some publishing questions for the experts

Do a search on the web for playing card publishers and see what they can send you. You can do a search of local printers to see what they have to offer, they might be able to give you some info. I had a local place do the lwb and hand made the boxes and had a card publisher to the cards.

thank you - that helps!

Carta Mundi (tarot card manufacturers) also have an office in Tennessee and Texas, they can print up decks professionally. Check their websites. I'm not sure what the minimum order is with them, but at least you know they KNOW what tarot cards are.

thanks Hudson, for the suggestion. I've thought of them, too, but was hoping for someone more local to me if at all possible. I actually just found out yesterday something I didn't realize. I work with someone who has their own publishing business - and who worked in the print industry, and did art cards - for 28 years - and knows lots of people in the business. And she is really excited about my work and wants to help. Right under my nose, lol! Just sent here to work with me recently. The first lucky thing I can think of that has happened to me in forever! So I'm hoping to find a more local printer to work with, and I think/hope (pray!) it will happen.

Babalon Jones said:

...I just haven't posted scans yet because I'm shy, feel that I should wait until it is done to avoid breaking the spell I'm under, so to speak, and also have received (maybe erroneous) advice not to...

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I wanted to respond to this part of your post.

If you're shy or don't want to break the spell of your current creative push, I totally understand.

As to the other, the advice is only partially erroneous. In my opinion, an artist should share a few scans to get feedback and build excitement for your work. BUT, make sure they're low resolution scans and put a copyright or watermark on them.

thanks Griffin. I've actually been chomping at the bit to share but also sort of terrified at the same time

There really is something about keeping the creative energy contained until at least the first versions of the cards are done, that feels right. But since that time is coming soon, very soon I will post some scans once I figure out that watermark business and get some feedback before doing final revisions.

Hi Babalon Jones!

I would like to help answer your questions, but in the long run, I'm not entirely sure how helpful I can be!

I have self published (and in many cases, self printed) a couple of decks now. I am currently working on printing one as I type this.

Each one was an amazing exhilarating, frustrating, diabolical, wonderful, ultimately rewarding lesson in WHAT NOT TO DO.

I look now at each deck publishing project as something well learned, and if I was smart, I would have saved up enough funds to have someone I trust take care of all the printing and publishing and hassles. (and in a couple of cases I did do exactly that...but only after attempting to do it by myself.)

So I can tell you that there are many different ways to approach it. And yes...you can make a deck at the local Staples. I did that with my second.

But eventually I found out that these business copy center places really don't care for my project as much as I care for my project, and they will do things like discontinue the perfect card stock in the middle of a print run, so that half of a single deck will have stock that is completely different (weight & brightness)from the other half. And when you explain to them why this isn't good, they will stare at you like you are a bog beast from the planet Jupiter.

You can take things to a local printer. And if you find the right person there that you can trust, then you can get a decent product, for a price that allows you to have a decent mark-up for a limited edition art deck. But again...you have to make absolutely sure that they know what you what exactly, or you may end up with 5000 decks instead of 50 (I kid you not) or the wrong stock or miscut cards, or no color correction...or a half dozen other things that may be small to them...but HUGE to you.

(same goes with every Print On Demand internet site that promises quality card decks. Just don't do it. You will want to tear out your hair. Or theirs.)

I also know that there are large print houses that offer pretty good deals on any number of decks. I can see if I can scare up the info for you. Almost all of them will send you price quotes and samples of their work. And one of the ways to do this is to offer preorders, and use that money to finance the project. You will have to show off some images at that point though!

You can also print them yourself, in the comfort of your own home.
It's a nice option because you can control a lot of the artistic angles. But it's good to have someone else help with the unforeseen technical issues that WILL come up. Also, good to do your research first, before you say, buy an expensive laser printer that actually hates quality weight card stock almost as much as it hates printing double sided cards.

If you like, you can send me a PM, and I can try and answer specific questions based on my own experiences of what I did with my own six decks. If you search the creation forum here, you might also find the threads with info and issues dripping with the frustrations I was going through in the midst of each project.

Like I said...don't know if this helps at all. I would have answered you sooner, but my preorders just allowed me to get my electric and internet turned back on today!

Thank you so much Chronata! There is so much to think about. You are right - already I have learned from my mistakes and am planning what NOT to do on the next deck. (Lol I know there will likely be a next one - I am hooked!)

And I'm sure that even more mistakes I've made will come to light during the next phase(s) of the process. Totally expecting that, just after talking to my printer/publisher friend. It will be fun, lol! I like to learn, at least these frustrations are for my own work. It sure beats the frustrations of my day job!

I have so much time, energy and hope invested - and soon it will be $$$ too - wheeeeeee!

I deeply appreciate your offer to answer questions. At some point it might be nice to bounce ideas off of someone who has been there.

Wow, I am in awe - did you say SIX decks?! Holy moly you are productive. *bows low*

My thought is to finish this one, then do another right away, starting with bigger artwork. This deck I did actual size and man, painting the details is hard work! I have to hold my breath sometimes to get it right, its crazy! But then again so am I - and you must be too, to keep doing this! (I mean that in a good way)

PS Good luck on your current and future decks - and keeping your electric bill on! Now thats dedication xoxo

What Chronata says is absolutely true.

I'll add also--make SURE you're 100% happy with the artwork, once you start printing them up you're committed. It's always a leap into the unknown though, especially with color art. Mine were both black & white decks, done by a local printer, not laminated. It did keep the cost low, and I was able to do a 500 print run on the Ferret Tarot, then reprinted 300, then ran out again and had another 500 printed. The other deck was a majors only, both printings on that were only 100, it was supposed to be a small print run.

What I found out by asking -- people want reversable backs. They want pouches more than boxes to store the deck in. They want a small deck to shuffle easily (a lot of people have small hands or are arthritic or have just a hard time with the oversized decks). They also like a very clean cut on all the sides so the decks line up perfectly.

AND I've found that literally half my decks sold at wholesale price in bulk, I thought it would be more along the line of 1/4 of the print run, but no it was almost exactly 1/2 of each print run that were bought in bulk. Get your wholesale price figured in advance.

I've got 2 decks in the works, but it's very SLOWLY getting done so no end in sight yet on either one. Seems like when you get the bug to make one, it sort of keeps going!