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sprouts1115 · « **Reply #125 on:** November 19, 2013, 08:53:53 PM »

So I went to the T-shirt vender today. http://www.bigstarbranding.com/index.jsp I wanted to pick out a good quality T-shirt that won't shrink the first time you wash it. They usually only do a minimum of 12, but I she is going to make a prototype for me. It's going to have 1 print on the front and one on the back. On the back, It's going to have a QR code. If a cute girl is trying to scan your back you can turn around and say, "Are you trying to take a picture of my Butt" She told me nobody has ever done QR code from their shop before. I know most Kickstarters only sell at most 25 T-shirts. It only get cheaper if you get 36. I might be a walking billboard. Next, I'll be trying to get a prototype of the poster. I think it's important to have physical Fluff items. I've noticed a lot of other Fluff items on Kickstarters are all digital.

ronyo_faukx · « **Reply #126 on:** November 20, 2013, 01:50:08 AM »

Quote from: sprouts1115 on November 19, 2013, 08:53:53 PM

I think it's important to have physical Fluff items. I've noticed a lot of other Fluff items on Kickstarters are all digital.

I agree, but alot of printers will only accept orders of a minimum amount. With T-shirts this can be 5 to 10, as the time and materials to set up and produce the items in such a small run can be very costly, and these costs are passed on to the customer (you).

As such, many people will make digital versions because if they don't sell, then they haven't had to shell out $100 for t-shirts noone wants.

I give t-shirts as an example (since this is what you are referring to), but this applies to all 'fluff' items be they dice, bookmarks, beer cosies, coins or laser-etched wooden boxes.

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #127 on:** November 22, 2013, 09:43:31 AM »

Went the poster vender yesterday. I picked Satin Poster paper 7mil thickness. I need to beef up the tiff files so we can make the Jokers bigger. This one is only 220 dpi with medium size Jokers. I'm going to try to get it closer to 300 dpi. I'm banging around the idea of placing the Jokers in a white card die and having the surrounding background black to make them pop. I'm probably going to get a prototype done just to see. The poster itself will be the same size as an Uncut sheet from the USPCC. (21 ⅞" x 26 ⅜") I know I'll only sell 15 at the most, but I figure if I'm going to sell an art print it should be big and top notch.

Decided to add a coin to the Fluff items. Recently found out card coins were popular in the past as they are today. One side will have the Texas Star and the other will say "To secede is our right" with texasplayingcards.com thrown is somewhere. http://www.novanumismatics.com/numismatic-sketches/the-samuel-hart-playing-card-company-its-tokens/

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #128 on:** November 22, 2013, 09:44:20 AM »

Also got the Soft proofs. Found some mistakes but this is where you need to find them. Not going to make any changes until Vivian and I get together this Sunday and really look at everything. Beside it takes 2 weeks to get the edited soft proofs back. Man that Ace of Diamonds looks naked.

xela · « **Reply #129 on:** November 22, 2013, 10:52:54 PM »

You know, if this was just a standard deck, I'd buy a pair of these.

Don Boyer · « **Reply #130 on:** November 23, 2013, 03:06:21 AM »

Quote from: br♠xis on November 22, 2013, 10:52:54 PM

You know, if this was just a standard deck, I'd buy a pair of these.

Yeah, the faces aren't bad. They're reminiscent of some UK designs in the days when the index was just coming into existence. I'm betting that's where he got his inspiration from!

Now, about that card back...

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #131 on:** November 24, 2013, 12:10:44 AM »

br?xis - Where the hell are the special charters? What do you mean Alex there is a standard deck in there; just take out the Bishops, Cavaliers, and Jokers. Then you got your 52 cards. I suggested to Don you could use them as coasters or practice your card throwing. Don is getting 2 decks. He has giving me some good advice. I bet if you whisper some sweet nothings to him he might give you one.

I got the idea for the index here: http://www.wopc.co.uk/delarue/pigmy.html

Here is cheese video I did about a year ago. This was when I was looking for an artist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQV0UW0BQPE

I haven't watched the video for awhile. It kind neat to think what I was thinking at that time. So much has changed...

Oh forgot to tell you the back will change. It will probably be done during the Kickstarter. It will be a vintage harlequin theme that bleeds out to the edge.

Don Boyer · « **Reply #132 on:** November 24, 2013, 04:03:20 AM »

Quote from: sprouts1115 on November 24, 2013, 12:10:44 AM

br?xis - Where the hell are the special charters?

What special charters are you talking about? Alex didn't mention anything about special charters...

Quote

I bet if you whisper some sweet nothings to him he might give you one.

No - he'd be much more likely to either get thrown over my shoulder or pinched in the ass, depending on my mood...

Quote

Oh forgot to tell you the back will change. I will probably be done during the Kickstarter. It will be a vintage harlequin theme that bleed out to the edge.

May I suggest keeping it SIMPLE for your first go at making a deck? Use a thin white border.

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #133 on:** November 24, 2013, 12:01:34 PM »

I Think I found my custom silver seal maker. Since this the first time anyone has done a deck like this should I increase the number of special decks to 250. Everyone seems to have a minimum. I'm kind of stuck. USPCC minimum quantity for custom stickers is 1000 and I want to sign and number a limited amount of decks. I just don't want to get a cheap looking silver seal from another 3rd party vender. Kickstarter says your middle reward should be your meat and potatoes reward and that is what I'm trying to do with the special deck.

Anyone know the size of the Bicycle poker seal? I've found lots of places to buy them but they don't list the size. Found one source that said 23mm x 15mm. Is that right? I just don't want to bother Tiffany with one question.

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #134 on:** November 24, 2013, 03:52:21 PM »

Well, I have to start somewhere. Like this Facebook page and someone will get 2 decks FREE at my shipping expense if the Kickstarter is successful. I need 30 likes to access the advanced options. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Texasplayingcardscom/205859476262038 I know it not as good as the Dale Mathis reward but its something. I think it's funny how Dale Mathis rewards have become a trend on other Kickstarters. badpete69 and his 2 scores.

I'll somehow randomize the likes and pick a winner. Don you can't win you already have 2 decks, but you can like it if you want too.

MrMollusk · « **Reply #135 on:** November 24, 2013, 08:05:49 PM »

The problem is that the tamper seals leave a sticky residue with the checkerboard pattern. A few days in your pocket after removing the seal will leave a grey, gunky square.

I just cut the seal on most decks for the same reason. But the stickiness is more evident with tamper seals.

And according to my measurements, a seal is more like 24X28.

Don Boyer · « **Reply #136 on:** November 24, 2013, 10:08:12 PM »

Why on Earth would you use tamper-evident seals? They're playing cards, not gold bricks! Just get plain old stickers, for cryin' out loud...

xela · « **Reply #137 on:** November 24, 2013, 10:34:15 PM »

I liked your page because you are a hilarious and tenacious dude. I don't agree with your execution on this, but if anyone deserves to get funded it's you man.

steampunk · « **Reply #138 on:** December 17, 2013, 09:35:37 PM »

I just discovered your thread here (maybe rediscovered - it's been a long week and I do remember seeing your video on Kickstarter previously) and liked your page on Facebook. I agree, you deserve to get funded, you're a cool cat.

steampunk · « **Reply #139 on:** December 17, 2013, 09:48:43 PM »

I'm still learning about cards, but I can give a little advice on some other stuff. First, I see you started this project almost a year ago. You should make sure you can renew your quote with the printing company if it expired - I know that USPCC is doing a price increase in January and other companies may as well, so it would be good for you to lock in your pricing. It's Christmas season too, so if you still plan to launch early (I wouldn't recommend it), then just expect that the printers may be less responsive than usual due to heavy holiday schedules.

Second, I'm not sure if this was covered in one of the old posts (I didn't notice it), but be very careful when pricing out your deck & funding goal. It took me many hours to come up with some spreadsheets to account for all of the costs (art, printing, set up fees, envelopes/mailers, postage, pick/pack unless you do it all yourself, promotion and other labor). I also personally had some out of budget stuff, like some advertising & press release syndication I wasn't planning for (a single PR will run you a few hundred bucks + the writing of it by a professional). I honestly don't know how some people on Kickstarter are able to price their decks as they do. I can see how artists can do that part themselves, and most people can pick/pack themselves, and people who are already established with a following can get a jumpstart on their campaigns. Anyway, be careful on that - being off by even a little bit can cost you thousands. One other thing I realized after launch was that there will be some transactions that fail - it seems to be over 3% so consider that when figuring out your goal.

Hope this helps.

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #140 on:** December 18, 2013, 04:58:30 PM »

Hi Russell,
I noticed that your project has joined the Kicking It Forward campaign. While it's great that you're committing to support the Kickstarter community, the Kicking It Forward badge has led to some confusion with backers and other creators. We've been hearing from backers who are unsure what it means, and creators who feel pressured to include it without knowing much about it. People can't tell whether it's an official Kickstarter thing or not.

We don't want to stand in the way of a grassroots effort, but we're concerned this is causing more harm than good. So we're asking everyone who's participating to remove the badges and mentions from their projects and instead include a link to kickingitforward.org among your websites/links in the "About Me" section of your project. That way people can see you're a member of the community without mistaking it for an official Kickstarter program.

In addition, advertising for third-party services isn't allowed. Please remove the Prefundia badge and transfer it to a link in your About Me section, as well.

Best,
-Luke

Luke

I've checked out Kicking It Forward. Seems like a legit company. The only problem is I'm not a member of it. Are you looking at the Kicktraq badge? If so, I really want to keep it. Kicktraq is a great little widget for me and backers to gauge the progress of the Kickstarter. I will comply and take off the Prefundia badge. I was trying to give them some exposer. It's a good place for people to give you some feedback and check for misspellings before a Kickstarter launch. Maybe you guys should have something like that. Build a community around a community.

Also, I was wondering if you going to make your pledge manager more flexible in the future. Same as early bird rewards, add-ons are becoming a standard and your current pledge manager makes it somewhat difficult. I remember one time getting a questionnaire 20 lines long for a reward I backed. You could put in text and numbers. I bet that was hell for the guy trying to make the spreadsheet. (No,Nein!,No.,no!,none,nit,Where am I?) I'm sure you heard of Backerkit.com and the soon to be Pledgemanger.com filling in the void.

Lastly, I heard that when a backer cancels you ask why? But the Kickstarter creator doesn't receive that information. What do you do with that information? Just curious. If that is true then I have to write something like: Sorry you canceled and I know Kickstarter asked you why, but I don't receive that information. It would be helpful if I knew why to improve my Kickstarter. Thanks in advance.

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #141 on:** December 19, 2013, 04:11:33 PM »

HI Russell,
Thanks for getting back to me. Sorry, I confused Kicktraq and Kicking It Forward. Too much going on here!

We're always working on improving our tools. I'll pass on your suggestions to the development team.

Also, please note that our guidelines state that bulk rewards (more than 10 of an item) are prohibited. However, we make an exception for playing card projects and allow up to 12 decks or one brick to be offered.

Let me know when you've updated your project and I'll take another look.

Best,
-Luke

All crap. This guy is reminding me of some of the plumbing inspectors. He finds something wrong. Fails me. I fix what he wants. Comes back and finds another thing wrong and fails me again instead of looking at the whole project the first time. I want to start off with "Thanks for answering my questions" and I definitely don't won't to mention there are currently some Kickstarters that are selling multiple bricks. Ahh, what to do. Delays, Delays, Delays.

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #142 on:** December 22, 2013, 07:04:41 PM »

My response:

Made the necessary changes to the King level: and Four of a Kind level: Also found a few misspellings and changed a bit of the text. Wanted to make sure the "Rewards" were within your policy guide lines before we made changes to the graphic images...

"Hi Russell,
Thanks for making those changes. Please note that our guidelines apply to add-ons as well, so you may only offer add-ons and rewards that total one brick per backer.

Best,
-Luke"

My response:

Things should be good to go. Made the necessary changes to meet your guild lines and changed the add-on sheet. Hopefully, you don't find anything else we have been going back and forth.
So is it true when a backer cancels that information doesn't get relayed to me. I sorta need to know. Is it a rumor? Thanks in advance.

I want him to admit Kickstarter has a flaw. If you can guys, check out the preview and if you see any period or comma that is missing let me know.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2136246983/1960043680?token=6d6f5cb2

I still need 3 likes on my Facebook pages for a total of 30 to see utilities. Weird though I only have 18 people that I can see that like the page. When I see 30 people I've give out 2 decks if the Kickstarter is successful. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Texasplayingcardscom/205859476262038

Sovereign · « **Reply #143 on:** December 23, 2013, 03:10:13 PM »

Quote from: sprouts1115 on December 22, 2013, 07:04:41 PM

I want him to admit Kickstarter has a flaw.

It's their game, you're the one who is asking to play. I found Kickstarter slow to respond and it was clear that I was one of thousands of people they had to deal with, but they weren't arsey - don't dedicate yourself to fixing their system, just jump through the hoops and use it to your advantage.

Good luck!

Phill

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #144 on:** December 23, 2013, 09:05:21 PM »

Just to let you know I'm giving 24hr notice. Let the train crash begin on Dec 24th at 10Pm central. I know it's the worst possible time to start a Kickstarter. During the Holidays but what the Hey got to start somewhere. I'm off for a week and I can concentrate on getting the word out. I have a press release. I have accumulated 48 sites I wish to hit or pretty much spam.

Brent is feeling better and we are working on the calculator and tuck box design. I think Jackson Robison has set the standard with doing a calculator. I'm also going to adding shipping for Canada and to have an approximate weight of the package in the calculator.

Hi Russell,
Thanks for your patience. It looks like everything falls within our guidelines. That means that whenever you're ready, you can hit the green launch button and make your project live. There's no deadline to launch, though, so take your time.

Some last-minute tips before you launch:

* Visit Kickstarter School: http://www.kickstarter.com/help/school..
* Use the Preview button to see what your project will look like when it's live, and share it with friends for feedback.
* Get the Kickstarter app for iPhone (http://www.kickstarter.com/download.…) to track pledges, send updates, and stay connected with your backers from wherever you are.
* If your project is successful, at the end of your funding report, you'll be given access to your backers' email addresses so you can contact them with survey for their rewards.

You'll do great! We can't wait to see your project live.

Best,
Luke

Important Reminder:
Our review process is not an exact science. When we find things that are objectionable, whether they were missed during review (we're sorry, but it happens!) or they were added after the fact, we remove projects from our site's browse functionality until they're fixed. In extreme cases, we remove the project altogether. That's unpleasant for everyone, so just be sure everything's within code before you launch.

Your project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2136246983/1960043680?token=6d6f5cb2

badpete69 · « **Reply #145 on:** December 25, 2013, 01:43:51 AM »

It's live

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2136246983/texas-playing-cards-where-pocket-kks-are-really-ki

Rob Wright · « **Reply #146 on:** December 25, 2013, 01:51:48 AM »

Russell, why would you not allow early birds to have add-ons? Your restricting people who may want to give you more money.

Don Boyer · « **Reply #147 on:** December 25, 2013, 03:36:24 AM »

Quote from: Rob Wright on December 25, 2013, 01:51:48 AM

Russell, why would you not allow early birds to have add-ons? Your restricting people who may want to give you more money.

The reason many designers restrict EBs to having no add-ons is that they're intended for people who genuinely find the cost of the deck to be out of their budget - it gives them a shot at getting one deck more affordably. If you have the cash for add-ons, you have the cash to pay the normal price and let the deal go to someone else who needs it more.

EDIT: Russell, did you happen to notice that you MISSPELLED YOUR NAME in the video?

EDIT: just noticed that Russ isn't even offering a full deck at the early bird level! What the heck? Just because you're going to be left with a heap of leftover aces and jokers, doesn't mean the entire world will beat a path to your door asking for them!

Leif · « **Reply #148 on:** December 25, 2013, 11:02:06 AM »

Go for it, and Good luck! After all your trials and tribulations with Luke from kickstarter, you deserve to succeed.

sprouts1115 · « **Reply #149 on:** December 25, 2013, 07:35:42 PM »

Rob Wright - The early bird Pip Level: is basically a way for people to get 2 decks for $22 and to start the action going. I know exactly what they are getting and I know exactly how to mail them. For that, I'm willing to lower the price. What is interesting. I have to collect sales tax for people in Texas. So basically, it more expensive for me for the people I want to create a fan base with. I think Russell in his last deck had something like a $5 early bird and you could order as many decks as you liked. I think that is where he got into trouble. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017676492/quicksilver-playing-card-deck?ref=card

Don Boyer - Yea I noticed that too. Oh well, that's minor. I was not there when the video of Vivian was made and what is major is her mentioning the alignment the Jokers. I sorta wanted to keep that a secret. I wanted the expressions of the Jokers to correlate to the Joker's alignment. It may cause more questions, but when the second deck is made it will pan out. The Joker Level: is not really an early bird. It's just something to get a backers foot in the door. I will have a lot of extra Aces & Jokers and I've heard people collect them. I figured it could be a good reward. You get a little something and your part of the project.