"Magic Ink" Decks

[Alex Willis]

I like the idea of using overlaying 'magic ink' on decks to give an additional dimension under black light, but is there a drawback to the process?  Does the ink over time lose it's magic?  Does wear on the card cause the images to lose luster?  I like to play with my cards and I have too many decks to keep duplicates for 'show', but I'm very interested in this type of technology and I'm thinking about using it in a future design.  Thoughts?  Impressions?  Likes or hates?

[Don Boyer]

I'm told that it affects the deck's handling negatively, making it harder to work with.

I'd want to see a sample first before making it a part of my deck, were I to create one.

Either that or pick up a deck that's going to have that feature - Bicycle Grid 2.0 on Kickstarter is planning to use that ink on their upcoming release and they've already met their funding goal.

[MrMollusk]

I've heard the UV500 finish glows under black light. It's the same finish used on the White Tigers, and those handled awesome.
The only other deck I can think of that incorporates UV ink is the Tragic Royalty deck. And that deck's handling was... well... tragic.

[Alex Willis]

I pledged on Grid 2.0 a few weeks ago but it will be a while before I have a deck in hand.  I'm more concerned with how the deck is after regular use and age.  Some UV sensitive finishes tend to yellow over time, I'm just not familiar with what Bicycle is using.  I guess I will just need to see it for myself.  Thanks for your input!

[Don Boyer]

I've heard the UV500 finish glows under black light. It's the same finish used on the White Tigers, and those handled awesome.
The only other deck I can think of that incorporates UV ink is the Tragic Royalty deck. And that deck's handling was... well... tragic.

UV500 wasn't the finish - it was the stock, presumably 500 gsm in weight.  The "coating" itself was "Air-Flow Finish".  I don't honestly think there was a difference between Air-Flow and Air Cushion.

Tragic Royalty used the same paper, as far as I know.  Its performance suffered because of the coating on the card being absolutely terrible.  I think it was also made during the plant transition, when a lot of their decks sucked.  The older E decks with UV500 stock were made in Cincinnati, before the transition.

[MrMollusk]

I've heard the UV500 finish glows under black light. It's the same finish used on the White Tigers, and those handled awesome.
The only other deck I can think of that incorporates UV ink is the Tragic Royalty deck. And that deck's handling was... well... tragic.

UV500 wasn't the finish - it was the stock, presumably 500 gsm in weight.  The "coating" itself was "Air-Flow Finish".  I don't honestly think there was a difference between Air-Flow and Air Cushion.

Tragic Royalty used the same paper, as far as I know.  Its performance suffered because of the coating on the card being absolutely terrible.  I think it was also made during the plant transition, when a lot of their decks sucked.  The older E decks with UV500 stock were made in Cincinnati, before the transition.

Huh. Cool.
So, the UV effect wasn't specifically requested?

[Don Boyer]

I've heard the UV500 finish glows under black light. It's the same finish used on the White Tigers, and those handled awesome.
The only other deck I can think of that incorporates UV ink is the Tragic Royalty deck. And that deck's handling was... well... tragic.

UV500 wasn't the finish - it was the stock, presumably 500 gsm in weight.  The "coating" itself was "Air-Flow Finish".  I don't honestly think there was a difference between Air-Flow and Air Cushion.

Tragic Royalty used the same paper, as far as I know.  Its performance suffered because of the coating on the card being absolutely terrible.  I think it was also made during the plant transition, when a lot of their decks sucked.  The older E decks with UV500 stock were made in Cincinnati, before the transition.

Huh. Cool.
So, the UV effect wasn't specifically requested?

Oh, it was - it was a premium stock you had to pay extra to get and the UV sensitivity was one of its features.  At the time it was a good fit for the company, considering the decks they were designing and the people using them, at least up until the stock became prohibitively expensive.

[MrMollusk]

I've heard the UV500 finish glows under black light. It's the same finish used on the White Tigers, and those handled awesome.
The only other deck I can think of that incorporates UV ink is the Tragic Royalty deck. And that deck's handling was... well... tragic.

UV500 wasn't the finish - it was the stock, presumably 500 gsm in weight.  The "coating" itself was "Air-Flow Finish".  I don't honestly think there was a difference between Air-Flow and Air Cushion.

Tragic Royalty used the same paper, as far as I know.  Its performance suffered because of the coating on the card being absolutely terrible.  I think it was also made during the plant transition, when a lot of their decks sucked.  The older E decks with UV500 stock were made in Cincinnati, before the transition.

Huh. Cool.
So, the UV effect wasn't specifically requested?

Oh, it was - it was a premium stock you had to pay extra to get and the UV sensitivity was one of its features.  At the time it was a good fit for the company, considering the decks they were designing and the people using them, at least up until the stock became prohibitively expensive.

Neat! I wonder why they didn't market that feature more.

[Don Boyer]

Neat! I wonder why they didn't market that feature more.

I believe they did - but they stopped using that stock many years ago now, before the change from Cincinnati to Erlanger.  They had many left over from older print runs here and there, but I'd wager it's around four or five years or so since they printed cards with UV500.

And I think we've run that tangent long enough...