The Alchemy of the Ink: Why Card Manufacturers Guard Their Secret Coating Formulas
by Alex J Coyne © Gifts for Card Players, August 2026
Playing cards are a multi-billion dollar, worldwide industry. Casinos, card magicians, and clubs rely on their cards to be standard and reliable–and playing card companies like Bicycle have to make sure their cards are authentic and can’t be faked.
For the TCG industry where specific cards are bought and sold at high values, this is just as necessary. (The 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card sold for $16 million if you’re wondering just how “high-value” cards may get.)
Card manufacturers have to guard their inks and coatings like industry secrets, because that’s exactly what they are. Like money printing, special formulations are used to make cards individual enough so that they cannot be replicated outside the factory.
Here’s a closer look at the alchemy of the ink, and why card manufacturers guard their secret coating formulas.
Why Playing Card Companies (and Treasuries) Use Special Inks
According to Suprpetrix, Pokémon cards “are printed using industrial offset printing, the same process used for banknotes, textbooks, and magazines.”
Offset printing transfers an image from a plate to a rubber stamp, and from there to the final medium–which is usually paper, but might also be specific paper individual to that manufacturer.
Special inks are used so that companies can prevent fakery, and so that faked copies can be easily identified. Much like forged paintings, a replica often doesn’t use the correct paper or mixture of ink–and might look okay at “face value” though not work under close scrutiny.
Playing cards, says Vanishing Inc. Magic, “use standard four-ink methodology, just like a laser printer that you might use at home, but on a much larger scale.”
How It’s Made: Playing Cards takes you through a playing card factory where you can watch the entire process!
Anti-Counterfeit Measures for Playing Cards and TCGs
Casinos must be able to identify that all their playing cards are standard, authentic, and remain in the same state … Otherwise it would be too easy for players to insert cards or swop decks for high-stakes games.
In cases where cards or decks are a special edition, it’s obvious why a collector or buyer would want theirs to be authentic!
According to WJPlayingCard.com, one anti-counterfeit measure used at the table is an RFID reader. Where counterfeit cards are snuck in, the reader would immediately pick up the difference in cards–and alert the casino or staff.
Card Print Pros says that sometimes special inks are used to prevent counterfeiting; this ink has “unique functionalities designed to prevent illegal duplication or tampering of printed materials.”
It might be a special, individual ink formulation that protects the card or deck from being replicated. Sometimes a special ink may also be metallic or reflective, readable by a specific device or light spectrum.
If you’re wondering, this is also why paper money is often checked under UV (or ultraviolet) lighting.
How to Authenticate Your Cards
If you have a specific deck or playing card you would like to authenticate, here’s what you should do:
- Visit YouTube: Various authentication guides for Bicycle Cards show you what to look for when identifying cards. Sometimes specific elements may help you tell the difference between real or fake.
- Search the Serial: Some deck use specific backs and/or serial numbers that may help you identify the correct type or year. Bicycle Cards, for example, use an Ace of Spades date code printed on a single card to indicate the year of manufacture. Any discrepancy between what you’re looking at and official information could indicate a forgery.
- Ask the Manufacturer: If you’re still unsure, head to the manufacturer’s website (whether that’s Bicycle Cards or Konami) and get in touch. Usually, most manufacturers are happy to provide authentication or guidance.
Before buying anything valuable or collectible, always do your research!
Do you have any interesting card authentication stories to tell?
