Did you know?

It seems that 2009 is the year of changes and it is no different here at Press Pass.

As some of you may have noticed things have been shaken up a bit when it comes to our products. Everything we are doing this year is bigger and better. There are multiple levels added to our autograph and memorabilia card programs and later this month we are releasing our first ever high end product Press Pass Showcase.

And I am about to offer up a crazy idea that just might change the way you look at trading cards. When you are ripping through Press Pass 2 why don’t you take the time and read some of the interesting facts that are on the back of the base cards?

Press Pass 2 is a great product to do this with because if you are like me, a novice NASCAR fan, it will allow you to learn more about the drivers, the teams and more about the Nationwide series and the Truck series.

Don’t get me wrong I love opening a pack and seeing a great memorabilia card or nice autograph card, but once all the packs are opened I sort the base cards and then sit down and read the back of the cards. I learn something new with every product.

For example did you know that Jeff Burton recently did a guest spot on General Hospital? Or did you know that Carl Edwards has been a licensed pilot since the age of 17? Or that Sam Hornish Jr. is the narrator of “Roary The Racing Car,” a cartoon on PBS Kids Sprout?

You never know what you might learn if you just take the time to stop and look at the base cards.

Allison

Showcase sneak peek

So working at Press Pass means every now and then getting to be a part of some fairly interesting and unique cards. Here's an example of some of the live cards that are part of the super premium Press Pass Showcase 2009 release. These are the Carl Edwards Prized Pieces Melting level memorabilia cards. Enjoy!

Machines or Magic?

So there you sit, anxiously awaiting the arrival of your boxes of Press Pass Series 2. It’s been a few days since you last ripped some packs. You crave that feeling of excitement and anticipation that you get when you tear open a pack and find that Dale Jr. auto or over-sized autographed Tony Stewart memorabilia card. Ah, the joy of ripping wax.

To many of us, there are few things that compare to the insatiable pleasure of opening packs of trading cards. But have you ever wondered how those packs are made? Where do those shiny packages full of so much joy come from? Is it magic? I used to think so, and for those of you who are absolutely convinced that the trading cards you buy are packaged far away on the enchanting "Isle de Collectia" by magical elves, please stop reading now or may your visions of grandeur be forever tarnished.

It’s hot. The thermometer on the dash of the rental car shows an exhausting 105°. This is a place where thin blades of scorched grass crumble beneath your feet as you walk and the tar from the asphalt turns to liquid. Welcome to summertime in Dallas, Texas. Yes, the “Isle de Collectia” is actually a 300,000 sq ft facility on the outskirts of Big D. This is where the “magic” happens.

Charlotte, NC to Dallas, TX 1,026 miles

After the cards are designed, built, approved, and printed. They’re sent to this facility for “pack-out” where a Press Pass representative flies down from Charlotte to oversee everything and ensure each card, pack, and box are as perfect as possible.

Production Facility

First, all of the various base cards, inserts, autographs, and memorabilia cards are loaded into feeders on a production line. Throughout production, the feeders are constantly monitored and reloaded to keep everything running smoothly.

Top view of a card feeder on a production line

The feeders drop the cards at various insert rates onto a moving line. Each feeder is timed to drop its card(s) at exactly the right moment. Several tests are done prior to production to ensure that each feeder is dropping the right cards at the right time.

View of a trading card production line in action

The line quickly whisks the groups of cards down the line and into a machine that wraps and seals each pack.

Cards entering the wrapping machine

After the cards are wrapped, the packs pass across a scale which is designed to weigh each pack and catch any packs that have too many or too few cards before they go into the boxes.

Packs are weighed as they pass through the production line

From there, packs are sorted, shuffled, and inserted into the boxes by hand. Boxes are placed on a conveyor belt where they are shrink-wrapped and placed into cases.

Finished boxes being shrink-wrapped

After that, it’s pretty simple. The cases are shipped to customers, and then the fun begins!

Now that you have an idea of how the products you enjoy are made, you can appreciate them even more. Oh, and as for how we get actual signatures on the autograph cards without using sticker – well that truly IS magic.

The King(s) of Wine Country

Yesterday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California there were two kings of wine country. Ironically, the “King of Beers” took the checkers as Kasey Kahne drove the #9 Budweiser Dodge to victory. In an exciting duel with Tony Stewart, Kasey surprised many fans and experts given the fact that his best prior finish at Sonoma was 21^st. Several late cautions led to double file re-starts that kept the battle exciting. The race was particularly exciting at my house given the fact that my wife is a big Kasey fan--just like one of those 40-something women in the Allstate commercials. But that’s whole other story!

While I was happy to see Kasey win for the first time since last June, I was thrilled to see “The King” step into victory lane. My all-time favorite driver, Richard Petty, got a chance to bask in the glory of victory for the first time in many years. One of the class acts in all of sports and a true champion & humanitarian, it had been 10 years since a car affiliated with Petty had gotten to the winner’s circle (John Andretti at Martinsville in 1999 for you trivia nuts). It was great to see King Richard get some mic time to congratulate Kasey on national TV as soon as he got out of the car. We hadn’t seen enough of The King as competition got tougher and tougher over the last few years for the relatively small Petty Enterprises. Then, after the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Gillett Evernham Motorsports merged with Petty Enterprises to form Richard Petty Motorsports. While there have been some frustrations with RPM for Kasey so far this year, he is still only 3 points out of the Chase hunt after his unlikely road course win. Hopefully, Sonoma will be a turning point for RPM and the “two kings” can continue to celebrate many more times this season….

Tom

Four Color Process

Did you know that most of the images you see on our trading cards are reproduced using only four inks? During the printing process, four inks are used in combination to reproduce the images you see on the card: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. If you take a magnifying lens and look closely, you will see many series of “dots” that actually make up the image. The dots are typically small enough that our eyes don’t see them but instead they see the overall picture. Through the use of computer programs, a continuous tone photograph is separated into the four colors listed above. When the colors are printed using dot patterns and overlaid together, the image is recreated and our eyes see what appears to be an image with thousands or millions of different colors. Check out the below two images. The first slice is cyan only, followed by cyan + magneta, cyan + magenta + yellow, then all four colors. In the second image, the dots have been magnified.


Even with these four colors though, there are still certain hues that cannot be reproduced. Deep oranges and greens are typically outside the range of four color printing. Another process called hexachrome utilizes the four colors of ink plus two additional colors to extend the gamut. Usually orange and green are added. While useful for specialized images or high end looks, hexachrome is not as cost effective and therefore used only occasionally.

Other spot colors are used on a regular basis. For example, we use white inks when printing on foil or plastic substrates. Sometimes certain spot colors called metallic inks are used which actually contain tiny bits of metal flake. These give a specialty look without the expense of foil stamping or foil board.

So the next time you see someone looking at a card with their magnifying glass, they might just be checking out the dots!

Legends Contest Winners Announced!

Press Pass would like to thank everyone who took the time to provide us with input on the drivers you would like to see include in Legends along with your feedback on the top families in racing.

Check back soon for details on the exciting changes to Legends 2009!

And the winners are...

Allen Norton
(Box of 2009 Premium)

Larry Baxter Jr
(Box of 2009 Premium)

Michael Boykin
(Dale Jr. auto)

Addicted to Facebook

Addictions…yes, I may have one.

Facebook.

I admit, I have a shortcut on my phone that takes me straight to my Facebook account and much to the dismay of many friends, have been caught on Facebook at times I should probably have been paying attention to whatever social outing we are on.

Facebook is such an easy way to keep track of events, reconnect with people, and stay in touch with people. I’ve reconnected with friends in different countries I haven’t seen or spoken to in over 10 years.

Now, when you meet someone new and would like to keep in touch, the typical question is not, “What is your phone number?” but instead, “Are you on Facebook?”

So, fellow Facebook addicts, for your enjoyment, we have created a Facebook page for Press Pass, Inc.!

Become a fan of Facebook, and you’ll get an inside look at our company, products, and office events!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Press-Pass-Inc/200646630323