What Mixmasters Inc. does

MixMasters, Inc. is a privately held software company headquartered in Lynn, Massachusetts, that pioneered the first ink-formulation and ink-recycling software for commercial printing in 1989. The company develops and sells the MixMaster product line, which targets offset and flexographic printers and in-plant printing operations with tools for ink mixing, batch production, ink recycling, inventory management with lot-number traceability, formula cataloging across multiple ink lines, and over 30 customizable reports. The software incorporates licensed Pantone spot-color content from five official product guides and supports optional cloud services for backup, multi-location formula and inventory sharing, and centralized administrative oversight of in-plant operations.

The product portfolio is structured in two tiers: the flagship MixMaster system priced at $66.25/month on a 12-month license (or $86.25/month on a 6-month license) addresses established ink-room operations with advanced recycling, estimating, and inventory capabilities, while MixMaster Jr at $29/month on a 12-month license provides an entry-level formulation tool for small print shops handling basic color mixing and batch creation. An optional MixMaster Cloud Service add-on is priced at $9.99/month for backup and sharing, with a separate $49/month admin utilities tier for multi-site oversight. MixMasters distributes its software through a product-led growth motion with a self-serve 30-day free trial downloadable from its website, supported by a YouTube channel containing more than 70 tutorial videos and email-based sales contact for larger accounts. The customer base spans named ink manufacturers and commercial printers including Sun Chemical, Flint Group, RR Donnelley, LSC Communications, Hubergroup, Taylor Communications, Central Ink, Wikoff Color, Zeller-Gmelin, GE Richards, Grand Rapids Printing Ink, and Pertech, alongside a long tail of small print shops acquired through the trial funnel.

Name

Mixmasters Inc.

Legal name

MixMasters, Inc.

Website

https://mixmasters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MixMasters Inc. provides subscription-based ink formulation, recycling, and production management software for offset and flexographic printing operations. Its MixMaster and MixMaster Jr products serve commercial printers, in-plant operations, and ink manufacturers with Pantone-licensed color matching and inventory tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lynn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (MixMaster Jr and MixMaster): Annual and multi-year subscription licenses for ink formulation software. MixMaster Jr is sold as a 12-month license at $29/month, while MixMaster offers 6-month ($86) and 12-month ($66.25) license options. Active subscription includes technical support and upgrades.
2. Cloud Services (Optional Add-on): Optional cloud services subscription providing backup and restore datafile functionality, formula sharing, inventory management across locations, job design sharing, report uploads, and admin utilities. Priced at $9.99/month for basic cloud services and $49 for admin utilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mixmasters Inc. develops and sells ink formulation and production software for commercial offset and flexographic printing operations. The software enables printers to formulate, mix, and recycle inks, match Pantone-licensed spot colors, track inventory with lot numbers, manage formula databases, run batch and job tracking, and produce customizable reports. The portfolio includes a flagship MixMaster system, an entry-level MixMaster Jr for small print shops, and an optional MixMaster Cloud Service add-on for backup, formula sharing, and multi-location administration.

Product overview

Mixmasters Inc. offers a two-tier software portfolio centered on ink formulation and production management for commercial printing. MixMaster serves as the flagship platform providing comprehensive tools for ink mixing, batch production, recycling, inventory tracking, and Pantone-licensed spot-color matching. MixMaster Jr provides an accessible entry point for smaller operations requiring basic formulation capabilities. MixMaster Cloud Service is an optional add-on enabling backup, restore, and multi-location collaboration features. The company has served the printing industry since 1989 with products targeting offset and flexographic printers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MixMaster: Flagship ink formulation and production system with advanced tools for running any ink room or in-plant operation, supporting advanced ink mixing, batch production, ink recycling, inventory management, and Pantone-licensed spot-color matching.
• MixMaster Jr
• MixMaster Cloud Service

Products and services

• MixMaster Flagship ink formulation and production system for offset and flexographic printers, providing Pantone-licensed spot-color matching, ink recycling tools, advanced ink estimating, inventory management with lot-number tracking, formula cataloging across multiple ink lines, batch and job-number recording, more than 30 customizable reports, and print-ready labels and barcodes. Targets mid-to-large commercial printers and in-plant printing operations.
• MixMaster Jr Entry-level ink formulation tool for small print shops, providing Pantone-licensed color matching from five official product guides, on-screen Pantone swatch display, ink waste reduction through reformulation and recycling, customizable ink estimator for paste and flexo inks, and basic batch creation for day-to-day ink production tasks.
• MixMaster Cloud Service Optional cloud services add-on for active MixMaster subscribers, providing backup and restore of datafiles, formula and inventory sharing across locations, job design sharing, report uploads to the cloud, and special admin utilities for overseeing in-plant operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transforms leftover ink into new usable colors instead of low-value black, eliminating the industry standard practice of wasting expensive ink material

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cerm: Cerm provides ink formulation and management software for the printing ink industry, directly competing with MixMaster's core ink-room workflow functionality across formulation, batch production, and inventory.

Emerging players

• Techkon: Techkon specializes in color measurement and ink formulation software for the printing industry, addressing similar spot-color and ink-room workflows as MixMaster for offset and flexographic printers.
• Datacolor: Datacolor provides color management software and spectrophotometers used in industrial color formulation, including inks. It competes with MixMaster in color-matching workflows, particularly in ink and coatings applications.

Broad incumbents

• EFI (Electronics For Imaging): EFI delivers print workflow, MIS, and color management software for commercial and packaging printers. Its broader print-business suite competes with MixMaster at the workflow layer for in-plant and commercial printing customers.
• Kodak (Print Systems): Kodak offers offset printing plates and workflow software for commercial printers. Its workflow and color management capabilities overlap with MixMaster in serving offset printing in-plant operations.
• X-Rite (Pantone): X-Rite owns Pantone and offers color management hardware and software, including formulation workflows. It is also MixMaster's content licensor, making it both a partner and a potential competitor in color-matching and ink formulation.
• Esko (Danaher): Esko provides prepress, color management, and workflow software for packaging and commercial printers. Its color and workflow tools overlap with MixMaster's spot-color and ink-room management offerings in the same end markets.
• Konica Minolta (Digital Print): Konica Minolta offers commercial and industrial print production technology along with associated workflow and color management software, addressing the same commercial printing customers as MixMaster.
• Heidelberger Druckmaschinen: Heidelberg supplies offset press technology and accompanying workflow software for commercial printers. Its Prinect workflow stack overlaps with MixMaster's ink-room and production management use cases for offset printers.

Others

• Sun Chemical: Sun Chemical is one of the world's largest printing ink manufacturers and an existing MixMaster customer. While primarily an ink supplier rather than a software competitor, its industry footprint makes it a comparable ecosystem participant in ink-room workflows.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mmsoftcontact/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mix-masters-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mixmasters Inc.