A strange misprint

[bertrand]

I acquired about 8 cards like this one (8 junk rares from Planeshift) in a trade.. I'm curious about what kind of misprint this is or what could have caused it. Also, what is that little circle (upper right) in the corner of the card?

I know the card is miscut: that's obvious.. but what I'm wondering about is the odd coloring on all the cards... the miscut one is a bit darker, and has a strange background in the text box. The text in the text box is blurry, and the name and type seem unusually sharp... I've scanned the misprint (the one that's miscut and you'll see what I mean?

And also, I doubt they are.. but I'll ask anyway: are they worth anything?


Normal Rath's Edge (left) Misprint (right)


The strage pattern in the text box (it's not from my scanner). This crop is basically the wole part located felow "damage to target creature".

Thanks for any info! (I hope)

EDIT: Forgot to mention. The back is miscut also, but other than that looks completely normal.

[hammr7]

The small dot is most likely the result of an air bubble in the print ink. The viscosity of the ink is controlled within a narrow range to keep it flowing smoothly to wherever it is needed. When it gets to thick (often at startup, when it has been sitting for a while) air gets trapped. If the air bubble bursts as the thicker ink is applied, you get a dot. If there is also a slight indent then it could mean there was a bit of junk on the print roll.

As for the blurring and slight off-centering, these are often indicative of a sheet that is one of the first through the printing press during a startup. When the press is started operators need to check colors, registration, and sheet alignment. Once all three are within specification then the printing press is sped up. Operators normally trash any early sheets that are way out of specification, but often let some through that are close to okay, but not quite perfect.

[bertrand]

Ok.. thanks for the info :)

Just one more thing -- that bubble is on all the cards.. and as far as I can tell there's no indentation.

[hammr7]

If its on many different rares (on the back of many in the same place) it might have been present in the original art. There was a similar mark on the back of most older sets (upper left hand corner, just in from the border).

Similarly, if it is repeated on the same rare in the same place, it might be on the master print for that rare.

If its random then it can be air bubbles in the print ink or some piece of contamination on the print roll. Streaks are normally caused when a piece of contamination gets caught in the blades used to remove excess ink from the print roll (after immersion in the ink tray, but before ink is applied to the card stock.

[bertrand]

I don't think you see the dot I'm talking about. It's a small circle in the upper right corner on the black border of the card. It looks like a while "O".

Thanks for your help :)

[hammr7]

Bertrand,

I did see it. If you have a somewhat viscous fluid (the black print ink) that has tiny air bubbles (like a very light froth on a somewhat flat poured beer). When the ink is applied to the card, the bubble is circular (the most natural state for most bubbles). The bubble will pop almost immediately, and the ink will be forced out a little from where the bubble walls were by the popping. Liquids like water would want to flow back and make the surface smooth again. But the level of ink applied is smal, and the viscosity is high, and they are quickly dried (otherwise production levels would be abyssmal, and products would cost a fortune to produce). So the white is nothing more than the card stock showing through where the ink didn't cover. Sometimes these show up when a card master is created and will show up on every card, or at least every copy of a particular card. This can also happen when a foreign substance affects the print surfaces (especailly print rolls) in a particualr spot. But if they are random across the cards, it typically means the ink strainer is not working properly or the ink viscosity is too high.

[Tha_Gunslinga]

That circle is actually the area that's normally cut out when the cards are cut out of the sheet. All miscuts that are miscut the right way have them, and I have stacks of cards with them. The circle denotes the center between 4 cards, and normally it's cut out when the corners are rounded.

[fvzappa]

I can verify/ agree with the above post. These circles do in fact exist & are in the part that is cut out when the cards are cut mechanicly from the sheet. Some sets have a "+", some have a "o" in that area. If you got several similar rares, the rare sheet would be all like this I would have to assume.

I made a quick scan of 3 miscuts that show another card, all from different sets. These all show a similar "o" in the area Ben & I mentioned: http://fvzappa.photosite.com/miscstuff/miscut3.html Hope this helps.

[mahdishain]

i am confused. i quick scan of a few uncut sheets show no circles or pluses in the area that gets cut way from the corners. are the marks some part of the cutting process?

[fvzappa]

I can't say 100% that this is the case, however, some sets have neither the "+" or "o" in that spot, as illustrated here: http://fvzappa.photosite.com/july042005/terror4way.html
So, it is possible that the sets you have examined do not have them.

[dry cereal]

that 4-way misprint...is it possible it was cut from a sheet by an evil misprint collector?

[fvzappa]

No, Ben... I suspected this too, & had it examined by a few trustworthy dealers with their high powered magnifying glass. A few made hefty cash offers, a sure fire way to believe that it is ineed real. I've seen a few others too, so somehow WOTC really screwed up that day

[dry cereal]

hypothetically, is there anywhere that can profesionaly cut sheets like so? Maybe even make them square-cut for an extra bonus. ;D

[hammr7]

hypothetically, there are many ways to cut cards out, either with rounded or square corners. To make it look professional, all you need is a labratory hydraullic die-cut press (with the appropriate durometer rubber base), and the properly sized sample die. This equipment effectively duplicates the actual cutting process the cards go through. Each die typically costs anywhere from $100 to $400 for simple shapes like cards. The press, on the other hand, can be quite expensive. However, many industrial facilities have them for cutting out quality control testing samples.

Simpler, or more manual, cutting processes can also be utilized, although these tend to show signs under magnification. This is especailly true at the rounded corners, since most manual attempts are made with a straight knife edge attempting to cut a rounded shape.

[dry cereal]

in other words, for under 500 bucks i can have as many miscuts as I want?