Why does the color of the actual product look different from the color shown on the website or in the catalog?

Over the years, we’ve greatly expanded the number of color options we sell. While this means more choices for our customers, it’s also presented some challenges when the color that arrives isn’t quite what a customer expected. In product descriptions, we represent colors with both names and images. We try to use straightforward names for our colors, and for many this works well (e.g., black, red, navy.) In other cases, especially within color families, the names can be more subjective (e.g., turquoise vs. teal vs. Caribbean). On a few occasions, we’ve missed the mark and have changed the name or even tweaked a product’s actual color. There have also been cases where the color of the components provided by our subcontractors drift a little over time as new lots are produced. In most cases though, a color discrepancy arises because a photograph, either in print or online, appears different across different media or to the individual who’s looking at it. The colors within a photograph can vary from the actual product as it moves from three dimensions to two. The color on printed pieces produced from that photograph (whether official ADC materials or dealer catalogs) may shift a little further based on variables like the type of paper. Product displayed on various electronic screens – phones, tablets and computer monitors – will all display color differently, sometimes dramatically so depending on the graphics card, drivers, and the type of backlighting and room lighting. And finally, no two people actually perceive color in exactly the same way and may have different ideas of what a particular color “should” look like. So what one person sees as a light turquoise, someone else might see as a powder blue. With all that said, we work very hard to ensure our products are displayed as accurately as possible so the color you see in the catalog or on the screen is as close as possible to the color you receive.