The Rosetta Tarot

OK finally, as promised, I have updated the blog for the Journey through the Creation of a Tarot deck series, to begin sharing some info about self publishing.

This post talks about various tools for DIY manufacturing of a tarot deck at home. It is probably only of interest to those of you who want to handcraft a small (50-100) edition of tarot decks at home. I bought and tested a lot of equipment and share some of what worked and didn't.

http://blog.rosettatarot.com/2012/0...-on-printing-publishing-and-production-2.aspx

I didn't do that with the Rosetta, I hired a professional printer, as it turned out I wanted to make more decks than that, and it would have been impossible to do that many by hand. So the next post after this one will talk about the professional printers, boxes, books, publishing, ISBN and all sorts of stuff like that, that I actually did end up doing.

Thanks SO much BJ...very helpful!

This was a WONDERFUL post!!

It certainly was. If I had ever CONSIDERED self printing, I have gone RIGHT off it

gregory, I do think it can be done, and I actually intend to do it someday, but ONLY for a limited edition of decks. The key piece of equipment I think besides a good printer is the die cutter. Without that, I wouldn't even attempt it except for majors only.

I want to someday do a very limited edition of a deck for collectors this way. The only thing I still have to work out is the cost of inks and the coating issue. I could do it right now, using the nice archival inks, or even the less expensive generic ones, but it would have to be an unlaminated, uncoated deck, which would be fine I guess for a collectors item but not for a working deck, as inkjet runs if it gets at all moist or wet if not coated. Lamination makes the deck too plasticky and thick and so far the coatings have proved either sticky, smelly, messy or overly laborious...

but I have got so far, eventually the final piece will come to me. lol...

Or, I mean, how DO collectors feel about very limited edition decks with no coating? Or for that matter, about laminated decks? guess that is the question...

Babalon Jones said:

Or, I mean, how DO collectors feel about very limited edition decks with no coating? Or for that matter, about laminated decks? guess that is the question...

Click to expand...

They feel destitute a lot Decks like that cost big time - there are a couple I have had to pass on just recently

I have a couple that I am afraid of, as I suspect the inks may run. No coating is OK - as long as nothing rubs off. I have one deck from a creator's earliest printing where it DOES rub off - bless her, when I mentioned it somewhere, she sent me a new un-ruboffable set on uncut sheets ! I am happy with unlaminated - so long as they will hold up to careful use.

gregory said:

They feel destitute a lot Decks like that cost big time - there are a couple I have had to pass on just recently

I have a couple that I am afraid of, as I suspect the inks may run. No coating is OK - as long as nothing rubs off. I am happy with unlaminated - so long as they will hold up to careful use.

Click to expand...

Good to know that uncoated can be seen as OK. Albeit expensive. And yes, the inks on something like that would run if they get wet. The ink/paper combo I have in mind for potential future small run projects won't rub off though and look really nice (you have actually seen them used on the personalizesd significator card backs for the bonus cards given away with the Rosetta)

All this is why I went with a professional printer for the Rosetta, but I still have dreams of hand making a few special editions of decks in the future.

Curious now though about what you consider a "reasonable" cost for such things. The hand made decks would be awfully labor extensive and expensive to produce, so not surprised the cost is prohibitive...

Babalon Jones said:

Curious now though about what you consider a "reasonable" cost for such things. The hand made decks would be awfully labor extensive and expensive to produce, so not surprised the cost is prohibitive...

Click to expand...

I'm not talking reasonable. I know the truly wonderful is out of my class. I used to be able to swing it at times, when I was still working, but not any more. I'm talking affordable ! But - well, check out Carol Herzer's site ? They are affordable as an occasional treat. And they print their own.

Posting this for all those who want to self publish a deck in the future.

This post covers everything I could think of that might be helpful for one to know about the printing process. The stuff I learned during the creation and printing of the Rosetta Tarot. The before, during, and after aspects of working with a printer are all mentioned. I hope that it brings some clarity to aspects of printing, a subject that I found quite challenging as a complete n00b to the trade, and helps someone else who may have a future printing project to tackle as a novice. I'm by no means an expert, but that is probably exactly the perspective that could help someone else who isn't!

http://blog.rosettatarot.com/2012/0...n-of-the-tarot-deck-on-the-earthly-plane.aspx

I had intended this to be the last post, wrapping up the series on "Journey through the Creation of a Tarot Deck" but there was just too much info to share about printing. So hopefully the next one will be the last one, and it will cover my experiences with all the other miscellaneous stuff that one might not consider, like the tarot card boxes, little white books, companion books, ISBN numbers, bar codes, copyrighting, shipping considerations...stuff like that. (I may be optimistic that it will be one more post, lol. Hopefully one! No more than two, as I'd like to wrap this up and start working in earnest on my new deck!)

Just because I keep my promises, here is a link to the LAST post in the "creation of a tarot deck" series http://blog.rosettatarot.com/2012/0...nd-ends-bits-and-bobs-flotsam-and-jetsam.aspx

Its all the "other" stuff like box and book cover design, copyrighting, shipping, to isBn or not to isBn, all that miscellaneous stuff that might be useful stuff for any self publishers to consider.

Whew. Not sure why I spent the hours and hours to write this series (eleven posts, about 30 pages in all) when I have so much else to do, except I hope someone finds it helpful someday. Now, onward to working on the next deck, Tarot M (http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=169229)