This tiny little gadget (just over 2 inches tall, to be exact) claims the title as the world’s first smart paint matching device. Forget about taking photos of a cafe wall you fell in love with and trying to match it with an untrained eye. Pico takes the guesswork out for you by instantly and precisely matching a colour, just by scanning it. The best part? When you find the colour of your dreams, we will mix up a custom colour unique to you.

To fire up Pico, firmly press the button until the indicator light appears. Within moments, Pico will automatically connect when the App is open and uses Bluetooth 4.0 (a far cry from old-school Bluetooth as it used to be). If you’ve mastered the above, the green Status Indicator Light will turn on.

To get scanning, grab Pico and hold it onto the surface you want to capture, press the button and wait for the indicator to stop flashing. This is where the magic happens – the colour swatch will appear on your screen. Too easy. If the colour feels right, just tap away to create an order for your custom colour and we’ll deliver it in no time.

To turn it off, hold the button down until the light disappears. If you leave Pico alone, eventually it will switch off.

Not all surfaces were created the same. While our little friend Pico works best on all flat, painted surfaces, there’s a small handful of surfaces where we can’t promise the same results.  Some of the surfaces to avoid include transparent objects like clear plastic or glass, loose fabrics, metallic surfaces, liquids or fluorescent surfaces. As for the surfaces that Pico loves, the list includes plastic, wood, paper, cardboard, concrete and plaster, matte or glossy painted surfaces, some fabrics (not wool), natural items like wood or bark, and powders including ground coffee – if that’s what you’re into. Want to know how to get the best results? Allow us to break it down:

Rough surfaces: For heavily textured concrete, it won’t hurt to take a few readings to ensure you get the closest match possible.

Textiles: Pico can capture most fabrics, but there are a few small hacks you should know. For cotton, if the fabric is super thin, try placing a piece of white cardboard behind it to assist with getting an accurate reading. For nylon, polyester or synthetics, it helps if you double the fabric to prevent light sneaking through the fabric. Lastly, wool and yarn are the most difficult textiles to read thanks to the amount of light that might leak through the strands. Be mindful of fabrics with blended threads or multiple colours in one area – as Pico works best when the patch is one solid colour.

Glossy or metallic surfaces: Pico will capture the underlying colour of the metallic or glossy surface, but if there is significant light reflected from the surface, the results may appear slightly lighter or darker depending on your proximity to the surface. It will still work, but be mindful that the results may appear slightly different.

Capturing objects in nature: Similar to fabric, your best bet is to place a piece of white card behind leaves or flowers as they tend to be translucent.

Pico can help with the smallest of small surfaces. Pico uses an electronic light source and detector – which is perfect to scan small surfaces and works best when there is no ambient light to interfere with the sensor port.

Don’t underestimate the power of Pico – the sample surface should be at least 2x7mm in size to capture an accurate scan. Pico can tell the difference between colours that are less than 1.0 dE apart – a skill that most regular humans wouldn’t be able to add to their resume. Ready to start scanning? Shop Pico here.