Cedar Wolf
So, I'm working on my deck, the Primal Tarot. One of the biggest sticking points has been the material it will be printed on. I'm neither a tarot collector (so I have no experiential understanding of the different kinds of stock, what holds up best, what people prefer, etc.) nor a trained designer (so I have no experience in translating what I envision into what printers can understand, and what is even possible).
That said, I tend to know what I like. And what I generally don't like is the kinds of cards stock most decks are printed on. They all, to some extent, just feel like plastic to me. Coatings, laminates, paper manufactured within an inch of its life to make it seem like plastic. I bought a copy of the Wild Unknown, just because everyone was raving about the stock. I got it, and I can see that it has a kind of tactile appeal, but it also feels like plastic to me.
I hate plastic. After receiving samples from Quality Playing Cards and bothering printers about what they would usually print cards on (plastic-y, all of it), I started thinking about alternatives. I looked at paper, and thought about what I'd like to feel.
The experiment I'm working with now is a textured paper that is somewhat similar to handmade paper (a "laid" finish, if anyone knows what I'm talking about). For me, it evokes cards that would have been used five hundred years ago, which is all pluses as far as I'm concerned. But laid paper, especially in heavier weights, is ridged. It means that the cards don't slide against one another like people are used to. It's not that you can't work with them; I cut out a few sample decks and I've been just shuffling them. You get the trick after a few shuffles. It's pretty easy to figure it out.
But if there's one thing that being on Aeclectic has showed me, it's that people can get pretty attached to what they already know. I'm worried that, however evocative and sensual this kind of stock (or some other variant I might settle on) is for a deck of tarot cards, people are going to stay away from the deck just because it doesn't fit their expectations.
And, I mean, it's not like my deck is going to be completely free of petrochemicals, regardless. If I don't coat the images, they'll just rub off after a few shuffles. I'm hoping the coating I want won't change the feel too much, but I still have to work with the printer to get clear on that.
My real question is, if you got some cards that didn't feel like you were used to them feeling, would you just say "No" and sell it off or stick it up in the attic? How much room do think there is for tarot people to let in a different conception of what a deck could be?
I'd be happy for any feedback, positive or negative, because really this question is almost starting to keep me up at night. (Stupid perfectionism.)
That said, I tend to know what I like. And what I generally don't like is the kinds of cards stock most decks are printed on. They all, to some extent, just feel like plastic to me. Coatings, laminates, paper manufactured within an inch of its life to make it seem like plastic. I bought a copy of the Wild Unknown, just because everyone was raving about the stock. I got it, and I can see that it has a kind of tactile appeal, but it also feels like plastic to me.
I hate plastic. After receiving samples from Quality Playing Cards and bothering printers about what they would usually print cards on (plastic-y, all of it), I started thinking about alternatives. I looked at paper, and thought about what I'd like to feel.
The experiment I'm working with now is a textured paper that is somewhat similar to handmade paper (a "laid" finish, if anyone knows what I'm talking about). For me, it evokes cards that would have been used five hundred years ago, which is all pluses as far as I'm concerned. But laid paper, especially in heavier weights, is ridged. It means that the cards don't slide against one another like people are used to. It's not that you can't work with them; I cut out a few sample decks and I've been just shuffling them. You get the trick after a few shuffles. It's pretty easy to figure it out.
But if there's one thing that being on Aeclectic has showed me, it's that people can get pretty attached to what they already know. I'm worried that, however evocative and sensual this kind of stock (or some other variant I might settle on) is for a deck of tarot cards, people are going to stay away from the deck just because it doesn't fit their expectations.
And, I mean, it's not like my deck is going to be completely free of petrochemicals, regardless. If I don't coat the images, they'll just rub off after a few shuffles. I'm hoping the coating I want won't change the feel too much, but I still have to work with the printer to get clear on that.
My real question is, if you got some cards that didn't feel like you were used to them feeling, would you just say "No" and sell it off or stick it up in the attic? How much room do think there is for tarot people to let in a different conception of what a deck could be?
I'd be happy for any feedback, positive or negative, because really this question is almost starting to keep me up at night. (Stupid perfectionism.)