In my last post, I mentioned that Stampin’ Up! is updating their ink pad design and doing a color revamp. While I am sad to see some colors leave the core collections, the new colors coming are awesome! This is the first time I have seen a color revamp as a demonstrator, so it was fun learning about all the changes coming. Read all about it below and get an early look at the new colors coming in June.
New Ink Pad Design
Let’s start with the updated ink pad design. Stampin’ Up! has been working on improving the ink pad case and wanted to align this change with the Color Revamp and improvements to the ink. Plus, all these changes flow right along with the whole Stampin’ Up! rebranding going on this year in celebration of their 30th Anniversary.
The new ink pad cases will:
- Be less confusing to open
- Have a tighter fit between the lid and the base
- Be stackable
- Include improved labels and stickers (larger color label on top, name sticker for the front, and a color sticker for inside the pad)
The new ink pads are a bit shorter compared to the current ink pads.
They are not quite as long, but just as wide, as the current pads. As you can see below, the color swatch takes up more space on the lid. The In Color ink pads will have a new “In Color” logo in the top right corner.
Inside the new pads, there is a spot to place the blank color sticker. This will help to keep track of what colors you have out so you don’t mix up the inks when stamping multiple images in different colors.
To go along with the case improvements, the ink has an improved formula. A defoamer is now added to the ink which will reduce ink bubbles, help get an even coating of ink on the stamp, and help the stamped image have a smoother, solid look.
Starting with the upcoming Annual Catalog, all ink refills will have the improved ink formula. If you have recently received an ink refill with the new branding label, it contains the new ink formula. The photo below shows the new labeling compared to the current labels (current ink refills on the left, new ink refills on the right)
For all the Classic Stampin’ inks, you can use the old ink refill on a new ink pad or a new ink refill on an old ink pad. The only exception is the Basic Gray Archival ink/pad and the upcoming Basic Gray Classic Stampin’ ink/pad (the Archival and Classic inks should not be mixed).
The Basic Black and Basic Gray Archival inks are retiring. Basic Gray will now be part of the Classic Stampin’ ink family. For black ink, the options we will carry are the Tuxedo Black Memento Pad (to use with Blends and general black stamping needs) and the Jet Black StazOn Pad (to use for watercolor and nonporous surface stamping).
Color Revamp
The last time Stampin’ Up! did a Color Revamp was in 2010 when many color changes took place. Then, in 2013, there was a Color Refresh, with only a few color changes made. One of the main reasons for having a Color Revamp is to stay current and on trend with our colors. Color trends are always changing, and cycling through different variations of color keeps our color palettes fresh. The plan is to update colors every three to five years.
There are still the four main color collections – Neutrals, Brights, Subtles, and Regals – each with 10 colors. A new color group has been added, called Basics, which includes Whisper White, Very Vanilla, and Basic Black. With all the color changes, some colors that are staying have jumped to a different color collection to maintain color balance in the collections.
The In Color program will remain the same, with a new set of five colors being introduced each year and staying for two years. Some past In Colors are returning as part of the core color collections.
The retiring colors consist of the five 2016-2018 In Colors and 13 of the core colors.
The new colors will include the five 2018-2020 In Colors, 10 brand new core colors, and 6 returning In Colors that will now be core colors.
There are 50 colors available in the current offering, but with these upcoming changes, we will have 53 colors to create with! The graphic below shows you what the new collections look like.
I am beyond excited to see all these new colors physically in front of me (and not just digitally on my screen). You can start ordering the new color products (paper, ink, markers) when the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog goes live on June 1st. If you sign up to be a demonstrator before then, you may be able to get your hands on these products sooner (depending on what is available for preorder in May for demonstrators only). If you have any questions about the color and ink changes or would like more information about being a demonstrator, please contact me.
Happy making!
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