As you know Gemaco is part of the Jardan Corp, along with USPCC and Fournier. Gemaco and Fournier are able to operate (mostly) independantly from the USPCC. Gemaco has it's newer "Super-Flex" casino grade that has made many heads turn. Cartamundi's presses in Texas have also turned out newer impressive stocks and finishes. Fournier has produced excellent quality and stock/finish combinations for many years that match the "Magic Finish".
Mostly all card presses turn out varying grades of stock/finish combinations. Just because you have looked at their "consumer" level of decks, don't relegate them all to only making lower-class decks. USPCC also makes many lower-class decks.
I think part of the issue here is that we have collectors who, regardless of the quality, have chosen to focus their collections on USPC products exclusively. The other products from other companies could be made on the wings of angels and printed in pixie dust and they wouldn't care unless they came off the presses of USPC in Cincinnati or Erlanger - and many prefer Cincinnati, though recent-issue Erlanger decks are probably better.
It's a choice they made, what can I say? While nearly every deck I have is from USPC or a subsidiary, I do have a few that aren't and that I like.
And "lower-class" USPC decks aren't exactly what any quality deck designer is ever aiming for.
Jarden does own Gemaco and Fournier, but they're considered (at least in the press I've read) to be subsidiaries of USPC. Cartamundi does make some unique products, many of which are casino grade - I'm personally fond of the Magic Castle decks they printed.
Have you tried card-shark.de? They've used USPC and still do, but they also operate their own facility - and they offer full customization.
Their own facility's cards are nothing like the USPCC decks from what I've tried (the Jill Deck). They don't spread or fan; I don't think most people would like them.
Drat. I want the Jill Deck!
What the whole thing boils down to is that Uncle Sam wants his cut. Work with any domestic "fundraiser" like Kickstarter or printer like USPC, Cartamundi, Joe from the Block, etc. and you'll run into these issues. Only way to dodge that is base your operations out of the country - which is no easy feat if you're not out of the country yourself.
I don't see this as the end of custom decks on Kickstarter, but I do see this as the first red flag that goals will have to go higher, resulting in higher chances that designs will fail. Sure, some "low-yield" deck makers will get teh money back from the government at year's end, but you still need the cash up front.
Timing could help - time a deck release for Q4 in any given year, get the cash just before year's end, let Sammie take his cut, then file your taxes ASAP in Q1 the following year for a faster refund. But who wants to see a whole year's worth of decks hit KS in one season?
