trading card printing companies

[cmixer]

This might not be interesting to anyone else, but I was studying various printing plates. This is all speculation with no actual evidence.

As you may know, a trading card manufacturer does not usually own the printing presses. A company like Cryptozoic will have graphic designers create all the files, but they still outsource it to a printing company that can also do logistics like packaging. I imagine there are only a dozen companies in the world that have the scale to print 20,000 boxes.

BTW, the reason trading card manufacturers don't own their own printing presses is because the presses would only be used a small part of the year (they don't print cards 365 days a year to justify the cost). A company like Cryptozoic may only make three sets each calendar year, and a set only takes three days to print once the presses are rolling, so that's like 9 business days.

Because there may only be a dozen trading card printing facilities in the world, it would seem possible that multiple trading card manufacturers have used the same printer. Panini cards may be printed in the same building as Upper Deck cards.

So I was studying various printing plates. My guess is that graphic designers don't customize printing plates a whole lot. A trading card manufacturer simply orders "a batch of printing plates" and the printing facility delivers them based on their standard.

These are Cryptozoic print plates.
Yes, the sticker text changed, but the size of the sticker is the same. My guess is that both of these sets were printed in the same facility.



Topps uses smaller stickers.
My guess is that both of these sets were printed in the same facility; but a different facility that Cryptozoic uses.



Upper Deck uses small stickers with round corners.



Finding Unicorn uses small stickers with round corners.
I'm going to argue that Upper Deck & Finding Unicorn use the same printer.



Then again, I could be off my rocker.
This is just fun speculation.

[glorbgorb]

Not at all related, but I find it mildly amusing that Finding Unicorn has a hologram on the back, the same place that UD has their logo. And UD was the company that really marketed themselves as counterfeit-proof because of the holograms back in the late 90s.

[DynaEtch]

UD seems to go back and forth between printing in Canada and the US. You can also find UD marvel plate stickers with square corners (2024 MM ‘92 Platinum, 2016 MM etc). I thought maybe based on the above theory all of the US printed ones would be one type, and Canada another, but alas I found both rounded and square for US printed ones. Although that could still just be different printers in the US, or even just changing things over time.

Hard to tell. But I absolutely think you’re right that much of the actual printing is outsourced and the same printer can being doing cards for many different companies at once.

[finfangfan]

Another weird oddity … The KAIJU subset for the first Marvel Anime appears the entire plate for some of the colors was dyed. Look at the backs of the below red and yellow plates… instead of the normal metal color they are deep red and yellow. Blue is off too but doesn’t show off as well in scans.

[CicadaMound]

Printing plates are industrial equipment used to create collectibles, not primarily collectibles themselves. That means they'll have imperfections and remnants of the printing process - like, who cares if the back of a plate has ink stains? It ain't gonna get on the actual product. Who cares if you have to manhandle them when you're done with a run - you've got five more sets to get out that day.

2019 Plates & Patches 2019 Gold Standard Cyan #198 John Urusa

[finfangfan]

Some plates still manage to get CGC 10 even after all of the handling during production.

[Xazark]

The 2 images you have for UD in the OP are printed in different countries, one says USA, one says Italy. I guess its possible its the same printer but in different countries/facilities.

[dd316]

I wouldn't use the style of the stickers as a gauge of where the plates themselves are manufactured - the stickers could be applied at Topps, Cryptozoic, etc., after the plates are received in-house. Meaning the stickers could be printed who-knows-where?

And personally I prefer plates that have ink blobs and imperfections - that tells me they were actually used.

[cmixer]

Originally Posted by dd316

I wouldn't use the style of the stickers as a gauge of where the plates themselves are manufactured - the stickers could be applied at Topps, Cryptozoic, etc., after the plates are received in-house. Meaning the stickers could be printed who-knows-where?

And personally I prefer plates that have ink blobs and imperfections - that tells me they were actually used.

True ... but I know at least one company has the printer as the final stage. Cards were packed and boxed at the printer.

[cmixer]

Originally Posted by Xazark

The 2 images you have for UD in the OP are printed in different countries, one says USA, one says Italy. I guess its possible its the same printer but in different countries/facilities.

Good catch! That's wild.

[BobCollects]

Aren't there also printers in Mexico? I have a vague recollection of reading about UD or Topps or Panini shifting some card printing to Mexico during the pandemic.

[finfangfan]

Originally Posted by BobCollects

Aren't there also printers in Mexico? I have a vague recollection of reading about UD or Topps or Panini shifting some card printing to Mexico during the pandemic.

I googled it and among the recent Topps sets printed in Mexico is 2021 Gypsy Queen. So during COVID the companies were likely scrambling to find available printers.

[DynaEtch]

This talk of companies and moving printers during the pandemic is bringing back some strong memories of the FPG Jusko project…lol