What type of printer can make playing cards is a common question for anyone looking to design and print their own custom decks. As an avid card player and game designer myself, I have tested out numerous printer models to find the ones that can produce professional-quality playing cards at home.
In this complete guide, as a professional custom playing card printing manufacture, I will share everything I’ve learned about choosing the right printer for DIY playing card projects, from inkjet vs. laser to finishing options. Let’s dive in!
What Type of Printer Can Make Playing Cards?
When selecting a printer to make playable cards, you need one that can handle cardstock paper and print in high resolution. The two main types suitable for home playing card printing are inkjet and laser printers.
Inkjet Printers for Playing Cards
Inkjet printers are the most affordable home printers capable of handling thicker paper stocks. Models like the Canon PIXMA and Epson Expression print vibrant, photographic-quality designs ideal for customized playing cards.
Here’s why inkjets work well:
- Print high resolution color graphics up to 4800 x 1200 DPI
- Compatible with cardstock and photopaper
- Affordable purchase price and running costs
- Widely available ink cartridges and parts
However, inkjet printed playing cards require finishing for durability:
- Ink smudges easily without protection
- Paper tears without reinforcement
So you’ll need to laminate or apply sealant spray to inkjet printed cards.
Laser Printers for Playing Cards
Laser printers use static electricity and toner powder to fuse prints onto paper. This makes laser printing better suited for handling cardboard and playing card stock.
Benefits of laser printers include:
- Toner adheres directly onto paper for durability
- Prints withstand handling without finishing
- Cost-efficient for high volume printing
- Produce professional matte finished results
The drawback is that affordable laser printers only print in black and white. You’ll need a professional grade color laser printer for printing color playing cards, which costs thousands.
All-in-One Printers
For convenience and versatility, consider a quality all-in-one inkjet printer like the Canon PIXMA TS9520.
These let you:
- Print, scan and copy card designs
- Print directly onto printable blank playing cards
- Create cardboard pieces with the feeder tray
- Add scan/copy functionality for around $200
So if you want a multi-use printer to streamline playing card projects, an all-in-one model is a smart way to go.
Material Options for DIY Playing Cards
To produce playing cards that look and feel like the real thing, choose the right materials:
Cardstock
Look for heavyweight, extra-thick specialty cardstock between 300-400 GSM (grams per square meter). Regular paper and cardstock under 250 GSM tears too easily.
Premium 32pt cardstock works and feels like real Bicycle playing cards. Just keep thickness under 10 mil for home printers.
Blank Playing Cards
For convenience, opt for pre-cut printable blank playing cards. These fit instantly into card shufflers, sleeves, and card boxes.
You can find bulk packs of blank playing cards in white and black core colors. Avoid thin or porous paper blanks – stick with quality cardstock.
What About 3D Printers for Making Cards?
3D printers like the Creality Ender 3 extrude melted plastic filament in ultra fine layers to build three dimensional objects. This makes them unsuitable for printing flat playing cards.
However, 3D printers can create awesome gaming components like custom dice, miniatures, and terrain.
So while you can’t print playable cards on them, 3D printers open up creative options for making other game pieces to complement your printed card decks.
Finishing and Protecting Printed Playing Cards
For long lasting playing card decks that withstand plenty of shuffling and gameplay, apply protective finishes:
Lamination
Laminate sheets or pouches add a clear plastic protective layer over paper. But laminating both sides makes cards too slippery and thick for gameplay.
Instead, just laminate card fronts and apply sealant spray to the backside. Use affordable cold home laminators on 5 or 10 mil laminating pouches.
Sealant Sprays
Spray sealants create a protective film over printouts to prevent smudging and moisture damage. They offer an easy way to waterproof playing cards printed at home.
Use removable or archival sealant sprays safe for inkjet/laser prints without added chemicals. Test brands like Krylon Preserve It first before treating full decks.
Card Sleeves
Sleeving cards in clear plastic or resealable game card sleeves adds protection for frequent gameplay. Just print cards at 63% size to fit snugly into standard sized 64mm sleeves.
Dragon Shield and Ultra Pro make quality sealable sleeve brands compatible with common card games like Magic: The Gathering.
Choice of Printers for Playing Cards in 2024
Thanks to advances in desktop printing technology, producing custom playing cards at home gets easier every year.
By 2024, expect consumer inkjet printers under $500 capable of handling cardstock with borderless bleed printing. This allows full face designs without white margins even on small card sheets.
Canon, Epson and HP will also launch updated color laser printers in the $800 range. Their high yield toner cartridges drive costs lower per printout.
So in the next year or two, affordable home printers will offer everything needed for stunning printable playing card designs in any size.
Let your imagination run wild creating the next hot collectible card or trading card game!