Want to see the printing process? A day at a printer's in Prague

femalegamer

The artist is still working on the first card, so my husband has only experimented with wood thicknesses so far, using a (horrible resolution) Rider Waite image. Right now, I think he's going for 1/16 or 3/32 thickness Cherry, which seems to have enough flex to not just break, but still burns well.

He has a Engraving Laser with a 18X24 (by six inches deep, I think? Maybe eight) bed, and he more or less sends images from Corel Draw just like sending them to a printer. He uses CorelDraw (and could use PSP) because vector graphics are engraving, while bitmap or raster graphics (which includes jpgs and gifs) are cut differently.

So, I don't have a card to show, but here's some examples of what his work looks like: http://www.dragonfiresigns.com/symbol.htm
 

baba-prague

It looks as though it's going to make a very unusual deck, I'd really like to see what he comes up with - this technique is completely new to me.
 

femalegamer

As soon as he gets his first picture read and printed, I'll be posting it here. People have been really supportive in my thread for the idea of a pirate deck. Maybe I'll even scan in that test card, just to show off a bit.
 

baba-prague

Good - we got pictures of the packing!

I wasn't sure if we'd get anything much, but in fact Alex spent most of the other day with the packers, helping to lay stuff out and put a good system in place.

If you'd like to see the VERY high-tech methods we use to collate cards here in Prague :) the link is on the studio/store blog here:

http://baba-store.livejournal.com/

Nearly there - well, in fact we do have a grand total of FOUR packed decks now (no sets as yet, but it won't be long...)
 

Cocobird55

Fascinating! So many things are a combination of high-tech, low-tech these days.

Thanks!

Sue
 

HudsonGray

Boy does that bring back memories! 1985 the New Vision Tarot by Liz & Steve. We got so punch drunk going in circles in the living room, the six of us DID collate 200 decks in one afternoon but we ended up somewhat short at the end on some, as the cards sometime stuck together and two would be put in instead of one. It helped to do it in batches of 10 and then assemble those.

That looks like a pretty large deck of cards. How are they at being shuffled?
 

baba-prague

HudsonGray said:
Boy does that bring back memories! 1985 the New Vision Tarot by Liz & Steve. That looks like a pretty large deck of cards. How are they at being shuffled?

You collated the New Vision? Really?

Well, it's still largely done by hand here - I suppose things will change, but for now, it's as high-tech as you see!

The cards maybe look larger in these pictures but they're exactly the same size as Tarot of Prague second edition, Fairytale Tarot et al. It seems to be generally agreed that it's about as large as you can get while still being (for most people) okay to shuffle. So we'll stick with this size for the foreseeable future.

We have the first decks - but only FOUR, so we won't begin shipping for a week or so.
 

Rosanne

I keep looking at the photos at the print shop and willing everything faster lol. I know several in the boxes are mine, all mine. In celebration I sing...
Sumer is icumen in:
Lhude sing cuccu.
Groweth sed and Bloweth med
And springth the wde nu.
Sing cuccu.
Awe bleteth after lomb,(thats a sheep hehe)
Lhouth after calve cu,
Bulluc sterteth, bucke verteth.
Murie sing cuccu.
Cuccu, cuccu,
Wel singes thu cuccu.
Ne swik thu naver nu.
Sing cuccu nu, sing cuccu.

13th Century song of anticipation.
I naver nu (nor cease to) sing either~Rosanne :love:
 

Fulgour

Rosanne said:
Sumer is icumen in: Lhude sing cuccu.
I love this song! Thanks, Rosanne!
And congratulations baba-prauge :)
 

Sophie

78 boxes - gosh!

I'm singing along with Rosanne - Summer is icumen in - and singing a loud COUCOU! (which also means "hello, look my way!" in French ;) - cos I'm hoping one of those four decks is mine :D)