Last couple of deck (007 and Avengers) i've noticed instead of using the regular deck back for the extra two cards (like you have done for all your other decks), you've been having two bonus cards with just a black backing ruining extra jokers for certain card games. Any reason behind this?
T11 Deck Factsheets. What Do You Want to See?
- Thread starter Lyle Borders
- Start date
Most of our decks are like this and have been for a few years now, including most decks that used to have extra cards with the back design on them. We sell to many retailers that sell to mostly non-magicians, and extra cards that use the back design (like double-backers) are super confusing to non-magicians. Those extra cards were never intended as extra jokers (else we would have made them jokers in the first place). Instead, we print standard 52-card decks, plus 2 jokers (which are normal), and since the printed sheets of card has 56 "spaces" on it, we print advertising cards for those last two spots. This is the same sort of thing you see in Bicycle decks - 52 cards, 2 Jokers, and 2 Ad Cards.
We are not attempting to target any on specific group of people - we want out decks to be as simple and intuitive as possible for as many people as possible. No magic-specific quirks (on most decks), no game-specific features, etc. Standard poker cards.
// L
Don,
re: What do I want to see…
Talking about “The Code” Maiden back deck both “reader” marked and numerical marked for Mnemonic in another thread: I would love to see a new deck (Maiden or Mandolin backed) with “reader” markings but instead of numerical markings for Mnemonica, have ”reader” markings for both the next card and the previous card using Mnemonica order. One of the marks could be top & bottom center; the other marks could be left and right on the side of the cards.
I am also a fan of the new USPCC ”Thin Crushed” decks. I would love to see some other decks owing this paper stock.
re: What do I want to see…
Talking about “The Code” Maiden back deck both “reader” marked and numerical marked for Mnemonic in another thread: I would love to see a new deck (Maiden or Mandolin backed) with “reader” markings but instead of numerical markings for Mnemonica, have ”reader” markings for both the next card and the previous card using Mnemonica order. One of the marks could be top & bottom center; the other marks could be left and right on the side of the cards.
I am also a fan of the new USPCC ”Thin Crushed” decks. I would love to see some other decks owing this paper stock.
What do I want to see? Actually it is what do I want to stop seeing. If I'm ordering decks directly from the T11 website, please stop sending me ones that have the annoying barcode stickers that you apply to for other stores to use when selling. Also the plastic tabs that are added so that a store could hang the decks on a bar - get rid of those. You have these beautiful tucks and then you ruin them by adding this crap. I know, remove the plastic and they're gone - except I tend to buy two of every deck, one to open, one for display (which is left wrapped).
Hey John! Happy to chime in on this one directly, as I'm probably the biggest stickler on our team for details of the sort! We spend months (sometimes over a year) crafting each design, so it pains me to my core to do anything, ever, that reduces or diminishes visibility of the art in any way. It's like putting a bumper sticker on a Ferrari - it only hurts, not helps, the aesthetic appeal.
That said, it's a balancing act, as our foremost goal at theory11 is creating functional art that people can enjoy and use -- whether that be for magic, poker, blackjack, family games, or just collecting. theory11 has been unique in how much we've grown the category, no longer confined to the interwebs but also in stores like Target, Walgreens, and Barnes & Noble, as a more and more popular item in the public vernacular. When we started 16 years ago, as you probably know, "custom playing cards" were few and far between.
To that end, we try to keep our prices DOWN, so that they're affordable and attainable. Most theory11 decks are priced well below the industry average of $15 to $18 - despite having some of the most intricate and expensive production methods used. For example, our Star Trek release tomorrow has 5 production layers and an emboss on the packaging!
If we were to separate production for "online" decks and "store bought" decks, it would double our warehousing needs, and assembly processes would have to be separate, which would drive up costs significantly, versus the $12.95 baseline cost (before quantity discounts!) we're at now, which we have no intention of changing anytime soon as a standard.
All of this to say - it's not something we take lightly, and your feedback is not only heard, but agreed with! But, first priority for us is making our products as attainable as possible, and keeping prices as low as we can physically afford them to be, with the production quality we're known for. If there's ever a way for us to achieve both, I will surely make it happen!
Thank you Jonathan for the transparency! Totally understandable and agree with the approach as much as I despise the barcode sticker as well!
@JohnC6 I find using a blow dryer helps removing the sticker quite easily. Make sure you don't heat it too much and not too close as you don't want to damage the cellophane. Just lightly blow on it and see if you can peel it off, if not apply it for few more seconds and try again, be patient.
@JohnC6 I find using a blow dryer helps removing the sticker quite easily. Make sure you don't heat it too much and not too close as you don't want to damage the cellophane. Just lightly blow on it and see if you can peel it off, if not apply it for few more seconds and try again, be patient.
Also you can try googone on a cotton ball and rub it into the sticker/adhesive. Can help with those pesky stubborn stickers that tear up or just wont budge. I just wish it helped with the hang tags, but even the goo cant soak through the tags plastic like it soaks into the barcodes to help kill the adhesive.
I came across a Black Panther deck with no gold foil on the box a few days ago. I’ve done a few quick internet searches to find info on this variation and have not found anything. Is this just an older run?
Machine probably ran out of the gold ink and a few tuck prints slipped through, as I'm pretty sure its always been just the current variant.