What to write in a card restoration report

The report is the last document the client receives, and the one that stays with the card even when it changes hands. A good report makes your work verifiable; a poor one, or none at all, leaves your word against anyone who says six months later that the card was not like that.

Written by hand, a complete report takes more than an hour for one card. This guide sets out a structure that holds up, and that can be filled in while you work rather than in the evening.

The six parts

1. Who and what

Studio name, client, commission and file codes, date. Then the card's identity: game, set, number, language, edition, any existing grade, value declared by the client.

2. Condition on arrival

The list of defects found at diagnosis, numbered and placed: "defect 1: whitening, right edge of the back, level 2". Next to it, the initial photographs in diffuse and raking light, with the numbers marked on the image.

3. The plan

What you had decided to do on each defect and with what stated risk, as it appeared in the final quote accepted by the client.

4. The treatments

For each defect treated: the procedure, the materials, the time, the parameters. You do not need to give away every trade secret, but it must be clear what was done to the card.

5. The outcome, defect by defect

The most important part. For each defect one of four outcomes, always the same:

• resolved;
• improved;
• unchanged;
• not treated, with the reason.

Always using the same four words makes reports comparable with each other and impossible to read as a promise.

6. Before and after

Final photographs with the same framing, light and distance as the initial ones, side by side. The comparison also shows what has not changed: that is what makes it credible. How to shoot them is covered in the guide on photographing defects.

Estimates go in a section of their own

If the client asks how the card might do at grading, you can answer, but separately from the rest of the report and under its proper name: a technical estimate. No restoration guarantees a grade, and grading companies may reject or flag a card that shows signs of work. Writing this in the document protects you even before the client.

Language

• Describe, do not sell: "scratch 3 is still visible under raking light" is worth more than "excellent result".
• Avoid "like new", "perfect", "fully restored".
• Use the same words as the quote: if it was "defect 4, dent", in the report it is still "defect 4, dent".

The report is not edited

Once delivered, the report is final. If you find an error, issue a new version that says what you are correcting, and keep the previous one in the archive. That is the rule that makes a document trustworthy.

How Registro does it

In Registro the report is generated from the card file: the defects marked at diagnosis, the plan, the logged work and the photos from every phase are already there. At the final check you set the outcome of each defect; the PDF comes out with your branding, in the client's language, and cannot be edited once sent. Valuation estimates stay in a separate section, labelled as such. More on the page about the restoration report.

Frequently asked questions

Should the report be signed?

It is good practice: your signature, and the studio stamp if you have one, say who takes responsibility for what is written. In Registro signature and stamp are uploaded once and appear on every document.

Is a report needed for a small job too?

Yes, even a short one. A single outcome line and two photographs are enough to settle a dispute before it starts.

Do I have to name the products I used?

That is up to you. Stating the type of treatment is enough for transparency; naming products is a professional choice.