The process of making baseball cards begins long before the actual cards are printed. Sports card companies like Topps, Panini, and Upper Deck have large teams that work year-round to design the upcoming year’s card sets. Scouts and experts analyze the previous season to identify which players should be featured on special premium cards to drive collector interest. They also work with MLB, the MLB Players Association, and individual teams/players to secure licenses and image rights.
Once the card designs are finalized, photoshoots are scheduled with players from across the league. These photoshoots take place both during and after the season at spring training sites or select stadiums. High quality cameras and equipment are used to capture numerous action shots and poses of each player against plain backdrops. Additional headshots are also taken for standard base cards. Former players or baseball dignitaries may do specialty cameo photos as well.
With the photos complete, the card company’s design team begins laying out mockups for each base card and special insert. Details like the player name, team, statistics, and career highlights are added to individual templates. Special graphics, textures, and embellishments are also crafted for rare inserts. After approval from licensing partners, the final card designs are signed off on for printing.
Mass production of the baseball cards begins at large scale printing facilities. The fronts and backs of each individual card are printed using various processes depending on the specific product. Traditional cardstock is most common, with glossy coated stock used for higher end “hit” cards. After printing, the fronts and backs must be perfectly aligned and cut into individual card shapes.
Quality control is vital, as even minor defects could damage a card’s value. Samples from each print run are heavily scrutinized before full production. The verified good cards are then sorted, and prepared for special packaging processes. inserts and hit cards may receive extra treatments like autographs or memorabilia patches during this stage.
Packaging assembly is likewise completed at large factories. Basic common cards are bundled into plastic or aluminum foil packs by precision machinery. Boxes and cases to hold multiple packs or exclusive cards are also produced. Special subsets are separately packaged as needed.
Once assembled, the finalized card products must be stored short term, and then expertly distributed to meet early season retail demand. Transloading and freight operations ship pallets of boxes to the company’s national and international warehouse network. From there, individual orders and allocations go out to major retailers like Walmart, Target, and local card shops in time for the start of the new baseball season and core fan purchasing.
This is just a brief high-level overview of the intricate process required to produce modern sports cards year after year at the massive scale demanded by collectors, investors and casual fans alike. With planning far in advance and exacting quality control, top card makers keep the tradition and excitement of the hobby going strong each season through their innovative card designs and skilled manufacturing abilities.
