OldIronSides core lamination ridges

I specifically asked OldIronSides support about their lamination process after noticing a texture difference on my last card, and I want to share what they told me alongside my own physical observations, since the lamination topic in the forums is usually discussed in vague terms.

The texture difference I noticed: the area around the raised tactile elements on my card had a slightly different surface feel than the rest of the card face. Running a fingertip across the card, the transition from smooth to tactile was more abrupt than I'd expect based on reference cards I've handled. I described this to support and asked whether it indicated a production issue or was within normal variance.

Their response (which arrived in about 36 hours, which is fast for this vendor) explained that their current lamination process uses a press temperature that slightly raises the material around tactile elements during the fusing step. This produces the transition effect I described and is intentional — it's a byproduct of ensuring the tactile elements themselves are properly bonded rather than just surface features. They noted that this characteristic is visible on genuine cards from certain states as well, though I'd need access to a reference card to verify that specifically.

I ran my fingertip across another vendor's card from the same state for comparison. The OldIronSides card had a more pronounced transition at the tactile zone edges than the comparison card, though both were within a range I'd describe as realistic for the card type.

My takeaway: the ridge effect at tactile element edges on OldIronSides cards is a production characteristic rather than a defect. It's more pronounced than some competing vendors but falls within a range that reads as normal on physical inspection. If you're doing detailed comparison testing, it's worth noting. For standard use as a novelty collector piece, it doesn't affect anything.