Streamline Custom Color Matching for Paint Manufacturers and Resellers

How to Streamline Custom Paint Color Matching

From small-scale paint manufacturers to large industrial players, the need to create and distribute custom paint colors accurately and efficiently has become a defining factor in staying competitive. X-Rite's innovative solution empowers paint manufacturers and retailers to craft custom colors, quickly respond to industry trends, transform their businesses, and reduce their carbon footprint.

Challenges

Paint manufacturers face several challenges when matching custom colors, including the inability to:

• Create exact color matches.
• Distribute color data to selling or reselling locations.
• Gain market share by offering unique color options at point of sale.

Solution

X-Rite’s comprehensive color matching solution empowers paint manufacturers to stay competitive in the marketplace by ensuring color data is readily available at all selling locations for consistent and accurate color matching. The solution consists of three key components:

1. Software and Instrumentation: At the manufacturer lab and reselling locations, specialized color measurement devices and color matching software to create custom colors with precision.
2. Data Preparation: In the lab, software to create and modify color data and determine precise recipes.
3. Data Distribution: A convenient way to distribute color data to widely dispersed reseller locations by connecting formulation and matching software systems.

Results

With an X-Rite custom color matching solution, paint manufacturers can:

• Create paint calibrations and formulate precise color recipes to digitally distribute to global paint resellers.
• Quickly and easily introduce new paint lines.
• Increase customer satisfaction.
• Offer a competitive edge.
• Optimize colorant loading.

How it Works

1. In the laboratory, paint manufacturers use X-Rite's Color iMatch formulation software along with a spectrophotometer, such as the Ci7800 benchtop, MetaVue VS3200 benchtop, or Ci64 handheld spectrophotometer to create and fine-tune color recipes for their products.
2. Paint manufacturers digitally distribute custom color data to selling locations around the world.
3. Paint retailers digitally receive this color data in their ColorDesigner PLUS software.
4. When a customer brings a sample to match, the retailer uses a paint color matching instrument like MetaVue, i1 Paint, or Ci62L+RTL and ColorDesigner PLUS software, which generates a custom color match formula.
5. The formula is sent directly to the paint dispenser to create the custom recipe.
6. When introducing new paint lines or variations, manufacturers prepare and distribute the necessary color data to their selling locations, ensuring they can offer custom color matching for these additional paint lines.

Featured Products

Color iMatch
Formulation and quality control software that enables paint manufacturers to create and distribute custom color formulations with better first match performance and fewer correction steps.

Ci7800
A benchtop spectrophotometer to measure color and appearance on a wide range of samples. It can be fitted with various accessories to measure textured materials, odd shapes, liquids, powders, and gels, and uses up to 3 UV filters to control optical brighteners.

ColorDesigner PLUS
This user-friendly and customizable software solution uses a high performing EFX color matching engine to formulate accurate color matches in less time with less waste and fewer corrections.

MetaVue Family
With aperture sizes ranging from 2mm to 12mm and hyperspectral imaging, the MetaVue family is flexible and accommodates a wide range of customer samples. MetaVue delivers unmatched versatility and color measurement accuracy for retail paint and coating applications.

Ci60 Series
Compact and lightweight, the Ci60 series of handheld sphere spectrophotometers are designed to ensure consistent color control in the paint laboratory and on the floor at the retailer.

i1 Paint
A cost-effective and easy-to-use handheld spectrophotometer to match common samples like fan deck cards or painted samples.

Conclusion

X-Rite's tailored solution enables paint manufacturers to efficiently create, distribute, and match custom colors to meet the demands of today's discerning customers. With X-Rite's color matching technology, paint manufacturers can offer a competitive edge to set themselves apart in the dynamic world of paint and coatings.