Want to create your own custom deck of playing cards? With a little effort, printing blank playing cards is totally doable.
In this step-by-step guide, as a professional custom playing card printing manufacturer, I’ll show you exactly how to print blank playing cards at home.
Whether you want to create homemade flash cards for your kids or whip up a custom deck for your nonprofit’s big fundraiser, by the end of this post you’ll know exactly what to do.
Why Print Blank Playing Cards?
Before we dive in, let’s quickly cover why you may want to print your own playing cards in the first place:
- Create Custom Games or Flashcards: Printing blank playing cards lets you create fully custom decks for educational tools or homemade games.
- Personalized Gifts: From wedding favors to employee gifts, custom playing cards with your photos or logo make for memorable keepsakes.
- Promotional Giveaways: Want an eye-catching handout for your next conference booth or pop-up shop? Printed playing cards can help your brand stand out.
Pretty cool, right? Now let’s get into the details on how to print on blank playing cards.
How to Print Blank Playing Cards
Choose Your Blank Playing Cards
Obviously, step one is to get your hands on some blank playing cards.
You’ve got numerous options here, but I recommend sticking with cards made from thick cardstock as opposed to flimsy paper (for durability) or plastic (harder to print on at home).
Some top blank playing card options:
- Bicycle Cards: You can’t go wrong with the well-known Bicycle brand. Their blank cards sport the familiar Bicycle card back design with a blank white face.
- MakePlayingCards Blank Decks: MPC offers blank playing cards in paper and plastic. I suggest the paper cards made from premium 305 gsm cardstock.
- The Game Crafter Blank Decks: Another quality cardstock option sporting The Game Crafter’s recognizable card backs.
Once you’ve got your cards, it’s time to prep your print file.
Create Your Print-Ready File
You’ve got options when it comes to creating a print file for DIY playing cards. Let’s look at some software you can use.
Use a Template (Easiest Option)
For us less design-savvy folks, templates make printing playing cards dead simple.
Sites like MakeCustomCards and Word Template offer free playing card templates for programs like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Photoshop, Illustrator, and more.
Custom playing card template
With templates, you just insert your text, images, and graphics into a pre-made card layout to whip up a print-ready file fast.
Design Your Own (More Work, More Control)
If you want total creative control over your card designs, you can build your own custom layout from scratch using software like:
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Illustrator
- Microsoft Publisher
For example, here’s a Publisher file I designed to print DIY playing cards:
Custom playing card design in Publisher
The key things to include in your printable playing card file:
- Crop marks to indicate where cards will be cut
- Visual guidelines so cards print straight
- Bleed area for a professional finish
- Card fronts and backs as separate pages
Print Your Playing Cards
With your cards in hand and printable file ready, it’s time to print.
Let’s go over some quick printer tips:
Choose the Right Printer
While you can print playing cards on a standard desktop inkjet printer, I don’t really recommend it. The cardstock is too thick for most consumer printers to easily handle.
Instead, use a dedicated photo printer. The paper path on these machines is equipped for thicker media like playing cards.
Some top options:
- Canon PIXMA G7020
- Epson SureColor P400
- HP OfficeJet Pro 7720
Printer Settings
Refer to your printer’s manual on specifics, but here are some general guidelines:
- Paper Type: Select a Cardstock or Heavy Paper setting
- Print Quality: Choose Best quality
- Page Orientation: Set cards to print in portrait layout
- Color: Go with color to print the card backs
Check Alignment
Before you print a huge stack of cards, do a test print first. Check carefully that fronts and backs are aligned properly and images look crisp.
Make alignment or quality adjustments in your print file, then give it another go.
Once the test cards look great, print away!
Finish Your Cards
The final step is finishing the DIY cards for maximum durability and playability.
Here are some finishing touches to consider:
Card Rounding
Round the card corners using an office corner rounder punch or craft corner punch. This makes the cards easier to shuffle and gives them a polished, professional appearance.
Rounded card corners
Card Protectors (Optional)
For extra protection during use, slide finished cards into plastic card sleeves similar to what you would use for trading cards or collectibles.
Trading card protector sleeves
That’s it – with quality blank playing cards, a well-designed printable file, the right printer, and some helpful finishing touches, you can create your very own custom playing cards at home.
FAQ
Before we wrap up, let’s review some common questions about printing blank playing cards:
Can You Print Directly on Blank Playing Cards?
It’s very tricky to print directly onto blank playing cards, even with a good photo printer. The thick cardstock jams easily. Instead, I recommend printing on paper then adhering to the cards.
What About Printing at Home on an Inkjet Printer?
In theory you can print playing cards on an inkjet desktop printer. But without adjustments and special handling the ink will smear, quality will suffer, and paper jams are likely. Stick with a photo printer if possible.
What If I Need Larger Print Runs?
For larger quantities of custom decks (over ~250 units), consider sending your artwork to a professional playing card printing company instead. This ensures higher quality for mass production.
How Can I Get the Best Print Quality?
Use a photo printer, select the best settings for cardstock media, print at highest quality, design your file properly, and test! Finetune things like color profiles for optimal image quality.
And that wraps up this step-by-step guide on how to create custom playing cards by printing blank decks at home!