The prototype deck is in production at USPCC!
Here's the uncut for the faces:
http://www.surrealscapes.net/depot/uncut_sheet_faces.jpg
And the backs:
http://www.surrealscapes.net/depot/uncut_sheet_backs.jpg
The black background on the cards is made of up a CMYK value of 0/0/0/100, so that's why it looks gray onscreen. But USPCC tells me it will print as a rich black so the cards will look right when they're printed.
-Z
RGB doesn't usually translate to CMYK well - and vice versa. But oddly enough, it looks good on my screen, as black as I'd expect. MacBooks have good screens.
Well, ordinarily I would specify the black as a "rich" black, which would be something like CMYK 40/40/40/100, i.e. with moderate amounts of cyan, magenta, and yellow. This is because if you use only 100% black ink without any CMY inks as well, it usually prints as a dark gray with offset printing. My original artwork to the USPCC had a "rich" black, but then I was told that I should take out all the CMY values because if their are any registration issues, the different ink colors could shift over into the white index and pip on the card. They assure me that their 100% black prints as a rich black, so I'm just taking their word for it.
For the uncut sheet mockups, I could have deepend in the blacks in Photoshop before I posted the files, and then you would see the image as it would look on the cards. I was too lazy to do that. ;-)
-Z
