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Okay, here the deal. Last spring when the new colors came out, my demo sold me a package of three of each color. Last summer when the new catty came out, I ordered a package of regals assorted. Now I get a new order last week and I'd ordered a whole package of Always Artichoke. I just noticed tonight that my new paper is VERY different from my others. Then I discovered that the other two orders didn't match either. I now have three different colors of artichoke! Has anyone else noticed this with the artichoke paper? My new paper is much greener than the other orders were, in fact, I had to get out a sheet of garden green to make sure I didn't get the wrong paper. Has anyone else noticed had this problem? I like the old paper better!
__________________ Julie my gallery
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Phillippians 4:13
While slight variations in dye lot are to be expected and are perfectly normal (I'm a longtime crocheter and this happens all the time with yarn, too), significant differences are definitely a problem you should contact your demo about. I ordered a pack of Brocade Blue early last year, and then got Rich Regals CS in my starter kit last August, and the Brocade Blue in that assortment was so different that it didn't even look like the same color. I contacted SU! and explained it to them, and they had me send it back so they could examine it for compliance with their color standards. They sent me a replacement package, which was awesome because the pack I'd sent back to them was already missing a few sheets.
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
I've noticed that with other colors in the past. I used to always order the multipacks so I got a variety of colors. I made file folders for each color. As I started to separate a pack, I couldn't believe how different two colors - lets say rose romance- were. This was before the new colors, so that wasn't the problem. I mentioned it to my demo at the time, and she said that she thought they were still tweaking the colors. They were similar, but definitely not the same.
As a customer who really loves SU, I hope demos will give SU! management feedback that these variations are not acceptable. When a company claims
"Stampin� Up!�s exclusive colors of paper, markers, stamp pads and refills virtually eliminate the guesswork involved in coordinating stamping projects.",
they really need to make certain that different lots of the colors at least come awfully close to matching themselves.
They have problems with dye lots a lot...seems to come and go in spurts. In the five years I've been stamping, my paper has been exclusively SU, and sometimes when I get assorted packs, it is very hard to figure out which color the paper is.
Pretty in Pink is another color that doesn't stay the same...it used to be a very pretty light pink color and is now more peach/flesh colored than anything else...yuck!
If I have colors that are totally off, I usually give them to my 4 year old to use, because I don't want them. If they don't match the other paper and ink, why bother using them?
This has been an ongoing issue and SU hasn't really done much to stop or correct it...in my opinion, some of the colors of paper shouldn't have even left the factory, they were so off.
SU has always said their ink, markers, paper "coordinate" they have never said they would be an exact match. Some colors have "drifted" over time and SU took steps to correct that. As far as the changes from one dye lot to the next it really only makes a difference when you are using different dye lots on the same card. If I am doing a swap I always look at the state of the dye lots I have in a particular color. If I know I have a couple of different dye lots I pick the cardstock that has enough of one particular dyelot to complete the swap. If I don't have enough to do the whole swap I make sure I use the same dye lot of all the layers of one card. If it something like Christmas card - the recipients are not going to have two cards sitting right next to each other and say "oh the color is different from this one to that one." I'm the only one who sees the dyelot difference.
Dyelots are a fact of life whenever you are dealing with color. Yarn, paper, hair color, even paint from Home Depot.
We could probably go on & on about this (in fact, I think we have in the past ), but I completely understand the wording of coordinate vs perfect match. But I'm a stamper/ scrapper who saves my scraps. And I really don't want to have to worry about having to match my Artichoke tag made from a scrap with the right sheet of Artichoke paper, KWIM? I can accept a small dye lot deviation - completely understand the variability. And I can usually mask those differences. But for a company that touts its color system, I don't think it's in their best interest to release lots that vary so much customers have trouble figuring out which color they've received.
I assume they have a master color chip and would hope that incoming shipments would be compared to that chip. If there's a certain amount of variation from the standard they should ship it right back to the supplier. Having come from a computer manufacturing background, we would write our tolerances into our specs. If the supplier of that part didn't meet the standards they had to remake the lot at their cost. And we did this for color matching as well as measurements. I would expect SU to have the same processes & contracts with their suppliers.
I promise that this will be the last I say about this (today, anyway)
I don't think SU! is any different from any other company on the market. It would be virtually impossible to have each and every paper match exactly. Look at people that work with yarn, they always make sure that they buy the same die lot numbers...why, because the companys can't guarantee that the next lot will be exactly the same. Same with laminate flooring, fabrics and lots of other products. I have been scrapbooking for several years in that time I have bought TONS of paper and I have always noticed this with all my cardstock...especially Bazzill (which is a high end cardstock)
I certainly understand the frustration, being a demo that is cutting projects for several people to do at once...it is important that my papers match.
I also keep in mind that no matter what company it is you will have the same issue.
__________________
*Mandy* Heading to the Southern Caribbean!!
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I have noticed some of my soft subtles colors not matching from lot to lot but not so much that I didn't know which color I was receiving.
I come from a printing background and I can also attest to the fact that colors fade in time from just sitting in your cabinet, rack or wheverever you store your CS. And the cardstock chip "check system" would work in theory - but only for 6-8 months, and then that chip would be fading and not as bright/soft or whatever as the original paper coming off the press. How do you know when the chip is the "wrong" shade and the one coming off the press is correct? Basically, what I'm trying to convey is, it's next to impossible. As with any product, if you're not satisfied, just send it back to the company for a replacement - I'd assume they'd be happy to swap it out.
Always Artichoke - Always Changing???
