Just opened some core set and pulled a Talrand, only something jumped out at me. The lettering for his creature type appears to have a shadow (or perhaps smudging) and looks significantly bolder than the usual text on cards.
I'm wondering if this is a printing error or what?
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Printing error, one of the most common ones. The card just got smudged a smidge somewhere between the black ink layer being layed down and the ink being set.
Here's a few pics from my collection of various factory misinkings for comparison.
Left: overinking - Center: streaking - Right: smudging, same as yours
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Printing error, one of the most common ones. The card just got smudged a smidge somewhere between the black ink layer being layed down and the ink being set.
Here's a few pics from my collection of various factory misinkings for comparison.
Printing error, one of the most common ones. The card just got smudged a smidge somewhere between the black ink layer being layed down and the ink being set.
Here's a few pics from my collection of various factory misinkings for comparison.
Left: overinking - Center: streaking - Right: smudging, same as yours
Interesting pictures. I almost can't tell if Argothian Pixies is completely smudged or if it's just the Antiquities style artwork
Interesting pictures. I almost can't tell if Argothian Pixies is completely smudged or if it's just the Antiquities style artwork
It's mostly visible in the text but now that I go back and look at the picture you can't really make it out because of the graininess. It's probably smudged in the art too but all Chronicles Argothian Pixies look kind of like a watercolor that got rained on. The text is pretty similar to OP's Talrand. I'll try to remember to post better pics tomorrow after work.
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Recently traded for a 2nd talrnad. It was a smeared print and I was a bit confused as well. Thought the heat of the week it was being delivered in 'melted' the text.
Good to know it was a rare occurance.
I've seen this and I've also seen quite a few cards that are bent or have something that looks like damage. I would say that M13 had a bit of a quality control issue at one point in the printing process.
Talrand, Odric, serra avenger and sands of delerium are cards that commonly come up smudged, and i would say that serra avenger is the worst offender. Ive also had reports that sometimes half of an english booster will be filled with spanish cards, but im yet to see that with my own eyes.
Sometimes sheets get misplaced. One time I opened a box where 2/3 of the packs had uncommons replaced with rares; it would be the same thing but with a different language instead of a different rarity. I've never heard a confirmed report this happening but I can easily imagine it.
I've seen this and I've also seen quite a few cards that are bent or have something that looks like damage. I would say that M13 had a bit of a quality control issue at one point in the printing process.
I agree, but I would say that it is every set. Print runs are measured in hundreds of millions to billions of cards. If their quality control is 99.99% on the ball (an outrageous number in manufacturing terms) that still means that tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of cards are being misprinted in each set. It is true that some sets have been better or worse than others but there is no shortage of examples of misprints from any given set. The gross misprints have drastically decreased from what I have seen though. There are fewer crimps, 70/30+ miscuts, etc.
Another MTGSalvator (what is our proper pronoun?) gave a fantastic explanation of the process and why minor misprints like this happen. He was specifically explaining "crush lines" which is a card defect that is exactly what it sounds like, lines depressed into the surface of the card.
Magic cards are printed in large sheets that go through a roller system, much like the scenes of newspapers being printed in movies. As the sheets of paper are pulled through this machine that's usually larger than a semi trick, large rollers apply the paint/surfacing in layers*. These rollers are tandem: there are two rollers that crush the paper between them as tightly as possible to make sure the ink doesn't spurt everywhere. The newly-inked sheet is then pulled through a dryer, which is basically a blast furnace which instantly dries the ink and bonds it to the paper, and then it's run through a series of cutters; these cutters slice the never-ending roll of paper into a size that are more easily worked with. From there, the uncut sheets are simply rolled out into a feeder tray. If they were magazines, this is where the page would simply be picked out of the feeder tray by some guy working for not enough money and sweating a lot and forklifted away to be binded to the rest of the pages, but instead they are fed from the feeder into another machine that cuts and finalizes the cards, which then go through a computerizes quality control sytem before finally being wrapped and sealed into the product we all know and love.
*The rollers themselves are rather a fascinating marvel of technology: These rollers come with plates that wrap around the rollers and are locked in place, and the whole thing is constantly dipping itself into the ink pool as it spins. The plates are lazer-etched to accept the ink where it is porous, so as the plate is spun it picks up a reverse image of the color of the card it is printing.. these colors are, of course, applied in layers, usually the lightest colors first (since the card stock is white, the first color is usually yellow) and each consecutive roller applying the next darkest color.. usually red, then blue, then black [other colors, such as orange and green, are made through mixing the layers of color in a way that is, frankly, ingenious.. if you want "green 6" you apply a 5-strength yellow etch on the yellow plate followed up by a 2-strength blue etch on the blue roller, although these aren't the technical terms of course]. I've always been desirous of obtaining a 'full black' plate, as that would have the reverse image of an entire plate of the cards on the sheet, but that's beside the point.
From there, the shiny surfacing is either rolled on on a separate, special roller or, more commonly now, sprayed on thanks to advancements in aerated particle technology that doesn't leave the surface tacky.
Now, as for what happened to your cards: if I've explained it correctly, you should be imagining this amazingly loud, hulking monstrosity of mechanical parts that's constantly throwing off steam, oil, ink, and alarm buzzers, all run by half-a-dozen people who are either A)milling around trying to look busy if the machine is working properly or B) running around, screaming above the din,trying desperately to keep the thing from exploding if it isn't [the machine is never shut down except in emergency situations or at the end of a print run; starting the thing up again takes hours and usually requires resetting everything, which is extremely expensive]. Since the contraption would be longer than a city block if it was stretched end-to-end, there are a dizzying number of "pivot rollers" that drag the endless paper stream back on itself in a Z-pattern to conserve space. These pivot rollers stretch the paper extremely tight, as any amount of looseness in the paper stream could screw up the whole system; your cards got thrown off these pivot rollers just enough to get caught on the pivot-roller track, and were pulled tightly enough to leave a permanent crushed-in line on them; it probably happened while the machine operators were busy running around, screaming above the din, trying to keep the whole thing from exploding. The quality controls simply didn't catch it because it's designed to look for more flagrant errors such as a mis-inked card or one that's on fire.
Also, just as an addendum, this explanation only involved the final printing of a card where most misprintings happen, not the preparation of the paper itself. I don't understand nearly as much about the specialized paper they use, but I understand it is quite the complex and interesting process.
And now you know... the rest of the story.
I am having difficulty getting clearer pictures of my cards unfortunately. My digital camera is out of commission at the moment and my phone has about the same camera quality as a potato.
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I've noticed tons of cards like this. Usually at least one is opened at my drafts. It seems to be most common though on Magmaquakes and Sands of Delirium.
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Sometimes sheets get misplaced. One time I opened a box where 2/3 of the packs had uncommons replaced with rares; it would be the same thing but with a different language instead of a different rarity. I've never heard a confirmed report this happening but I can easily imagine it.
I agree, but I would say that it is every set. Print runs are measured in hundreds of millions to billions of cards. If their quality control is 99.99% on the ball (an outrageous number in manufacturing terms) that still means that tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of cards are being misprinted in each set. It is true that some sets have been better or worse than others but there is no shortage of examples of misprints from any given set. The gross misprints have drastically decreased from what I have seen though. There are fewer crimps, 70/30+ miscuts, etc.
Another MTGSalvator (what is our proper pronoun?) gave a fantastic explanation of the process and why minor misprints like this happen. He was specifically explaining "crush lines" which is a card defect that is exactly what it sounds like, lines depressed into the surface of the card.
I am having difficulty getting clearer pictures of my cards unfortunately. My digital camera is out of commission at the moment and my phone has about the same camera quality as a potato.
If you get it running, I'd like to see the photos. For some reason, I am finding misprints an informative topic, even though it has nothing to do with the actual game. I guess most players don't really think about how the cards got into their binder when they look at them.
I've seen this and I've also seen quite a few cards that are bent or have something that looks like damage. I would say that M13 had a bit of a quality control issue at one point in the printing process.
Every foil I've pulled from M13 boosters are crimped horribly. Doesn't matter what it is, whether basic lands or any rarity. If it's foiled, it's crimped, and noticeably.
The only foils I have with no damage are the legends from the intro decks, but even then a few of the regular cards are smudged.
I like miscuts and rare printing errors, but having damaged cards that I can't use because of quality control issues really bother me and having so many print errors means they are much less desirable by anyone and I can't trade them away.
I really like M13 but I refuse to buy anymore packs because of this. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come concerning the manufacturing process and is fixed quickly......
If you get it running, I'd like to see the photos. For some reason, I am finding misprints an informative topic, even though it has nothing to do with the actual game. I guess most players don't really think about how the cards got into their binder when they look at them.
I'm wondering if this is a printing error or what?
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Here's a few pics from my collection of various factory misinkings for comparison.
Left: overinking - Center: streaking - Right: smudging, same as yours
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Bleeding ink on the "Bleeder?" How appropriate.
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Interesting pictures. I almost can't tell if Argothian Pixies is completely smudged or if it's just the Antiquities style artwork
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I like the way it looks like he is willing the ink to bleed from the card.
It's mostly visible in the text but now that I go back and look at the picture you can't really make it out because of the graininess. It's probably smudged in the art too but all Chronicles Argothian Pixies look kind of like a watercolor that got rained on. The text is pretty similar to OP's Talrand. I'll try to remember to post better pics tomorrow after work.
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Alpha: 94.2% Beta: 95.0%
Unlimited through M10: Complete
Good to know it was a rare occurance.
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Sometimes sheets get misplaced. One time I opened a box where 2/3 of the packs had uncommons replaced with rares; it would be the same thing but with a different language instead of a different rarity. I've never heard a confirmed report this happening but I can easily imagine it.
I agree, but I would say that it is every set. Print runs are measured in hundreds of millions to billions of cards. If their quality control is 99.99% on the ball (an outrageous number in manufacturing terms) that still means that tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of cards are being misprinted in each set. It is true that some sets have been better or worse than others but there is no shortage of examples of misprints from any given set. The gross misprints have drastically decreased from what I have seen though. There are fewer crimps, 70/30+ miscuts, etc.
Another MTGSalvator (what is our proper pronoun?) gave a fantastic explanation of the process and why minor misprints like this happen. He was specifically explaining "crush lines" which is a card defect that is exactly what it sounds like, lines depressed into the surface of the card.
I am having difficulty getting clearer pictures of my cards unfortunately. My digital camera is out of commission at the moment and my phone has about the same camera quality as a potato.
Every English card ever printed: 99.02%
Arabian Nights through Lorwyn: Complete
Alpha: 94.2% Beta: 95.0%
Unlimited through M10: Complete
If you get it running, I'd like to see the photos. For some reason, I am finding misprints an informative topic, even though it has nothing to do with the actual game. I guess most players don't really think about how the cards got into their binder when they look at them.
Legacy Burn
NO Combo Elves
Reanimator
Trades
Burn Primer
:symg:Free Gaea's Cradle:symg:
Every foil I've pulled from M13 boosters are crimped horribly. Doesn't matter what it is, whether basic lands or any rarity. If it's foiled, it's crimped, and noticeably.
The only foils I have with no damage are the legends from the intro decks, but even then a few of the regular cards are smudged.
I like miscuts and rare printing errors, but having damaged cards that I can't use because of quality control issues really bother me and having so many print errors means they are much less desirable by anyone and I can't trade them away.
I really like M13 but I refuse to buy anymore packs because of this. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come concerning the manufacturing process and is fixed quickly......
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Terramorphic Expanse showing the same sort of error as OP's card.
Similar Illusionary Servant and an Icatian Moneychanger with a heavy ink-smear.
Mtenda Herder with horizontal streaking.
And the opposite problem, an under-inked Tidal Flats and Brass Man. Most of that isn't glare, the brass man is pretty hard to read in person.
If there's a particular type of misprint you want to see, let me know and I'll try to get a decent picture of it.
Every English card ever printed: 99.02%
Arabian Nights through Lorwyn: Complete
Alpha: 94.2% Beta: 95.0%
Unlimited through M10: Complete