Frequently Asked Question
What are short print cards? Any time a card or group of cards are not run with the frequency of a majority of the cards found within a pack-out for a product, then it is a short printed card.
Sometimes, short prints are not planned by the company and are due to production errors, however on most occasions, short printed cards are inserted at more infrequent intervals than the regular cards with a purpose. Collectors love the challenge of finding cards that are more rare. For some, the more rare, the better.
There are two types of planned short print cards: subsets, which are numbered a part of the regular set, and inserts, which are generally higher technology cards of only the best and brightest stars in the game. (Please see sections What are subset cards? and What are insert cards? for more information).
Short printed cards, like subsets and inserts, are generally announced on product packaging with an insertion ratio attached to it or with sequential crash numbering (See What is crash numbering? section). Basically, these cards are more rare than others in the set and they are thus considered "short" or short printed.
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