Color Revamp - excitement or regret
Pretty new colors are coming your way! Excitement or regret?
I have been with Stampin' Up! as a customer for nearly 20 years and as a demonstrator for the last 14 years! This isn't the first color change or the first time they have changed their ink pads.
I remember when they got rid of my two all time favorite colors Rocket Red and Yo Yo Yellow. I was upset! "No color will ever take their place." Well, I honestly can't remember what the difference is between Rocket Red and Real Red or Yo Yo Yellow and Daffodil Delight. The new colors find their way into my heart.
I hated the "new" ink pads when they first switched them from the flip up lids to the slide & flip over lids that we have now. I couldn't figure them out. I thought they were hard to open!
Once I played with them some more, I was happy. No more storing my ink pads upside down. The "new" pads took care of it for me. Next they switched from the felt surface to the spongy surface we have now. I still have some of my pads with the felt surface instead of the new spongy surface.
What does all this mean? Change happens.
I know Stampin' Up! doesn't take color changes lightly and they aren't making these changes to force customers or demonstrators to spend more money.
It is an expensive process for them to change their product lines. They only make changes when they feel they are improving their product offering.
When things are new. They take getting used to. I am not gonna lie. I have a little trouble with the new ink pads. I get ink on the back of my fingers when I try to slide the pad into the open position.
It flips open nicely and I like the "sleeker" design. There is less plastic around the ink, but the pad is the same size. Also, the new ink pads are a little "sticky" when trying to slide.
Here is a great video that gives you some tips on the new pads.
My suggestion is to pick up the product of retiring colors that you absoutely love and "can't" live without. Otherwise add a new color or two a little at a time. No need to change all the ink pads right away. I'm not going to change all mine at once. The O.C.D. in me will have to relax on this one. I love the new colors already and am excited to be ab
Here is the official scoop from Stampin' Up! about the new cases and changes to the ink.
As you may have noticed, we’ve improved our ink pad cases and ink formula! The redesigned case and formula turned out exactly as we hoped. With change, there are often questions, and we wanted to provide you with information and talking points to aid you in talking to your customers about these changes.
Why did we change the case?
The case’s manufacturing mold was about to expire. We can only use a mold a limited number of times before we need to replace it, so we had to decide if we wanted to order more of the same molds or try to improve the design. We chose to improve it!
We wanted to align the updated case with the color refresh and improvements to our ink. In addition, we chose to time these changes with Stampin’ Up!’s rebranding and packaging updates. This way, when you invest in the new colors, you are also getting the new and improved ink pads at the same time! We wanted to make these updates and changes in a way that was most cost efficient for you.
What’s better about the case?
Using research, focus group feedback, comments in the Product Sandbox, and the L2L program, we discovered a few things that could improve the design of the Classic Stampin’ Pad case.
We wanted the new case to:
- Be less confusing to open. Opening the new ink pad case is now more simple and intuitive—just insert your thumb in the lip at the front of the case and lift it to open.
- Have a tighter fit between the lid and the base. With the new design, the lid doesn’t accidentally become disconnected, which was a common problem with the old case style. With use, the lid will be easier to slide open and close.
- Be stackable. The ability to stack the cases makes them easier to store and transport. We designed a nub in each bottom corner that fits nicely into the dimple on the top of another case. Tip: Removing the label stickers from the bottom of the case (after applying the needed labels to the case) also makes the ink pads stack a little better.
- Include improved labels and stickers. Here are a few of the ways we’ve done that:
- The top label now has a cleaner, bolder design and a larger color swatch, making it easier to see the ink’s color.
- The stickers include a new In Color icon.
- We’ve continued to provide color stickers that can be placed on the end of each case to easily identify the ink’s color at a glance.
- We’re introducing a new color sticker you can place on the inside of the case, so you can easily distinguish the ink’s color when the case is open.
How is the ink different?
We improved our ink formula because we noticed that our old ink would sometimes bubble, especially on new pads and with lighter colors. When this happened, the ink wasn’t as even and smooth when stamped as we’d like to see it.
The improved ink formula will:
- Reduce ink bubbles.
- Help you get a smooth coating of ink on the stamp.
- Help lay down the ink better.
How do I know if my Classic Ink Refill has the new and improved ink?
Beginning with the 2018–2019 Annual Catalog, all ink refills will have the improved ink formula. Also, if you or a customer recently received an ink refill and it has the new branding label, it contains the improved ink formula.
Can I use an old ink refill on a new ink pad or a new ink refill on an old ink pad?
Yes! You absolutely can with the exception of the Basic Gray Archival and Basic Gray Classic Stampin’ inks. Archival and Classic inks should not be mixed. All other Classic Stampin’ inks will work fine.
Where is the archival ink?
Archival ink will no longer be part of our ink offering. Basic Gray will now be part of the Classic Stampin’ ink family. Please note that you cannot use an archival ink refill on the new Basic Gray Classic Stampin’ Pad, as this will ruin the new ink pad. Only use Classic Stampin’ ink refills on Classic Stampin’ pads. Your best options for black ink pads are the Tuxedo Black Memento Pad, to use with Blends and general black stamping needs, and the Jet Black StāzOn Pad, to use for watercolor and nonporous surface stamping. Both will be part of our ink offering. We are confident that both the Memento and StāzOn pads are high-quality inks that perform to our customers’ needs.
Will the pricing change with the update to the ink pad cases?
Yes, there will be a price increase with the updated Classic Stampin’ Pads. For example, US pricing was $6.50 USD and now will be $7.50 USD.
Will the updated Classic Stampin’ Pad case fit in the Color Caddy?
Yes, it will fit into the Color Caddy–just not as tightly as the previous ink pad style. If you’ve stored the updated pads in your caddy, you’ll want to be careful when rotating the caddy and not turn it too fast. We are working on a new storage solution for the updated Classic Stampin’ Pad case and do not yet have a launch date.
Can I sell old style ink pads online?
Even though the ink pad style has been reconfigured, it is still considered a current product. This means that the old style ink pads cannot be sold online (for example, on eBay) unless the color is retired.
Do new ink pads mean different packaging when ordered in collections/assortments?
Yes. Ink pads and refills sold as color collections or assortments will have new packaging.
- The ink pad color collections will have a chipboard backer, shrink wrapped.
- The ink refill color collections will come in a long narrow chipboard tray, shrink wrapped.
