Accuracy is no accident.

Dispensers are precision equipment designed to dispense tiny amounts of concentrated colorant into your bases to create a nearly unlimited range of colors for your customers. Companies that make colorants work to ensure that their colorant strengths are the same from batch to batch. This ensures that you have a perfect reproduction of color regardless of what batch the retailer is making paint in. The last link in the chain of accurate color reproduction is your dispenser. Many stores rarely replace or repair their dispensers. Often, dispensers are over a decade old (or older!) with little or no maintenance and almost never being tested for accuracy.

While dispensers are designed to give you years of worry free results, older units and dispensers that are not maintained can be costing you wasted colorant, mis-tinted paint and ultimately, customers. That is why we have developed an easy test to use to see if your dispenser is delivering the accuracy that your colorants deserve!

Supplies needed:

  • 12 - 16 Small clear graduated containers with at least 1 ounce markings If you cannot find any that meet this requirement there are some on amazon that work great!
  • 1 note pad and a pen or pencil for recording your findings
  • About 15 to 20 minutes of your time
  • A desire to provide the best possible quality to your customers

You can get the cups here:


Graduated 2 Oz. Cups

8 Easy Steps to Accurate Color

  1. Place an empty container on the dispensing platform. (for best results, use a gallon can to bring the cup closer to the dispenser.)
  2. Move the plunger up and down to fill and flush the cylinder several times.
  3. Now set your gauges to the following:
    1. If your system uses 1/48 parts then dispense 8/48
    2. If your system uses 1/32 parts then dispense 6/32
  4. Once again, move the plunger up and down several times to recycle the colorant in the valve.
  5. Now set your gauges (on the same canister) to the following:
    1. If your system uses 1/48 parts then dispense 16/48
    2. If your system uses 1/32 parts then dispense 10/32
  6. Once again, move the plunger up and down several times to recycle the colorant in the valve.
  7. Now set your gauges (still on the same canister) to the following:
    1. If your system uses 1/48 parts then dispense 24/48
    2. If your system uses 1/32 parts then dispense 16/48
  8. Check to ensure that you now have 1 ounce in your container.
*Repeat steps 1-8 for each canister on your dispenser. *Be sure to use a new cup each time you change canisters.
*Note the variance for each canister in your note pad. *IMPORTANT! Pour the colorant back into the canister after testing each canister. Some colorants dry extremely fast.

IF your findings are off by more than a few tick marks on the cup, it may be time to service your machine or to think about a new solution for your dispensing needs. 

If your findings are right on, or very near the 1 ounce line on the cup your machine is ready to provide you with accurate and repeatable results! I hope that this test was easy to do and that you find your system is in peak condition. If you did not get the consistent results needed to ensure quality color, please contact us as soon as possible to find out what your options are for repair or replacement of your dispenser. Give us a call at (888) 884-4313 for more information!

Did you test your dispenser? If so let us know how the test went and your findings in the comments below.

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