How would you grade this ink spot?

[UnlimitedRealities]

This book looks pretty good, except for the ink spot on top in the center. It looks like it came from the printer that way, and is on the edge of all the pages, although the ink doesn't run down into the pages. How much of a hit would you give this?

[fulltimer56]

That's a nice looking book and for me the ink spot ain't a problem.

[mordo]

It looks like a distributor stripe. If so, Overstreet doesn't consider it a defect.

[fastballspecial]

I would look at it like this. If you are borderline between a VF+ and a VF/NM then give it the VF+ grade and qualify it by saying it has the distributor ink or a printer defect. Other then that the defect is so small probably even CGC might pass it by and OS does not take printer defects into effect unless its extreme from what I have seen.

[comicstock]

I'd go with solid Very Fine. It's a defect, happened at the printer I'd guess, and it'd have to come in below Near Mint minus, IMHO. I'm a pretty conservative grader...or at least that's what I've been told.

[marvelguy]

Ink bleed isn't considered a defect, I would grade it without considering anything about the ink spot.

[comicstock]

Glancing thru the Overstreet Grading Guide (2nd ed), the only term in the glossary that may apply to this kind of defect is Distributor Stripes: Color brushed or sprayed on the edges of comic book stacks by the distributor to code them for exchange at the sales racks. Distributor stripes are not considered a defect.

[fulltimer56]

Yeah, what Jim says!!

[UnlimitedRealities]

Thanks for all the replies. Of course I'd seen the stripes before, although I didn't know what they were. I just found the bleed down into the cover kind of annoying. Ended up giving it a 6.5. Thanks again.