Understanding the production process behind MTG Print cards reveals the origins of misprints found in card packs. Since errors can occur at any point, this overview outlines the key steps involved and common mistakes at each stage, providing insight into how misprints arise.
1. Design and Layout
Before manufacturing trading cards, the cards must first be designed. This design stage covers everything that happens before the “print” button is pressed. For misprint collectors, this stage is the source of human error misprints. The many printing variants that get designed lead to minor and major mistakes between versions. For example, Traditional Chinese foil Magic 2015 planeswalkers may be missing loyalty counters, or Italian 5th Edition Breeding Pits have no casting cost. Links to lists of known human error misprints can be found here and here.
Card design involves creating new visuals for previously unseen cards, inventing novel gameplay mechanics, and implementing other innovations. Wizards of the Coast develops and prints test versions to evaluate whether prospective products align with their vision. These test prints explore new frontiers like altered card frames, foiling techniques, holographic stamps, and more. The website Librarities catalogs all known test prints for those interested in learning about these experimental designs.
2. Printing
Magic cards are made using a printing process called offset printing. In this method, each of the 4 main colors used in printing (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black/key) are applied separately. There is also a second layer of black ink that is specifically used for the card text and borders. Printing each color individually allows room for errors to occur at each stage. One or more color layers could have inconsistent ink, obstructions in the printing channel (like splotches), or uncleaned rollers between passes – leading to all kinds of misprints, which I talk about in my beginner’s guide.
3. Cutting
The printed sheet must be cut into individual cards. This is accomplished through two cuts. The first cut splits the sheet into rows. Then, vertical cuts are made to separate the rows into individual cards. It’s obvious that if the sheet moves during cutting, miscuts can occur. If a row shifts prior to the second cut, the cards will be parallelograms instead of rectangles. The video below clearly demonstrates the cutting process, making further explanation unnecessary.
4. Corners
The cards are originally cut from the sheet with square corners. Then, they are put through a die press machine that neatly cuts the corners into a rounded shape. An interesting detail is that you can identify which side of the card was facing up during the die press process by examining the corners closely. The linked video, while not directly about magic cards, shows how card printing works at Cartamundi and provides useful background.
5. Packaging
The final stage of the process is putting the cards into sealed packages so they can be sent out and marketed to consumers. This involves enclosing them in booster packs. During the sealing of booster packs, cards can get stuck in the heat press machine and get bent. There are also sometimes problems with the booster foil. “Miscut” booster packs have been found, where the edges are uneven. As well, “double printed” boosters with ink in the wrong places occur. Even boosters with an adhesive tape-like layer have turned up in booster boxes.
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I hope you enjoyed reading this article about how MTG Print card: The Gathering cards are manufactured, from the viewpoint of a misprint collector. It’s worth noting that Magic has been printed for over 20 years now. In that time, the specific technologies and processes involved have evolved. The machines have been upgraded, and new printing facilities around the world are being used.
There’s no single way that all Magic cards have been produced, but the general principles have remained constant (for the time being). The key thing to keep watching for are new developments in MTG Print card. Consider how the printing process needs to adapt when some new, unique mechanic changes our idea of what a standard Magic card is. There are always opportunities for new kinds of misprints to occur!
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