pfm
November 19, 2019, 11:35pm
21
caslon:
You can tell from the low resolution dot raster, typical of older digital print with powder ink burnt to the surface with lasers, or simply using film. Hence the big difference between the yellow frame/blacks and the rest of the card. Its typically used in printing processes where you have a lot of similar product with small variations, compared to offset where you rapidly print out a ton of identical product, with less importance placed on accuracy and sharpness, since a bit of color shift is to be expected. I have yet to see any pokemon cards with color shift, other than the blacks being shifted. Youd have a ton more color shift errors if the entire card was printed in offset, bc of the amount of thin lines and delicate details.
You can tell the difference yourself, if you compare the color surface of the yellow frame with the yellows in the rest of the card. The frame has a more uniform, organic texture to it which comes from offset ink plates, while the yellows in the rest of the card have a digital print dot raster.
These other cards in the thread is also a great example, the little black that does appear in the cards is from the digital print part of the process. They then do a layer of black offset over it to make the text more legible, as well as make the rest of the card deeper with more contrast.
I havent seen mtg cards up close personally, but they look more like low dpi cmyk web offset like a lot of newspapers tend to do. The errors you linked can come from offset but also from digital print using film and not powder.
This is just speaking from experience by working as a graphic designer for print, and having visited a fair bit of printing houses, and knowing how to prepare designs and files for print. I might be wrong, and they somehow chose to use low dpi offset for the layout of the card and then 2 extra plates of either spot or higher dpi. Its just usually you see color shift as the single most common print error in offset by far, and i havent seen that in any pokemon cards yet. Which is weird considering how delicate some of the details are design wise.
You could be right, I’m not particularly an expert in the printing industry. (Edit: in retrospect I’m pretty sure I’m right.) The lack of colour offset errors in pokemon is compelling evidence. I just assumed that because WOTC supposedly did offset for MTG and Cartmundi (who printed for wotc) does offset for their playing cards ( how it’s made ) that pokemon was the same.
Either way, I agree that the yellow border and an extra black layer are added after the initial base print and that the card posted by the OP is lacking that black layer.
1 Like
caslon
November 20, 2019, 7:07am
23
jkanly:
caslon:
”I have yet to see any pokemon cards with color shift, other than the blacks being shifted. “
There are actually several examples that have been found by members here on this board, both old and new. I’ll see if I can dig out some of my examples when I’m home.
“Youd have a ton more color shift errors if the entire card was printed in offset, bc of the amount of thin lines and delicate details. You can tell the difference yourself, if you compare the color surface of the yellow frame with the yellows in the rest of the card. “
The offset printers used for MTG and Pokemon have highly accurate computer controlled monitoring systems that were engineered to help keep registration error rate very low. I’m curious… the shops you’re sending your jobs to may be using lesser machines (?). Keep in mind that the machines used for Pokemon and MTG were a million+ installation each unit.
“The frame has a more uniform, organic texture to it which comes from offset ink plates, while the yellows in the rest of the card have a digital print dot raster.”
The difference you’re referring to is spot print versus four color process printing. The offset printers used could do both in the same run, by spot printing for specific text lines and borders and combining it with the four color process for the rest of the card.
Shaun
So they do use CMYK offset for the initial card, I wonder why the resolution is so low, the dot raster is very prevalent compared to other offset print for illustration and collectables. Maybe it’s just to save money?