Playing board games is a great way to have fun and bond with friends and family. And when you create your own board game, printing professional-looking cards at home puts the perfect finishing touch on your creation.
But knowing the best practices for DIY board game card printing separates an amateur looking game from one that belongs on the shelf at Target.
As a professional custom game cards printing manufacturer, I will share a step-by-step guide for how to print board game cards at home that look great and stand the test of gameplay.
Why Print Your Own Board Game Cards?
Before we jump in, let’s quickly go over the reasons you might want to print your own cards versus using a professional printing service:
Cost – Professional printing has high minimums. For testing you only need a few decks so home printing saves money.
Convenience – No waiting for delivery. Print cards anytime you need them.
Iterating Designs – Easily test tweaks and changes to card layouts and text without paying for reprints.
Faster Idea Testing – Have a new game idea? Print just the cards you need to playtest without fully developing the game.
Gifting – Print a custom card game as a memorable present for family and friends.
Small Distribution Runs – Offer Print-and-Play versions you can sell while garnering interest for a bigger professionally printed production.
Clearly home printing has some big advantages, especially for indie designers and game developers early on.
Now let’s see how it’s done…
How to Print Board Game Cards
Choose Card Stock Thickness
Playing cards need stiffness for easy handling and shuffling. But home printers can only accept paper up to a limited thickness.
Mailer card stock is good for home printing card games. Around 67lb/170gsm, it has stiffness close to true playing cards. Plus it feeds smoothly avoiding jams.
For cards requiring extra durability, consider photo card stock. At around 80lb/216gsm, it’s extremely tear resistant. Just be cautious of potential paper jams.
Tweak Printer Settings
Most printers default to low quality ink saving settings unsuitable for game components.
Go into the print menu and set quality to “best” or “high”. This uses more ink but makes attractive, vivid cards.
Turn off any default scaling or “fit to page” options. Cards need accuracy to align fronts and backs.
Download Game Card Templates
Recreating card backs, corners and faces from scratch gets tedious. Instead download premade templates to print on.
For example, publisher The Game Crafter offers free templates for poker sized cards and more. They include bleed margins and safe cutting zones.
The free video game creation software RPG Maker also includes printable card sheet templates. Convenient for card battle games.
Carefully Print Fronts and Backs
Misalignment between card faces and backs screams amateur. Avoid this by:
- Manually feeding paper one sheet at a time
- Print only a single side then reinsert pages to print backs
- If doublesided printing, use the correct setting
Whichever method you use, print fronts and backs on separate paper stacks. Then combine them only after cutting to ensure alignment.
Cut Cards Using a Paper Trimmer
Skip scissors in favor of an electric paper cutter for quicker, cleaner cuts. Look for one with an alignment guide to precisely cut along printed crop marks.
Before cutting laminate printed cards if possible (see next step) for protection and rigidity. Handle gently before laminating as ink may still be wet.
Laminate For Protection and Shuffle Ability
Even with thick card stock, unprotected cards start showing wear quickly. Laminating prolongs life expectancy to a level expected of published games.
Use 5mil laminating pouches for best balance of card thickness and protection. Be sure to trim laminate edges flush with the card after sealing to reclaim lost rigidity from extra laminate.
Round Corners
One subtle yet impactful finishing touch is rounding card corners. It prevents dog ears from shuffling and gives a polished completed appearance.
Use a dedicated corner rounder punch for clean circular corners. For custom shaped notches, use a corner chomper. Take care not to overlap more than one previous notch to avoid biting off too much material.
Recap and Closing Thoughts
The best part of creating print-and-play board games is seeing your creation come to life exactly how you envisioned it. And producing professional quality cards yourself crowns all your hard work.
Just remember:
- Choose appropriate card stock weights
- Print using the correct templates and settings
- Carefully print backs and fronts on separate piles before combining
- Cut following crop mark guides
- Protect with laminate film and trim flush
- Add rounded corners for easiest shuffling
Follow these steps and you’ll have stunning homemade game cards that impress and inspire all who play your game!