Does anyone know the process to print Topps cards?

llafoe

I'm looking at some Topps Vault "cards" and need some help understanding their printing process.

I see the following:

Final Image - obviously this was the image they used in their printing process to transfer to the cards printed.

Film Positive - I believe this is what Topps calls Printing Plates today?

Proof - I thinks these are simply a card that was printed to test the Film Positives above?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

bishop

There are a couple of guys on the Net 54 post war board who have a lot of knowledge about the Topps printing process if you want to ask over there.

Bob Lemke, who was the editor of SCD's Standard Catalog sometime posts here as AUPT and he has a blog, boblemke.blogspot.com, and you could contact him there. Also you might take a look at Dave Hornish's blog since he alos has done a lot of research on the Topps printing processes. See toppsarchives.blogspot.com

Proofs and Proof sheet can be an interesting way to get more detailed back ground on a final product

Here is a printer's proof sheet with notes



Here is one in cardboard while the final product was done mostly in cloth



Here is one with mistakes...Carlton and Mathews have the wrong head shots and the insert photos are all within the boxes while in the final product the portraits extend beyond the boxes




Here is one where Topps scrapped the project altogether



These are proofs for a 1968 insert set that are interesting because only one player from the sheet actually made it into the final product, and you can see there were experimenting with different colored autos




Another that shows progression



This one just shows....imagination ?