Deck Printing Companies

Aster Breo

I'm looking for recommendations for a deck printer.

I'm thinking about making my own Lenormand deck, mostly so I can have a deck that presents the symbols exactly as I want them. (Which is mostly simple drawings, uncluttered, not set in a specific time period, probably with numbers and playing card inserts but not titles, and following the directionality of the symbols as presented in the Game of Hope deck. And maybe with a few extra cards. Again -- just my personal preferences.)

If I do this, I'll be working with an artist, since I can't draw. Unless I want the Stick Figures Lenormand. ;-D

I'm not looking to sell a bunch of these, although I'm happy to if anyone else wants one. I'm more interested in doing this for myself.

Given those factors, can anyone recommend a printer?

Thanks!

~ Aster
 

Yelell

I remember gregory and others outside the USA prefering printerstudio not only for the cardstock, but also because gamecrafter decks hit them with hefty import fees? That might be something else to think about if you do end up deciding to sell outside the USA.

-I found one of the posts

For the record - as it was VERY important to my decision - PS ship in bulk to hubs around the world, and decks are shipped on to buyers from there. This means that individual buyers do not get hit with customs charges as they do with decks from Gamecrafter - that is a killer, for me - I have SO often had to pay out almost the amount the deck cost me :(
 

karen0205

Who ever you use for printing, make sure your artist draws in the correct
size for the printer. If they have to crop it or readjust it, the images can
become out of proportion and ruin the whole deck.

I'm looking for recommendations for a deck printer.

I'm thinking about making my own Lenormand deck, mostly so I can have a deck that presents the symbols exactly as I want them. (Which is mostly simple drawings, uncluttered, not set in a specific time period, probably with numbers and playing card inserts but not titles, and following the directionality of the symbols as presented in the Game of Hope deck. And maybe with a few extra cards. Again -- just my personal preferences.)

If I do this, I'll be working with an artist, since I can't draw. Unless I want the Stick Figures Lenormand. ;-D

I'm not looking to sell a bunch of these, although I'm happy to if anyone else wants one. I'm more interested in doing this for myself.

Given those factors, can anyone recommend a printer?

Thanks!

~ Aster
 

Aster Breo

Thanks, everyone! This is very helpful info.

Printers Studio and Gamecrafters were the ones that came up in my search.

Does anyone have any thoughts about how they compare (other than the import issue)?
 

blue_fusion

You could also try searching for print-on-demand playing card printers like www.makeplayingcards.com (Printerstudio's sister company). There are a lot of these companies nowadays.

Here's an article I stumbled upon while searching for printers: http://gotgeniusgames.com/kickstarter-topic-4-manufacturing-a-card-game/

It compares 4 different printers and their pros and cons. I'm sure there are a lot of other reviews like this, reviewing other printers.

You'll notice that it's much easier to look for Lennie printers since the cards are the size of playing cards, which are much more commonly produced than tarot.
 

Aster Breo

Thanks!

A print on demand printer might be best, since I'm not planning to sell many, if any.
 

eldritchgreene

I've used Makeplayingcards.com before to print some of my personal designs and they're great, I hear Printerstudio.com is basically the same company and they offer better prices for 1-2 decks (MPC offers the best prices from 6 decks onwards). I wish i could use them for my online shop but their pricing scheme doesn't work out too well for orders one by one and is better suited for bigger orders selling-wise.

I would recommend you order you 'proofs' in different card stocks so you can keep the one you like the best. I never really cared for the expensive plastic one, even though it's waterproof. But linen and now premium smooth (new at MPC) are worth a try.

(wink)
 

Aster Breo

Thanks! That's very helpful advice.