This is the most important question you asked in regards to your card manufacturer and I don't think anyone specifically gave an answer, so let me try.victplayingcards wrote:I'm fairly new to the playing card world, but its shocking that people are so into name brands. If the cards are great quality and they handle good, then why is everyone so hostile? If anyone could answer that would be great.
Thank you!!
Best regards
Vict Playing Cards
If the only thing you do with a deck of cards is play poker or keep it unopened and sealed strictly for collecting purposes, then it may not actually matter who produces the cards. However, for you to have a successful campaign, you have to appeal to a broader target audience, and that will have to include magicians, card mechanics and cardists/flourishers/xcmers. This group needs playing cards that have physical properties and characteristics that will allow them to manipulate a deck of cards, sometimes to extreme degrees, to perform their respective crafts.
Perhaps because you are so new to the playing card world that you are not aware of what these physical properties and characteristics are that a quality deck of playing cards require. These physical requirements can be broken down into 3 general properties: the type of card stock, the type of finish, and the method by which the deck is cut.
The card stock determines how thick or thin a card is, which affects ease of manipulation and durability. It also determines the "snap" of the card, which is how flexible a card is and how quickly will it recover to its original state after it has been bent. The finish is essential in how the indivicual cards glide against each other as they're being manipulated. You want suficient slip so that the cards will fan and spread evenly and effortlessly, but you want a sufficient amount of controlled friction to the cards can be divided into packets without flying everywhere. How a deck is cut determines how smooth the egdes of the cards are for comfort and ease of use, and more importantly, which direction the cards faro, or weave, together.
There is a reason most people prefer the USPC, and its NOT just about name brands. They do the best job of getting all three properties corect. Their range of card stock is good, their cutting process is sufficient, and they put on the best finish on their cards. Period.
There are a lot of other playing card manufacturers that have really great card stock, or they cut the cards as well, or in some cases even better and more accurately, than the USPC. But I have yet to see anyone out there get all three properties down as well as the USPCC, especially when it comes to the finish. In fact, most of these other companies bitterly disappoint us. This is why you see so much skepticism when you talk about using anyone other than the USPCC. I am not saying that this is you, but I suspect most people who opt for these other companies care more about the bottom line and profit as opposed to truely getting the best quality product into their backer's hands. In life, you generally get what you pay for, so if you skimp with the card manufacturere, you'll probably get an inferior product. Sure, there are other companies that are merely decent or OK, but they are not good. Tout excellent design if you want, but don't go touting excellent quality if you don't use the USPC. Knowledgeable people in the playing card world know better and will consider claims of excellent quality as false advertisement.
If you will be truthful, do you really think you can sell a playing card product on Kickstarter as having great design but merely mediocre or adequate quality? You will not get funded. When you finaly get your sample deck, compare it with a deck of Tally Ho playing cards, which are mass produced and readily available, and you should notice the quality difference pretty easily if you know what you're looking for. And if you don't know what to look for, get an opinion from someone who does. Otherwise you're are doing a disservice to your supporters and ripping them off.
Most people know what magicians do with cards, but the following is a link to a video showing you what a skilled cardist can do with a deck of cards. Please watch this video and you should get an idea of the level of performance that can be achieved, and the quality of the cards needed to make this performance possible:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5qjPKl2qq4
Once again thank you for taking the time and showing me exactly what most people are looking for. And as I promised, the next deck I do will have bicycle behind printing it! Also please refer to previous page for price details and see if you have a suggestion. Thank you
I am a backer of your current project and I have to say that I am inclined to agree that you should probably cancel the project, go back and rework everything and then try again, rather than try to salvage the current project by offering stretch goals which change the printer from the one you have to USPCC. It's just cleaner to have the project you end with be the same one you started with, rather than making some drastic change midstream. Also, it's better to be upfront with your backers, and with people who would become your backers, and tell them that you made some mistakes and would like to try again, rather than just keep moving forward and have to undo those mistakes, whatever they may be. I think your backers would be more willing to give you another chance in that situation.
