Method for automatic color matching of transparent wood stains

A method of producing a wood stain for a wood substrate, wherein the wood stain provides the wood substrate a color that matches the color of a target object, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a spectrophotometer;
• providing a plurality of different colorants, wherein none of the colorants are a white colorant or a black and white masstone;
• providing a vehicle for producing transparent or semitransparent wood stain;
• providing at least one database containing spectral data for the colorants as applied to a paper substrate;
• obtaining reflectance measurements of the target object using the spectrophotometer;
• performing calculations to determine the quantities of at least one group of the colorants required to produce a transparent or semitransparent wood stain from the vehicle, wherein when the transparent or semitransparent wood stain is applied to the paper substrate to provide a stained portion, the stained portion will have a color that matches the target object, and wherein the calculations are performed using the spectral data of the colorants and the reflectance measurements of the target object;
• producing the transparent or semitransparent wood stain from the vehicle and the at least one group of colorants;
• staining a portion of the paper substrate with the transparent or semitransparent wood stain;
• obtaining reflectance measurements of the stained portion of the paper substrate using the spectrophotometer;
• and determining whether the color of the stained portion of the paper substrate is within a certain color tolerance of the color of the target object, wherein the determination is made using the reflectance measurements of the target object and the reflectance measurements of the stained portion of the paper substrate.