System and method for tinting using low-resolution spectrophotometer

A system for producing a custom-tinted coating formulation comprising:

• a color sensing device including a low resolution spectrophotometer capable of sensing color of a preexisting surface and generating low-resolution spectral data of the preexisting surface color,
• a color data translation engine,
• a tint formulation engine,
• and a tinter that includes an array of colorants and is capable of tinting a base coating composition by adding one or more colorants from an array of colorants in amounts dependent on color measurements from the color sensing device to match the color of the preexisting surface.