image data, and to output high precision color data based on the image data, the spot color data, and the determinations for at least one of monitoring a manufacturing process and correcting the manufacturing process. a spectrophotometer or spectrometer; and, an image-based machine vision inspection system including at least one camera, an illumination system, a microprocessor or computer-based processor, and timing/triggering/control electronics, the image-based monitoring inspection system being configured to capture an image of a perimeter of a color printed cylindrical object in a field of view and to feed image data to the processor; wherein the spectrophotometer or spectrometer is configured to take a spot color reading within the field of view of which a camera of the image process monitoring system is capturing the image and to feed spot color data to the processor; and, wherein the processor is configured: with a-priori knowledge of the coordinates of where the spot color spectrophotometer or spectrometer reading is located within the camera's field of view, to use at least one image logic algorithm to determine an exact positional orientation of the color decoration on the cylindrical object as imaged in the field of view, to use logic to determine if the spectrophotometer's or spectrometer's spot color data is from a desired location within the image, to use logic or rules to determine whether the spot color data is useable in comparison to the actual orientation of the sample captured image data, and to output high precision color data based on the image data, the spot color data, and the determinations for at least one of monitoring a manufacturing process and correcting the manufacturing process. with a-priori knowledge of the coordinates of where the spot color spectrophotometer or spectrometer reading is located within the camera's field of view, to use at least one image logic algorithm to determine an exact positional orientation of the color decoration on the cylindrical object as imaged in the field of view, to use logic to determine if the spectrophotometer's or spectrometer's spot color data is from a desired location within the image, to use logic or rules to determine whether the spot color data is useable in comparison to the actual orientation of the sample captured image data, and to output high precision color data based on the image data, the spot color data, and the determinations for at least one of monitoring a manufacturing process and correcting the manufacturing process. <EOS>