Heidelberg Versafires Rescue Digital Production at Shuffled Ink

As a leading manufacturer of custom playing cards, card games, tarot and flash cards, and packaging, Shuffled Ink has weathered numerous changes since starting out twenty-five years ago as a one-man operation outside of Orlando, FL. The company has evolved from its origins as a print broker for custom playing cards to becoming a complete in-house manufacturing facility. After installing its first digital press a decade ago, Shuffled Ink recently upgraded its digital print capabilities with two Versafire LPs from HEIDELBERG. The new presses have greatly enhanced the company’s ability to produce fully customized cards digitally, more than doubling its print capacity and “breathing new life into its business.”

Casino-Grade Quality, Full Customization

Shuffled Ink, who manufactures 1.2 million card decks annually out of its 16,800 square foot facility, is unlike any other printer. The family-owned and operated company is the premier card manufacturer in the US, allowing for complete customization on both sides of the card – producing orders from 15 decks to 50,000 decks or more. In addition to allowing for complete customization, Shuffled Ink produces every project with the highest quality standards and materials. “Regardless of quantity or end use, we only offer casino grade card stocks and manufacture with the approach that every deck we make must be flawless,” said CEO Matthew Levin.

Dedicated to maintaining industry-leading quality and full customization, Shuffled Ink requires superior digital presses capable of excellent ink laydown on embossed stocks and precise registration both front-to-back and sheet-to-sheet. The company previously printed its cards on equipment from one of the leading digital press providers for over a decade. Although the presses were capable of high-quality printing, relentless breakdowns and insufficient service meant Shuffled Ink could no longer rely on them to consistently produce. The company eventually reached a breaking point searching for a viable alternative and were weeks away from cutting its business in half, raising its order minimum to 1000, outsourcing printing to its offset partners, and letting half of its staff go.

All In with Versafire

Having previously demoed older generations of the Versafire, Shuffled Ink was skeptical the technology would work for its stringent requirements. After speaking with HEIDELBERG sales and running print trials on a new Versafire LP, Levin said, “We were completely blown away. Excellent registration and flawless ink laydown. It was clear HEIDELBERG and Ricoh had drastically improved the technology between generations.”

Shuffled Ink quickly decided to purchase its first Versafire LP shortly after testing. Installed earlier this year, the Versafire LP is HEIDELBERG’s newest and most productive toner-based digital press to date with a capacity up to 2,600,000 letter pages per month. Prior to installation, Levin said his production department was often battling its older digital presses just to get them to run. The company had begun turning down work in fear of not being able to produce in a timely and cost-effective manner. Since installation, Shuffled Ink is now ahead of its production schedule, and its Versafire quickly outpaced the production of its two older presses combined.

In addition to reliable production, the Versafire’s automatic inline registration control and color calibration mean absolute consistency during the print run. Each card deck produced by Shuffled Ink is finished using a highly specialized die cutter, meaning that even a 0.5 mm deviation in registration can make the product unusable. According to Levin, “Run after run, this machine holds the registration: front to back, sheet to sheet, and job to job, which allows us to efficiently run our downstream processes.”

The company then quickly decided to install a second Versafire LP only a few months after its first – further expanding its capacity and enabling future growth. “There’s just a peace of mind having the Versafires on the production floor,” said Levin. “Their consistency is helping us win new business. We’ve been treading water for quite some time, and we’re now finally breathing a sigh of relief.”

He also noted that, along with the Versafire’s advanced technology, the strong service dynamic between HEIDELBERG and Ricoh plays a crucial role in his company’s success with the products. If any issues arise with the machines, the service technicians are highly efficient and effective in their repairs, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted production.

While Shuffled Ink does not operate its own in-house offset equipment, it exclusively outsources its longer runs (over 3,000 decks) to companies who run HEIDELBERG equipment. Levin respects the production expertise that HEIDELBERG brings to the table. He said, “In my experience, HEIDELBERG isn’t just focused on selling another product. They listen to our needs, educate us, and provide genuine value to our business.”

Source: Heidelberg

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with In-plant Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of In-plant Impressions.