 Pioneer publishers of studio cards were Rosalind Welcher, Fred Slavic, Nellie Caroll, Bill Kennedy and Bill Box.These independent card creators eventually found it difficult to compete after Hallmark Cards bought up shopping mall franchises so only Hallmark Cards would be displayed.In 1945, when Slavic was in the Merchant Marine, he and Welcher met in New York at a USO dance, and the following year, they became partners in a greeting card business, Panda Prints, with Welcher doing the artwork and Slavic handling the business and manufacturing aspects.