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Our dear sweet factory have not disappointed! We've been bouncing back and forth about materials and shipping options which has been great fun and resulted in the above proof copies showing off the upgraded box. We were originally going to do a regular thin box, but we splashed out for this lided one which will last so much longer in use.

They have told us that they're busier than usual and don't have a production slot for our printing until June, so to compensate for that delay we'll be having them shipped by a faster route. We were planning to go via train which can be a tad slow, now we'll go air and save anything up to a month in twiddling our thumbs.

Now that the cards are locked in and off to print we've passed the files back to Shuyi, our art and design wizard, to convert into a tidy print-and-play PDF that we all enjoy while we wait for the cards to parachute in. 

The factory have a track record of being faster than they say they'll be, but it's best not to get our hopes up for that. Think of it as a sometime-treat, and if it happens I'll be right here bleating on about it.

More soon!
Dan

Wow, thanks everyone, it's great to know that you can make a nice straightforward campaign without all the song and dance and people will still turn out for it!

In the spirit of simplicity, the next stages are not complicated. Priority #1 is locking in the files with the printer so we can secure a slot for getting the cards printed. Our files are ready to go, assuming the factory doesn't have changes they need us to make, so it's mostly down to their schedule as to when the printing resolves. In the past they have never taken more than a month for anything, and this is less complicated than what we've done with them before.

At the same time as we send the files to the factory we will use those same files to set up the digital/POD edition. POD does require us to order and confirm a print proof which can take a while depending on trans-Atlantic post situations. DriveThru have taken quite a while in the past to dispatch printed cards to us but that was a long time ago, maybe things are faster now. Still, even before the POD goes live there will at least be a digital version people can mess about with if they're feeling crafty.

We will wait until the last moment to lock in shipping costs, since things are, shall we say, changeable at the moment. We'll likely set it off a week or two ahead of the cards ETA, so as to minimize the possibility of complications.

More soon!
-Dan

Oh wow! 4 days left and we hit the £11k mark. Thanks everyone!

Honestly, I'm very pleasantly surprised at how enthusiastic everyone has been for the project; industry logic regarding crowdfunding is that every project needs to be "worth" $40 per backer to be a success. And here we are, with a sensibly priced, functional thing with no bells or whistles, and it's doing perfectly well. So once again, thanks for being involved!

Regarding the TOP SECRET goal: it is likely this will remain SOMEWHAT SECRET until we can confirm whether it's possible or not. I have learned (again, and again, and again...) that being too enthusiastic for what we can achieve in a given time can end up with everyone being less than thrilled, so I'm gonna stay MYSTERIOUS until I can say with certainty. All I'll say is we need to have another meeting with the factory first, and that it's not gonna be a massive "oh wow, that's insane" surprise, more of a "huh, that's handy" one.

I'll keep you informed!
DAN OUT!