Today, I had a tough but important conversation with one of our longtime print trade partners. He was frustrated—honestly, devastated—after a recent order went sideways in a way none of us could have predicted. About a month ago, we produced a batch of premium gift boxes for him. His client had requested a very specific red faux leather for the cover material. The problem? This material is extremely rare, and after reaching out to multiple suppliers, only one had a small stock left. We used that for the sample, which the end client approved.
But since the sample used leftover inventory, our supplier had to custom order a new batch of the same faux leather from Korea for the actual production run. The result? The red tone was ever so slightly more vivid. And I do mean slightly. You’d need to put them side by side and squint to notice. But the client rejected the entire order—on that basis alone.
I was stunned. We’re talking about premium, handcrafted boxes that anyone off the street would say looked beautiful—because they are. This isn’t semiconductor manufacturing; this is custom print production. A subtle shift in hue is not only normal—it’s unavoidable when working with natural-feeling materials like leather, paper, or cloth. Time, light exposure, production batch—these all affect appearance in small ways.
To make things worse, the client refused to have any real discussion. No openness to explanation, no interest in compromise. Just flat-out rejection. My trade partner had to take all the boxes back. No payment, no second chance, just a pile of perfectly good product now sitting in storage. He lost a client, and I refunded him 50% of the cost—not because we were at fault, but because we value our relationship and wanted to help ease the financial burden.
Let me say this clearly to all our current and future customers:
In the print and packaging world, minor color variation is normal and accepted—so long as it doesn’t impact quality, function, or overall design. If you need machine-perfect precision, please make that clear upfront and prepare for the time, cost, and technical limitations involved. Otherwise, be fair. We’re professionals, not magicians.
And to the clients who expect pixel-perfect results on organic materials, I say this—try showing your rejected item to 10 people on the street and ask if they think there’s a problem. I bet you’ll get 10 confused looks and one or two compliments. We’re not blind, color-blind, or foolish. We know quality when we see it.
At Call2Print, we always stand behind our work. We’ll never walk away from a tough situation. But for clients who operate with zero tolerance, zero flexibility, and zero respect for craftsmanship—please take your business elsewhere. We’re here for long-term relationships, not one-sided transactions.