Datacolor’s ColorReader in use at “Malerbetrieb Vogt” – Professional painters from Fulda/Germany

What is your company’s, and hence your work’s, main focus?

We specialize in classic facade renovations, using both a mineral system and high-quality interior painting work. We develop our own color palettes for our customers.

How long have you used Datacolor’s ColorReader and how did you become aware of it?

In the spring of 2020, I received an offer for a colorimeter (not the ColorReader). While I was very interested in such a device, the high cost of such an item was prohibitive. A little later, in the course of my membership in the National Painters Team, I learned about Datacolor and their recently-launched ColorReader product. After testing the device, I was completely sold on it, since it offers great functionality at a reasonable price.

What are the advantages of using ColorReader in your daily work?

ColorReader is a very portable device and therefore, very convenient to transport between the I personally consider the price/performance ratio to be very reasonable. office, construction sites and car. The calibration itself is technically easy to do and takes only a few seconds. The app features are ingenious! I can email measured color results in an instant to the office or directly to the customer.

Has the investment in ColorReader already paid off for you?

Yes. In my opinion, even when using ColorReader only sporadically, it has already paid for itself. The benefit is very high compared to its low price.

Can you describe a project or your daily work routine in which you use ColorReader?

I mainly use my ColorReader when doing color consulting for facade renovations. Sometimes the existing color of a base needs to be determined, other times the customer wants to have a facade color of a regional building adopted in the project. In interior design, I use ColorReader to measure the color tones of existing furnishings, such as pillows, curtains or furniture surfaces, in order to determine wall colors.

How do customers react to the ColorReader?

The other day, one of my customers literally froze and happily said that he was amazed that technology was already being used extensively by we craftsmen in a very practical way 😊.

Which features of ColorReader do you usually use?

I mainly use it to determine the colors according to NCS and RAL. It is also very useful to be able to save your own project-related color palettes in the app.

The function showing color contrasts is especially helpful. Once a color is specified, complementary colors, analog colors, monochrome colors and also the triple scheme are displayed. This helps me to immediately expand my options during the consultation with the customer. Simply ingenious 😊.

Which function of the ColorReader are you particularly fond of?

After the measurement of a specific color, the app displays several colors that are closest to the measured value. Usually, one of the tones is a RAL color. This is great and makes my life extremely easy, because RAL colors are often preferred in our projects.

Can you tell us another area of application outside of your work that spontaneously comes to mind?

I was on the way to my car in a parking garage and a particularly beautiful color of another car caught my eye. I grabbed my ColorReader and quickly measured its color, but don’t tell anyone 😉.

What improvements would you like to see on the product?

Besides the USB cable, a power plug would be useful. You currently either need a laptop, a USB port in the car or you use an existing plug of an iphone charging cable. I would also love to see a heavy-duty hardcover sleeve.

Johannes Vogt is CEO of a family-owned company that has been in business for more than 50 years. He is a Master Painter and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business and economics. He is also part of the German National Team of Painters.