Please Give Your Opinion...

[mbflash80]

Well after many years of trading and selling cigars I have finally run into a deal gone south.  Take a look at the pic below and pay attention to the far left cigar...opinions please.

[NSXCIGAR]

On the extreme end of the spectrum of acceptable printing error. As can be seen, the red print is just shifted over about 2 mm. Seen that kind of thing before. Off-center or shifted font is one of the most common band printing errors. 

I would conclude based on the band being missed in QC and the variation in wrapper shade these were from a 50 cab. That misprinted band would likely have been caught in a dress box and the wrapper colors more uniform.

[Bijan]

If you're not afraid of smoking a turd, just smoke one and you'll know right away what you have. I wouldn't conclude anything based on appearances.

[Jimmy_jack]

Take a look at where the bands are glued. Do you see the Swiss printers marks? Also bands aside, the color on those wrappers are awesome 🤩 

[cmitch]

15 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

On the extreme end of the spectrum of acceptable printing error. As can be seen, the red print is just shifted over about 2 mm. Seen that kind of thing before. Off-center or shifted font is one of the most common band printing errors. 

I would conclude based on the band being missed in QC and the variation in wrapper shade these were from a 50 cab. That misprinted band would likely have been caught in a dress box and the wrapper colors more uniform.

I have been in the printing industry near 40 years. That, I can tell you, is not an acceptable printing error. With such tight tolerances, 2 or 3 POINTS off is a major snafu. 2 mm is way off. Even when printing a 4 or 6 color process job with 150 line screen, just 1 row of dots off is detectable with the eye. 1 or 2 points would blur the picture. The above example does not, at all, mean the cigar is fake. Comparing the cigar band to the others tells me it is a band that should have been thrown out. That band goes through several printing processes. Printing, die cutting, and embossing. Some bands even go through foil stamping. Each time that band is run back through a process, the chance of a misregistration doubles. I have seen such errors. Hell, I've done it myself, but QC usually culls these out before they reach the final product. Depending on how many bands were up on a sheet would give you an idea of how many bad bands it could be. Just a common case of not Giving AF.

[mbflash80]

15 hours ago, Bijan said:

If you're not afraid of smoking a turd, just smoke one and you'll know right away what you have. I wouldn't conclude anything based on appearances.

Ive smoked 3 now from the box...2 were good...one was just ok...

 

thanks everyone for posting...I tend to agree with the idea that this is just a missed band in QC...although the worst printing job I have seen on a legit cigar that I can remember. 

[NSXCIGAR]

4 hours ago, cmitch said:

I have been in the printing industry near 40 years. That, I can tell you, is not an acceptable printing error. With such tight tolerances, 2 or 3 POINTS off is a major snafu. 2 mm is way off. Even when printing a 4 or 6 color process job with 150 line screen, just 1 row of dots off is detectable with the eye. 1 or 2 points would blur the picture. The above example does not, at all, mean the cigar is fake. Comparing the cigar band to the others tells me it is a band that should have been thrown out. That band goes through several printing processes. Printing, die cutting, and embossing. Some bands even go through foil stamping. Each time that band is run back through a process, the chance of a misregistration doubles. I have seen such errors. Hell, I've done it myself, but QC usually culls these out before they reach the final product. Depending on how many bands were up on a sheet would give you an idea of how many bad bands it could be. Just a common case of not Giving AF.

You obviously aren't familiar with Cuban QC...

Off-center printing and misalignment has been happening with Cuban bands for 100 years:

[BubbaLew]

Hoyo DC. Love those. I had a box from a time in Cuba, circa 2001-2005 when demand was so high, quality went out the window. Tons of plugged cigars were shipped.
 

I opened a box of Hoyo Double Coronas from 2003 just last year. I had put them away and forgot about them for 15 years! They had been sealed in shrink wrap. I rehumidified them for 2 months and they seemed ok. But every one I have smoked was plugged! These were made during that time in Cuba when quantity bested quality. So, seeing badly printed labels on Cuban cigars,  even from just 10 years ago or so, does not surprise me. After all, Cuba has some very old and worn printing presses. The newer embossed labels are better and must be the result of some investment in new equipment. Most likely Chinese-made printing presses!

Edited October 23, 2021 by BubbaLew
Misspelled.