Frequently Asked Questions

PPG DigiMatch  is a compact, fast, easy-to-use spectrophotometer that has a functional ergonomic design and can be used with one hand, while also boasting a revolutionary multi-angle digital color camera.

The device has 6 reflectance measurement angles and 6 camera imaging angles.

Dimensions and weight are: L: 170mm; W:75mm: H:100mm; weight 0.6 kg

PPG DigiMatch  has enhanced features to take readings on a curved surface. Users should measure the flattest part of the sample and hold the device steady.

The spectrophotometer needs to be calibrated every 30 days with the white tile and the camera target tile which are included with each device.

Users need to take 5 measurements.

The quality of the measurement is indicated with a 5-Star system:

• 5 Stars indicate an excellent measurement without variation between the measurements.
• 3-4 Stars indicate a good measurement.
• 0-2 Stars – it is highly recommended to remeasure.

This is a feature that allows users to either take manual measurements, where they need to press the button on the side of the spectrophotometer or tap the screen, or take automatic measurements, which the device triggers when all three sensors are aligned.

The Inspect Feature is a live camera view where users can preview the measurement zone to avoid areas that are scratched or damaged before taking a measurement.

Given the large storage capacity, users can store 160 jobs.

Measurement data can be transferred via USB cable or WiFi to PPG Color software.

Operating temperature recommendation is 50 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 to 35 degrees Celsius.

Between -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit or -20 to 50 degrees Celsius.

The docking station should be used to house the spectrophotometer to protect it from dust / debris and to prevent damage. It is also used to charge the device and transfer measurement data.

The device includes a Lithium-Ion battery. Users need to contact PPG customer service if a battery replacement is required.

The manufacturer warrants this product against defects in material and workmanship for a period of 12 months.

If the instrument experiences a drop, a calibration should be performed followed by a Health Check before any further measurements are taken.

If the Health Check shows the device is not working properly contact your PPG customer service.

Please see below:

PPG VisualizID  is an innovative digital color visualization tool that displays a 3D rendering of the repair along with the best match from PPG's color match library.

Increase match quality by using advanced rendering technology.

Save time by reducing the need for spray outs to support decision making.

Reduce inefficiencies with less room for human error and quicker matches.

Boost profitability with time and paint savings.

PPG VisualizID  is available on PAINTMANAGER^® XI application and will also be available on PPG LINQ^™ Color.

Users should have a camera-equipped PPG spectrophotometer such as PPG RAPIDMATCH XI or the new  PPG DigiMatch  device.

Standard computer:

• Intel Core i5
• Graphic card supporting the Open GL 4.0 Standard
• 4GB RAM
• 120 GB SSD hard disk

Standard internet connection:

• Wired or WiFi
• 10 Mbps

Operating system:

• From MS Windows^® 8

No additional hardware or software is needed. All users need is a valid  PPG VisualizID  subscription and a camera-equipped PPG spectrophotometer.

Paint systems available with  PPG VisualizID  are region dependant. Please contact your PPG representative for more information.

Flash - appearance of a color when viewed at a 15-25 degree angle.

Face – appearance of a color when viewed at a 45 degree angle.

Flop – appearance of a color when viewed at a 75-110 degree angle.

Effect pigments have different appearance, depending on the viewing angle. Because of the effect pigments in coatings, color will travel or change at these different viewing angles.

These features are there to simulate a real, physical environment.

Blend view: This shows a line in between the two colors being compared and replicates a panel gap on a car.

Edge view: This shows the two colors being compared directly next to each other without any gap.

Users can adjust the brightness, control the camera, object, and spotlight, and can zoom in.

Users can switch from a flat panel view to the curved panel and vice versa.

Users will be able to visualize prime, variants and specials in the available paint systems.

PPG LINQ Color is a web application, accessible from any connected device and optimized for mobile and tablet:

Standard computer:

• MS WINDOWS^® based (personal computers and TOUCHMIX^®) running Windows 7 or later
• Apple Inc. Mac based and Linux based personal computers

Common tablets:

• Android 10 or higher
• IOS 15 or higher

Common browser (latest version is recommended):

• Microsoft Edge
• Chrome
• Safari

Standard internet connection: 10 Mbps tested as minimal speed, higher is recommended for a faster response, and for sending and receiving information with spectrophotometers

No additional hardware or software is needed. All users need is a valid PPG VisualizID subscription and a camera-equipped PPG spectrophotometer.

In order to connect the spectrophotometer, you will need PPG MagicApp, which is a small software application that you can easily download and install on your PC, Kontron, or TouchMix computer.

You will use your standard hardware set-up (PC + scale and/or spectro and/or label printer). First, open PPG LINQ Color, download and install the software, which typically takes just a few minutes. It will start automatically and search for devices connected, making for an easy installation process. Then, you can simply start using it.

As this is a Microsoft Windows^™ program, you will need to have it installed on a PC and be sure to have the instruments installed with drivers. You need to then interact with the PC as it works in the traditional way by sending one ingredient at a time to the scale.

Once PPG MagicApp is downloaded, it automatically recognizes devices connected to the PC. Put the spectro back in the docking station or plug into the USB cable after the reading, and PPG MagicApp will recognize the spectro. It will automatically start downloading from the device and uploading to PPG LINQ Color. In approximately one minute, you will have the new reading present in PPG LINQ Color.

This is the same for PPG MagicBox - the reading will be automatically available, including data already collected.

This is dependent on regional availability.

For metallic colors, the OE code is important and needed. PPG LINQ Color will not run the 3D visualization if the OE code is missing for metallic colors and will show the classic list of results if not provided.

Solid colors will work with or without the OE code present.

PPG MagicBox is a small, smart, and innovative IoT digital device that can eliminate the need for specialized computers in the mixing room. Equipped with sensors that automatically detect the humidity and temperature, PPG MagicBox can be placed in the shop to recommend the right primers and clears to use for the relevant conditions - along with the correct ratio and combination.

It is affordable and easy to set up.

It is compatible with mixing room scales and spectrophotometers.

It has internal and remote sensors that can measure the temperature and humidity in an environment and suggest the correct products to be used in the current conditions.

Dimensions and weight are:

L: 150mm; W: 150mm; H: 50mm; weight 0.3 kg

PPG MagicBox is powered through a PPG MagicCable that can bring power and network to the device.

The device can be connected using either Ethernet connection or Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi connectivity can be configured using the PPG MagicBox dedicated application, “PPG MagicBox” app, available for both iOS and Android.

PPG MagicBox is compatible with:

• Scales: Sartorius PMA.Evolution and Mettler RPA455 families.
• Spectrophotometers: PPG DigiMatch^™, RapidMatch^® XI^* and RapidMatch^™ GO^* (^*not available at launch)

Label Printers: Dymo 450, Seiko 620, Brother QL-800.

Devices can be connected using the USB ports available. Devices are plug and play.

Spectrophotometers can also be connected with Wi-Fi.

The device can be registered to your PPG LINQ Color account in the settings section of the PPG LINQ Color website using the serial number.

PPG LINQ Color is an innovative cloud-based digital color software that delivers unprecedented improvements during the entire process of identifying the right color for a repair. It enables mixing through a variety of connected and wireless dispensing solutions.

IMMEDIATE RESULTS: Find your color match anytime, anywhere. You can access PPG LINQ Color from any Internet-capable device, as it is an optimized cloud-based solution.

DIRECT WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY: Clear up space in your mixing room with PPG LINQ Color. The system allows users to communicate with their spectrophotometers wirelessly, as well as connect to scales without the need for a PC via PPG MagicBox^™ - a small device that links directly to scales and receives formulas from PPG LINQ Color.

TIME SAVINGS: Save time with PPG LINQ Color's rapid search response, thanks to the power of cloud computing and PPG's proprietary algorithm.

LIVE INFORMATION: PPG LINQ Color's live update and backup system gets you the latest information. There’s no need for manual software updates with PPG's new formulas available right away, with the ability to save data, customer formulas and information to the cloud.

NO INSTALLATION or TRAINING required: as a web application, it avoids long and difficult software installations, and the need for training on how to have PPG colors ready to be used.

PPG LINQ Color is a web application, accessible from any connected device and optimized for mobile and tablet:

Standard computer:

• MS WINDOWS^® based (Personal Computers and TOUCHMIX^®) running Windows 7 or later
• Apple Inc. Mac based and Linux based Personal Computers

Common tablets and smartphones:

• Android 10 or higher

PPG LINQ Color has been designed to work with all the latest PPG distributed devices:

• Kontron and TouchMix computers
• Latest Sartorius scale (PMA Evolution) but also older models like PMA.7501(quality) and PMA.7500
• Latest Mettler scale (RPA455 and RPA345) but also older models like BPA252
• The new PPG DigiMatch^™ spectrophotometer, the RAPIDMATCH^® XI and GO (RapidMatch X-5 not supported)
• Label printers Dymo, Seiko and Brother with labels format already supported in PaintManager XI

No specific software is needed to install to run PPG LINQ Color. Just open it from the browser on your device (PC, Kontron, TouchMix, smartphone or tablet) and start your color search.

In order to connect devices, you can use two new, innovative devices:

• PPG MagicBox: a small, but powerful device, that communicates environmental conditions in mixing rooms, receives formulas, and sends spectrophotometer readings direct to PPG LINQ Color, or to send a formula to label printers.
• PPG MagicApp: a lightweight software app to manage device connections to your PC, Kontron or TouchMix computer.

For the initial distribution, please make a request to your PPG representative. A request form will later be available on PPG and PPG LINQ websites.

The process is then easy: PPG personnel will approve your request and you will automatically receive a Welcome email including: the link to your regional PPG LINQ Color site, instructions on how to create a password, billing information, and authentication code.

The use of functionalities depends on your subscription level.

The initial launch will focus on the following functionalities (dependent on your subscription level)

• Color search
• Ready For Use formulas
• Mixing with scales
• Spectrophotometer connection and color search workflow
• PPG VisualizID^™

Yes, PPG LINQ  Color works in a similar way as the PaintManager family software. All the PPG color formulas and ready for use information are available, and you can customize your access by enabling or disabling lines visible for the most focused results.

One main goal of PPG LINQ  Color is to reduce the installation complexity. Instruments need to be connected to communicate and use them, and with PPG LINQ Color that is easy.

• If using PPG MagicBox : this small device simply has two USB ports to plug in a scale, a spectrophotometer, or a label printer. Connect it to Internet and then "register" with its serial number in PPG LINQ Color. The connection with the box is done and the instruments connected to it will be automatically available to be used. This entire process can be done in few minutes. Please refer to the PPG MagicBox documentation for details.
• If using PPG MagicApp : this is a small application. You do not need to change your hardware structure (PC + scale and/or spectrophotometer and/or label printer connected). Open PPG LINQ Color, download and install the software (only 20MB) in a few minutes. It will start automatically and search for devices connected - without any specific installation process.

Yes. In PPG LINQ Color there is a filtering area also for variants. You can focus on the ones you are most interested in (i.e., Lighter than prime/N.1) and exclude the others.

And like the PaintManager software, you can compare up to 4 variants at a time to see the differences in the formulas and make your decision.

The compare feature can also run using PPG VisualizID, to see the visual difference between two variants.

PPG LINQ Color shows an indicator on the top bar:

• Green – all devices that are connected are ready to use,
• Red – at least one device is not connected, with the indication of which one has a problem.

There is a "Mix Later" button available. If searching for a formula and decide to mix later, it will be listed in the MixQueue.

MixQueue is accessible from the main menu by its dedicated button. The list of "pending" mixes is available and you can retrieve your formula and then start the mix by sending it to the scale.

Add the clear or the primer directly from the formula page or by selecting the Ready for Use button from the home screen. You can also define your favorite RFU formulas to find them faster in the future. If you have used the PaintManager software before, this is a similar process.

Yes, by using PPG MagicBox. This instrument includes an internal sensor to retrieve the rooms temperature and humidity.

PPG has also created MagicSensor, an additional sensor connected via Bluetooth to the PPG MagicBox that can be placed somewhere else in the bodyshop.

For example, the PPG MagicBox is in the mixing room, and the MagicSensor is placed in the spray booth. PPG MagicBox collects the temperature and humidity from the MagicSensor and continuously communicates this information to PPG LINQ Color.

You can download the reading with PPG MagicBox or PPG MagicApp.

With PPG MagicBox you can connect the spectrophotometer directly to PPG LINQ Color by USB cable or WiFi. It will automatically start downloading from the device and uploading to the PPG LINQ Color readings area.

Or, by using PPG MagicApp which automatically recognizes devices connected to the PC. Put the spectrophotometer back on the docking station or plug into the USB cable after the reading, or you can connect via WiFi. PPG MagicApp will recognize that the spectrophotometer has been reconnected and, similar to PPG MagicBox, automatically start downloading from the device and uploading to PPG LINQ Color. In approximately one minute, you will have the new reading shown in PPG LINQ Color.

Particularly for metallic colors, the OE code is important and highly recommended, due to effect pigments.

You will get the best search results by using it as a variant selector, within the same color code.

A maximum of 10 results are presented. They are ranked by Match Rating, a value that indicates the closeness to the target. The lower it is, the closer it is to the target. Plus, a texture indicator (EC) for the metallic colors.

Using the OE code, there is also a green/yellow indication: green -the match rating is already in a range of "blendable", while yellow – it is best to check.

Please refer to the "PPG LINQ Color + PPG VisualizID FAQ" for more specific information on search results with PPG VisualizID.