The color change during the ultrafast near-infrared sintering process of a nanoparticle silver ink has been correlated to its electrical performance through colorimetry using the CIELAB industry standard. Nanoparticle silver ink films, deposited over a flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrate, presented significant shifting in the a* and b* color coordinates during sintering, exhibiting the best conductivity with an a* coordinate of approximately 0 and a b* coordinate of approximately + 10. This color change has been associated with the Lorenz-Mie theory of electromagnetic scattering. This indirect measurement technique is potentially a breakthrough technology for fast in-line non-contact characterization of the drying and sintering process of nanoparticle conductive inks for use in large area roll-to-roll processing of printed electronics. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.