Question about different Mirage printings

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dragsamou
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Post by dragsamou » Fri May 01, 2015 5:14 pm

Hi Members

Adding more info, as I just get them about printing companies in the US:

Another facility was printing MTG cards: PBM Graphics, Inc.
http://pbmgraphics.com/services/card-printing/

Adding quotes here with some important info, as not everyone is on FB or want to be there:
Did wizards use them for printing?
They did. Also Pokemon when Wizards had that license, Harry Potter, dragon ball z, and a host of sports cards (Topps etc)
I remember most specifically the P3K set when I first came on board. There were piles of these just sitting out on the floor ready for destruction ( mostly rejected sheets and overage ). Funny thing was that I had played magic for years and never knew that the company I was about to work for was printing them.
Me: Do you have the list of all the MTG Editions, Extensions printed by PBM Graphics, was only P3K printed there ? Trying to solve a mystery of Glossy P3K Vs Regular ones. Thanks for helping
Actually I don't know. They still print magic though. I do remember we did a lot of testing with coatings for many runs. As for P3K, I think Yaquinto may have had that run too. We released a lot of sets in tandem. It wasn't uncommon for product to be compared ( we would receive samples from carti mundi and Yaquinto ) to keep consistent product quality.
Me: Do you remember the First printed set done by PBM Graphics North Carolina ? This is breaking news for me, as I collect this kind of info for historical purpose on my MTG website.
Alexis, I would have to think back on it, I remember 7th, all the saga sets, invasion block, odyssey, Garfield finkle, beat down, too many.
Want/Have Lists.
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8903
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1515
I Love you Dad.R.I.P.

cataclysm80
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Re:

Post by cataclysm80 » Sun Jan 17, 2016 9:24 pm

cataclysm80 wrote: A couple years ago I had found online that the cardstock was called Corona, and I think the source of that information was Mark Rosewater, but when I went back to look for the website, I couldn't find it.
Tav
I just stumbled across it again. The source was Victor Wertz in an old post from June 29th 1995.
Vic Wertz wrote:I'm Vic Wertz, WotC's Carta Mundi liaison. As I was one of the people who
helped select the cardstock we use for Magic, Sparky tapped me to help
answer your question.
Basically, when WotC went looking for playing card stock, we wanted the
most durable stock we could find. The best non-technical way of measuring
durability is to do the "bend test." This means that you bend a card in
half, touching the top edge to the bottom edge, and then you let go, and
see how well it flattens back out. Creasing is bad. Resilience is good.

The "bend test" eliminated all trading card stocks, and most cheap playing
card stocks. We were left with three serious possibilities‹laminated
paper stock with a varnish finish coat, linen-finish paper stock, and
plastic stock.

Plastic stock is far, far more durable than the other two choices, but it
is remarkably expensive‹35% to 40% more expensive than laminated paper
stocks. Plastic stocks also don't accept ink as well as good paper
stocks‹the print quality would suffer. In fact, the print quality is such
that Carta Mundi doesn't even print on plastic cardstock because the
results aren't up to their quality standards.

Linen-coated stock just plain feels good. All the casinos use linen
stocks. However, the texture means that there are ridges and valleys that
collect oil from your fingers really easily. And that oil collects dirt
really easily. Eventually, the cards lose their luster, and stop feeling
so good. Casinos can afford to open up new decks every few minutes.
Magic players can't.

That left laminated paper stock with a varnish coat. "Laminated stock"
means that there's a layer of plastic film inside the card, bonded between
two paper layers. The plastic means the cards bend, but don't easliy
crease, and the varnished paper ensures that the printability is as good
as you can get.

There are many different types of laminated stock. The two best stocks
Carta Mundi has to offer are Corona and Superluxe. Superluxe is a couple
of microns thicker, and a teeny bit more dense. Corona is a bit more
flexible. Superluxe tends to feel plasticky, and Corona more papery.
Wizards of the Coast chose Corona for Magic, as well as Jyhad, The Great
Dalmuti, and the RoboRally Program Cards.

To be clear, Wizards of the Coast examined many cardstock options for
Magic‹and we continue to examine new options for other products‹and we
feel confident that Corona provides the best long-term playability without
sacrificing printability.

I hope that gives you the information you need.
Thanks!
-Vic.

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