Printing plate
A printing plate is a one-of-a-kind piece, shaped like a card, made from a plate used to print that card; plates usually come in four ink colors, so one card can have four.
In more detail
A 2009 beginner's glossary on Upper Deck's site describes printing plates as one-of-a-kind collector pieces made from the plate used to print a card and produced in the shape of a normal card. They usually come in the four colors needed for a color photo: black, cyan, magenta and yellow.
Checklists list them beside the rarest parallels. Checklist Insider's 2026 Topps Chrome Baseball guide lists Printing Plates numbered 1/1 next to the SuperFractor 1/1, and Upper Deck's 2026-27 Series 1 checklist lists UD Canvas Printing Plates as inserts in hobby and e-Pack.
Each color is its own one-of-one, so the four plates of one card are four separate pieces. Name the color, the player and the set when you list or buy one.
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