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Senshafuda Project - Ain't we got fun! (Part 1)

Posted by Dave Bull on June 17, 2011 [Permalink]

Jumping back and forth here - between my 'normal' work on the Mystique series, and the Mokuhankan activities. Time for an update on the Senshafuda project ... and it's not a happy one!

Some months back, when I was designing the packaging for this project, one of the main goals was to create something that would not only be interesting and attractive, it would be 'efficient'. By that, I mean that it would protect the prints properly, and yet still be inexpensive to ship. Those two requirements are in direct opposition of course, as protection involves sturdiness, which means weight.

I came up with the 'roll pack' (illustrated here), which seemed to fit both the requirements: it was nice and stiff, due to the overlap of the rolled segments (and a additional stiffener pasted in at the place where the prints are stored, and which is not shown in the photos on that page), and yet was light and small enough to be posted in a simple envelope, without requiring an expensive (and heavy) cardboard mailer.

Well, as I discovered the morning after mailing out the first batch of a few dozen of them, I had outsmarted myself. This photo arrived in my email from a person here in Japan (in nearby Chiba Prefecture), who had just received the package, and had some bad news for me.

Ouch!

I was quite shocked at this, for a couple of reasons. First was that with well more than 20 years experience of shipping prints within Japan, I have never - and that is no exaggeration - seen anything like this. The post office here is an astonishingly efficient organization (at least as far as the movement of goods goes; I have nothing to say about their financial structure ...) Damage like this - to a simple envelope - is simply unheard of.

So I initially thought that perhaps this was something to do with the customer's children, or some other such cause, but in any case, I made no complaint. I apologized for the problem, and sent off another package immediately. And for this one, to guarantee that there was absolutely no chance of creasing, I sandwiched the senshafuda pack in between firm mat boards before slipping it into the envelope.

He wrote again the next day. He had received the second shipment ...

... also damaged, in exactly the same way. Clearly, something was going on here.

It didn't take me long to figure out. The 'roll-up' package is actually like a tube - flattened, but still a tube. And like any tube, it has absolutely no flexibility. The very stiffness that I had worked hard to create turns out to be the Achilles Heel, and the slightest stress or flex on the envelope causes the roll to instantly buckle in the middle, completely destroying it.

It gets better. :-(

As soon as I realized what had happened, I fired off an email to all the other purchasers, including those overseas. I let them know what I had discovered, and told them that they should expect a problem when they opened the envelope, of course adding that I would make this right as soon as I could.

The emails then started to roll in. Surprisingly, some of the people reported no damage at all. Others described the folding problem that I had seen in the first example. But a couple of people let me know about something else ... a major problem with toner transfer:

Now this one also, I simply could not believe. Ever since I first started using a laser printer for the print packaging some years ago, I have been concerned about the quality of the printing, and have frequently tested the output for such things as smearing or transfer. I have taken sample sheets and folded, pressed, squeezed, banged, and pressed again, and have never been able to make any of them transfer.

But that photo shows that it is indeed happening, and other people reported the same thing.

I have absolutely no idea what is causing this. A close look at that photo seems to show that the transfer is in a kind of 'stripe' pattern, with a blank spot running up the length of the sheet. This would seem to indicate that the transfer is being caused by a roller - presumably in some kind of sorting machine in the post office. I have tried to roll something over a sample package - with a very strong force - but still cannot reproduce this problem here, no matter how much I abuse the printed sheets.

In any case, it is clear that I cannot continue to post the Senshafuda packages in envelopes; from now on they will have to be packed inside inflexible (and unrollable) cardboard mailers. I have raised the postage price (for future orders) from $1.50 to $3.50 to help recoup the costs of doing this.

As for the damaged packages in this first batch, I will of course replace them. As soon as the blocks get back from Tetsui-san, I will print up a number of the front labels, paste them onto fresh packages, and send them out to everybody whose shipment was affected by either the creasing or the toner transfer.

Tomorrow: Ain't we got fun ... Part 2! :-(

 

Discussion

 

Added by: Dave on June 17, 2011, 1:02 am

I realize now that there is something else I should have mentioned in that post - the reaction from the people whose packages were damaged.

Not one person complained, criticized, or said anything to suggest that they were even the slightest bit disappointed. On the contrary, many of them (you!) went out of their way to express that it was 'no problem', even though it clearly is!

Here are some excerpts:

  • I feel bad to cause a hassle for you. ... No need to replace the prints themselves but if you prefer to have the whole thing returned, no problem. Whichever is best for you.
  • ... sorry to cause any inconvenience, hope I did not cause you too much trouble.
  • ... the package will get wrinkled and creased very soon anyway, so I honestly do not think I need any replacement, but thank you for asking.
  • My folder was only lightly creased, and the prints are untouched. I'll clearly be fine after a date with a heavy book, so don't send me a new folder.
  • ... arrived with deep creases across the width of the package, indicating that the package had been bent quite a bit. Also, the ink from your new printer imprinted itself on the side where the plain paper folds against the printing, so we have a 'ghost' image of the printing on the back of the carrier. No complaints, Dave, just thought that you would like to know about this.
  • Mine did arrive with a few odd crumples on the wrap-around page, and there was a lot of ink transfer from the printed text sides to the blank sides. I'm amazed it could crumpled without getting folded but I guess that's the postal service for you. ... I don't need a replacement.

What's going on? Have I perhaps over the years built up a nice balance of 'good karma', or is it simply that my projects attract 'a better class of people'? :-)

In any case, I thank you all very much for your understanding, and for your patience while I get this taken care of!



Added by: Hannah on June 17, 2011, 11:48 pm

That must have been a frustrating experience. Maybe the post office is using a new sorting machine. One that is not as kind to the package being shipped.

Honestly $1.50 shipping is really cheap. I would be happy to pay up to $5 shipping and not feel overcharged at all.



 

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