What Cardstock Does Bicycle Use?

As an avid card player and collector yourself, you know that the cardstock used in a deck makes a big difference in how the cards look, feel, and handle. When it comes to quality cards, the Bicycle brand has been the first choice of generations of magicians, cardists, players, and fans like us for over 130 years. But what exactly goes into their iconic card decks? Let‘s geek out on some of the details and insights about the various cardstock types used by the venerable Bicycle brand.

A Bit of History

Bicycle playing cards were first introduced in 1885 by the American Bicycle Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. As the name suggests, they were marketed along with bicycles as recreational items, despite having no direct connection to cycling! The brand steadily grew in popularity over the next few decades.

In 1964, Bicycle was acquired by the United States Printing Company, which became the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC). This merger helped bring Bicycle‘s production methods to a new level of automation, efficiency, and consistency. According to USPCC archives, over 100,000 decks were being produced daily by the 1970s!

Over its more than 130 year history, Bicycle playing cards have gone through many iterations and innovations related to cardstock. Let‘s look at some of the most important developments…

Key Innovations

• Air Cushion Finish – This unique embossed finish was patented in 1971. The textured dimple pattern allows air to flow between cards.

• Ride Back Design – The iconic "rider back" design, added in 1887, gave the cards an instantly recognizable look.

• Prestige Stock – Launched in 1996, this 100% plastic cardstock retains the look and feel of paper cards.

• High-Speed Printing – Modern sheetfed offset printing boosted production into the millions of decks annually.

Today, Bicycle leads USPCC‘s wide range of card brands with several lines using different cardstocks optimized for various applications.

Card Production and Processing

Producing up to 6 million card decks annually requires sophisticated processes and quality control checks. Here‘s a quick look at how a standard Bicycle rider back deck goes from raw materials to sealed product in your hands:

• Printing – Using advanced sheetfed offset presses, faces and backs are printed on large card sheets.
• Finishing – Sheets are coated for protection and desired finishes.
• Embossing – Signature dimple patterns are pressed into "air cushion" stocks.
• Cutting and Sorting – Sheets are precision die cut and assembled into decks.
• Packaging – Decks are shrinkwrapped and packaged into tuckboxes.
• Inspection – Samples from production runs undergo detailed inspections.

For crushed stock, an additional step reduces the thickness by delicately softening and compressing the cards after printing. The whole production is highly streamlined,with stocks sourced from sustainable forests and plants using renewable energy.

The Environmental Impact

With card production scaled up to millions of decks, Bicycle has recognized the importance of environmental responsibility. Several initiatives make their cardstock and production more eco-friendly:

• FSC-Certified Paper – Bicycle‘s paper cardstock comes from Forest Stewardship Council approved sustainable forestry sources.

• Vegetable-Based Inks – Soy-based inks reduce VOC emissions compared to traditional petroleum-based inks.

• Recycled Materials – Their plastic Prestige stock utilizes recycled plastic polymers.

• Renewable Energy – USPCC‘s primary production facility sources 75% of electrical needs from hydro power.

While there‘s still room for improvement, these efforts combined with efficiency measures have significantly reduced the overall environmental footprint of Bicycle‘s high-volume production.

Comparing Card Brands

Bicycle playing cards make up around 75% of all USPCC printed decks according to industry insiders. Other popular brands like Bee, Hoyle, and Tally-Ho round out most of the remaining output. How do these brands compare when it comes to cardstock?

• The cardstock used across USPCC‘s brands is fairly consistent – mostly Crush paper stock around 300-310 GSM thickness. This ensures quality and handling.

• Bicycle tends to have the most variety in finishes and options. Their latest stocks even allow cardpress printing.

• Bee brand traditionally has glossy finishes and gold edges. Tally-Ho decks feature signature fan or Viper backs.

• But overall, the major brands share many attributes and are all high quality choices. It comes down to personal preference on back designs and styling.

This level of consistency and quality control has made USPCC the premier card factory and kept Bicycle as the most trusted name in playing cards for over 130 years and counting.

The Future of Playing Cards

The market for customized playing cards has exploded in recent years thanks to digital printing and designers bringing amazing custom artwork and style to cardistry. What does this mean for a heritage brand like Bicycle though? How might continued innovation shape the future of their cardstock and offerings?

• We will likely see Bicycle integrate more technologies like RFID and augmented reality to add digital features to playing cards.

• They may explore new materials like graphene or color changing inks as such technologies mature.

• Possibilities exist to create more eco-friendly cards using plant-based or recycled plastics as sustainability grows.

• Digital integration can add AR animations, tutorials, and more through app connectivity. Imagine some experiential magic!

While Bicycle will surely stick to their core heritage, I think we‘ll see them continue pushing boundaries with tech-infused enhancements and premium offerings. But their essential quality and appeal will remain.

The Takeaway

We‘ve covered a lot of ground exploring the cardstock used in the iconic decks we know and love. Here are the key points:

• Bicycle uses a wide range of paper, plastic, and specialty cardstocks engineered for ideal handling, durability, and performance.

• Their production processes result in remarkably consistent cards, even at volumes in the millions.

• Proprietary stocks like Air Cushion and Prestige showcase Bicycle‘s spirit of innovation.

• Sourcing and manufacturing considerations make Bicycle a leader in eco-friendly playing cards.

• And their continual improvements will keep Bicycle riding into the future on the leading edge of playing card technology and design.

So when picking up your next deck of cards, you can be confident in the generations of expertise and craftsmanship that go into a quality brand like Bicycle. Let the games begin!