What is the purpose and benefits of tinting systems?

Learn all about how tinting works and what are the benefits of automated tinting systems compared to ready-to-use products.

On many markets, paint colors are tinted in the store by the retailer. Paint manufacturers invest plenty of their time and money in the development of tinting by automatic color-matching systems because they know how important a wide selection of colors is to the designers and consumers. Automated tinting translates into speed, efficiency and consistent quality in providing this selection.

Modern pigments provide high quality and long-lasting colors. With the help of color readers, spectrophotometers and software technology, modern tinting systems allow scanning a specific shade from any source, product-specific colorant combinations – some the use of self-made colorants. They take into account product lifecycles and safety and the availability of raw materials, for example. These systems keep all paint-related data in store, help optimize the price-quality ratio of paints and, for example, the freeze-thaw stability of colorants.

How tinting works

This is how the system works in practice: After the buyer has selected the product and the shade from a color card, the color formula’s bar code and product information are scanned into the system. Tinting software ensures that the color is exactly what the customer wants, which reduces error potential significantly. The retailer may also print out product information from the software and check which products are available in which colors.

A specific shade is produced based on the following components:

Base paint adjusted to the system
Colorants with accurate color strengths
Tinting formula verified in a laboratory
Tinting equipment i.e. a dispenser and a mixer
Software for color matching and process control

Tinting has multiple benefits

The main benefit of using tinting is consistency in terms of product selection, scope and volume, product quality and color accuracy. The manufacturer can also respond to the end customers’ trend requirements quicker.

The launching of new colors in the tinting system is considerably easier, faster and more economical compared to developing and marketing completely new seasonal products. Using a tinting system allows compliance with the latest VOC regulations, optimal color offering, and quick updates thanks to the system’s online connection.

Producing customized shades by tinting also has a direct impact on the ecological footprint of painting. The quantity of paint cans is optimized for the warehouses, and there are no leftover products to dispose or store. This improves material efficiency and decreases the amount of waste.

Tinting also allows a leaner, more straightforward logistics process from the manufacturer to the retailer with less transport. Retailers can shelf a wider range of base paints instead of predefined shades that may or may not sell. The paint production process can focus on white and clear base paints, which in turn reduces the amount of raw materials needed and improves the efficiency of production.

To conclude: think of automated tinting as the most economical, fastest and ecological way to produce the exact shade of color your customer wants!