Types of Error Cards
Last updated
Last updated
Pokémon cards are manufactured on large-scale offset lithography presses, which are often the size of entire rooms. These machines use four primary colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) to produce the full color range of the cards. Each press, costing millions of dollars, can generate up to 15,000 sheets per hour, with each sheet containing around 100 to 121 cards. At peak efficiency, this translates to an impressive output of up to 1.8 million cards per hour.
The process starts with a metal plate for each color, onto which the design is transferred via photographic or laser methods. Areas of the plate that will hold ink are coated with lacquer, a clear varnish, while the rest of the plate is treated to repel ink. The plate is mounted on a cylinder that first wets it and then applies ink only to the lacquered sections. The inked image is then transferred to a rubber cylinder, known as a blanket cylinder, which picks up a mirrored version of the design. This image is finally pressed onto the card stock, creating the design in that particular color.
Due to the rapid pace and intricate nature of these machines, along with the multiple color layers and precise cutting processes, errors occasionally occur, and some cards with these mistakes enter circulation.
Discover the variety of error card types and learn about how these mistakes happen during the printing process.
During the production of Pokémon cards, sheets are initially cut into rectangles with sharp, pointed corners. In a separate die-cutting process, these corners are rounded. If a card misses this step and retains its pointed corners, it results in a square corner or square cut error. These types of error cards are rare, but some have emerged, especially from the Wizards of the Coast (WotC) era. Authenticity of these errors is key, as many non-factory-cut (NFC) cards exist from that period.
Sometimes, during the printing process, excess ink may accidentally transfer onto a printing plate or the rollers that move the card sheets. This can cause a card to have a blotch or patch of ink in areas where it doesn't belong. When the extra ink creates a subtle discoloration across the card, it is often referred to as toning, similar to the effect seen on some 1st Edition Jungle Vaporeon cards.
An Albino Back is an extremely rare error where the back of a card only receives black ink during the printing process. This error can occur if the color ink is not loaded into the printer or if the machine malfunctions. An iconic example of this printing error is the Grayscale Pokéball filler card from the Wizards of the Coast era. In more recent times, similar examples have been found in modern Sword & Shield (SWSH) era cards, including Energy cards from Rebel Clash booster packs in the 2020 Trainer’s Toolkit, as well as Commons, Uncommons, and Vivid Voltage reverse holos from the Sword & Shield Base set. While the card's design lacks color, the coloured border remains intact, as it is printed in a separate process.
In most cases, the backs of Pokémon cards are printed first. A Blank Back error occurs when a plain sheet, without the back design, is mistakenly used to print the front of the card. This rare error results in a card with a complete front but no design on the back, leaving it completely blank.
These rare errors, as their names suggest, occur when a sheet of cards is printed two or even three times before being cut and packaged. It is highly unlikely that these errors happen naturally, and it’s believed that most are actually "Make-Readies"- press check sheets used to adjust printing alignment and ink levels. Occasionally, one of these sheets accidentally makes it to the cutting stage and gets included in packs. Double and triple printing errors are exceptionally rare in Pokémon, with very few known examples.
This extremely rare error occurs during the production of the holographic foil, rather than at the printing facility. The holographic design appears clearly duplicated, resulting in a distinctive visual effect where the pattern is doubled.
Holographic foil rolls used in card production are laminated onto the card stock, either before reaching the manufacturer or at the printing facility itself. When a foil roll runs out, a new roll is spliced to the end using a strip of tape. Sheets containing this tape are intended to be discarded, but on rare occasions, these sheets make their way through production and are turned into cards, resulting in an End of Holo Roll error.
If a new roll isn't properly spliced to the end of the previous one, an even more dramatic error can occur. The holographic effect will appear on most of the card, but the foil layer will suddenly stop midway through the artwork, creating a striking visual where only part of the card is holographic.
The machinery used to print trading cards is enormous, capable of producing hundreds of cards per second. Cards are printed on large sheets, typically containing 110 individual cards, with extra paper around the edges known as selvage. In rare cases, part of the sheet may fold over after printing but before the cutting stage.
When this happens, the card is cut normally, but the folded section remains intact instead of being trimmed away. These errors are rare because such folds can cause jams in the printing, cutting, or packaging process, making them more likely to be detected and destroyed before leaving the factory.
The Black and White: Next Destinies set introduced textured surfaces on cards, which became an instant hit and have remained a staple in Pokémon card design. However, errors can occur during the texturing process. Sometimes, the texture may not fully apply to certain areas of the card (Incomplete Texture), the texture may be misaligned (Misaligned Texture), or in some cases, the texture may be missing entirely (Missing Texture). These types of errors are highly valued by collectors. However, caution is needed with Missing Texture cards, as many counterfeit cards also lack proper texturing, making it easy to mistake a fake for a rare error.
Japanese Pokémon cards are renowned for their exceptional quality, with superior craftsmanship across all stages of production compared to their English counterparts. However, during the printing of the VMAX Climax set, a rare error emerged at a Japanese factory. At least one sheet of regular holo cards, which were meant to feature the "Line" Holofoil design with vertical lines, was mistakenly printed using the "Mirror" Holofoil, a more reflective pattern typically reserved for higher rarity cards. This mix-up created a highly sought-after error, blending two distinct holofoil styles.
This error happens when the printer runs low on ink during production. A notable example is an Evolutions Zapdos holo card, where the opaque white layer, designed to prevent the holofoil pattern from showing through the yellow areas, was almost entirely absent. The minimal ink applied resulted in far more of the holofoil pattern being visible than intended. Though not always recognized as a "Holo Bleed," this type of insufficient ink error is clearly identifiable due to the visible holofoil bleed-through.
Certain Pokémon cards receive a foil stamp to mark special occasions, such as prerelease events, staff gifts, or exclusive shows. When the sheet of cards is incorrectly fed into the embossing machine (either upside down or misaligned) errors can occur. These errors result in the stamp being inverted, placed on the wrong side of the card, or positioned incorrectly. Though rare, these misprinted cards occasionally make it into circulation and are highly sought after by collectors, often fetching a premium due to their unique appearance.
Miscuts are among the most recognizable and common types of Pokémon card errors. Even with a quick look, they stand out due to their noticeable misalignment. A Minor Miscut occurs when at least half of an alignment dot appears in a corner, or when part of the card design is missing, but no other card is visible. A standard Miscut shows part of at least one other card on the same sheet, while a Major Miscut reveals portions of at least two other cards. These errors are highly sought after by collectors due to their striking visual impact.
This extremely rare and visually striking error occurs when a sheet of cards is loaded into the texturing machine upside-down after the front and back of the cards have been printed normally. Although the texture is applied in the correct position relative to the card’s layout, it ends up inverted due to the orientation of the sheet. Additionally, because the sheets are randomized, the card often ends up with the texture of a different Pokémon.
The error may not stop there, since the sheet was also cut upside-down, both the front and back printings are misaligned, leading to a miscut appearance. This happens because the sheets used for printing have uneven margins (selvage) on one side, meaning they're not perfectly centered. When the sheet is cut incorrectly, the blades, which are set for normally-oriented sheets, create cards that appear miscut, with shifted or off-center designs.
Various errors can happen during the cutting process. Here are some common types:
90° Rotated Miscut: This occurs when a card enters the corner rounding machine rotated by 90 degrees. The result is that one side may be where the bottom should be, with extra selvage visible due to misalignment.
Narrow Miscut: This happens when the card is positioned too far to one side during cutting. As seen in the Rillaboom V card below, one side is cut off while the other side retains extra selvage that should have been removed.
Short Miscut: In this error, the card is shifted too far up or down during cutting, resulting in one part of the card being cut off with rounded corners, while the opposite side has a thick border and square corners.
Twisted Miscut: The card enters the corner rounding machine at an angle, causing misaligned rounded corners, often resulting in one corner missing the process entirely.
This error happens when there is a misalignment during the printing process, either due to the sheet being slightly out of place or the press being improperly calibrated for a specific color. These issues can result in a variety of misprints.
For instance, a common outcome is the misalignment of the white opaque layer, which is intended to block the holofoil in certain areas. This causes the holofoil to appear in the wrong section of the card. An example of this can be seen on the Fossil Gengar card below, where the holo box is misplaced. It's not the holofoil that has shifted, but the white opaque layer designed to cover it.
Misalignment errors occur when the front and back printings of a card are not properly aligned. A striking example from the Italian EX Crystal Guardians set shows the front is shifted by nearly half. This type of misprint is rare and visually dramatic, making it a standout among error cards.
This rare error usually impacts an entire sheet of cards. It occurs when the wrong card stock (one without the holographic foil) is used to print cards that are meant to be holographic. As a result, the cards appear non-holo. This error can also happen if the holofoil layer isn't correctly laminated onto the card stock, or if the lamination step is skipped altogether during production.
This error is quite unusual, where the standard holofoil pattern is missing. A few examples, such as the Fossil Zapdos, have been observed in early Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) sets. Additionally, this card features an incorrect holo cutout in the top-left corner, which appears on all 1st Edition English versions and around half of the Unlimited versions before it was eventually corrected.
A missing print layer occurs when a card is printed without receiving all of the necessary CMYK color layers. This can happen due to ink not being properly loaded or a technical issue during the printing process. When these sheets aren’t discarded as intended, the error cards can end up in packs.
The card shown below is missing both the yellow and red ink layers. While sun-faded cards may look similar, they can be distinguished by their lack of UV properties, whereas true missing print layer errors maintain normal UV reactions.
Occasionally, during the printing process, debris can get stuck on the blanket or the sheet of cards, preventing ink from properly transferring to the card's surface. This results in a missing area of ink. When the debris is transferred along with the ink and becomes embedded in the card itself, it is called a Retained Obstruction, like the example below on a 1st Edition Mankey (just below the "ON" in Pokémon).
This rare error results in the appearance of multiple faint “ghost” images on a card, such as the Entei shown below. It likely happens when a loose printing plate or blanket shifts during the transfer of the image, causing light impressions from the plate to be left on the blanket. When the blanket is then used to print the card sheet, these extra impressions appear as subtle, duplicated images behind the main design.
During the packaging process, cards are sealed inside booster packs using pre-printed foil that is heat-sealed around them. Occasionally, a card may slip into the path of the crimping machine, resulting in an imprint of the crimping design on the card.
If only part of the crimp appears, it is classified as a Partial Crimp. If the full crimping pattern is visible, the card is labeled Crimped. In some cases, the crimping machine may also cut off a portion of the card, which is known as Crimped & Cut.
Occasionally, during the lamination of holofoil onto the cardboard stock, a small wrinkle can develop where the holofoil bunches up. This creates a raised line on the holo side of the card. It's important not to confuse this with roller damage from the packaging process, which typically appears as two vertical indentations visible on both the front and back of the card.
Printer Hickey
Printer Hickeys occur when a tiny particle or piece of debris adheres to the printing plate or blanket during the printing process. This results in a small, round defect on the card's surface where the ink has been disrupted.
A sheet wrinkle happens during the production of the card stock, where a wrinkle-like imperfection forms in the material. This flaw becomes visible on the finished card, creating a noticeable crease or raised area.
