Printer's Scrap?

[steve B]

I forgot to mention that the reason a lot of scrap left the printers back then was that once was trash they'd have to pay to have hauled away was now something a clever employee could sell to card shops.

I saw two sheets cut up that I'd have loved to have bought, but the cost was just way too high. The first was an 82 Topps make ready sheet with a corner torn off and the card printed over the torn area.
Tearing off the corner was how the press operator typically marked the last makeready sheet before the stack of production stuff.

The other was a special sheet of just stars, usually in panels of 3. Topps offered cards by mail in 84, something like send in wrappers and some money for any 10 cards. designed to let people finish sets affordably, it ended with the expected run on stars. So special sheets were printed to cover the demand. Once in a while a panel will come up.

Steve B