Short-run printing

Short-run printing: A small-batch print run — typically 10 to 500 decks — sized for prototypes, events, and small brands.

Short-run printing covers any custom playing-card job small enough that the press doesn't need to amortize setup costs across thousands of units. In practice that's anywhere from 10 to ~500 decks, depending on stock and finish. Short runs are the right format for Kickstarter prototypes (so the campaign video features the actual production deck), wedding and event favors, executive gifts, trade-show booth giveaways, beta playtest copies of a new board game, and small indie oracle and affirmation editions. Mr. Playing Card runs short-run jobs on the same Orlando presses we use for 10,000-deck production runs, so the quality of a 15-deck prototype matches the quality of the eventual fulfillment run exactly — same paper, same ink, same finish, same operator. That's specifically what most overseas factories cannot offer: their cheapest short-run option is usually a digital press, while the production run is offset, and the two output noticeably different color and texture. Short-run pricing is naturally higher per deck than bulk, but it removes the inventory risk of guessing demand on a deck you've never printed before.