So, I’d been kicking around this idea for a while: making my own tarot cards. Not to sell millions, you know, just to see if I could. And the thought of ordering a thousand decks upfront? No way, my garage is already full of stuff I don’t need. That’s where this “print on demand” thing popped into my head. Seemed like a good fit.
Getting Started – The Art Bit
First things first, I needed designs. Seventy-eight of them! That was a bit daunting, not gonna lie. I’m okay with a pencil, but digital art? That’s a whole other ball game. I started messing around with some simple symbols and shapes. I wanted something personal, not too complicated. I spent a good few evenings just sketching, then trying to make those sketches look decent on the computer. I found some public domain flourishes and textures online that helped fill things out, which was a lifesaver.
I decided on the standard tarot card size, mostly because it’s, well, standard. Made it easier to find templates later. The backs were simpler; I just wanted a repeating pattern that looked nice no matter which way up the card was.
Finding a Printer Dude (or Company)
Once I had a rough set of images, I started looking for places that actually print these things on demand. I typed “print on demand tarot cards” into the search bar and down the rabbit hole I went. So many options! Some looked super professional, some a bit sketchy. I wasn’t looking for the fanciest, gold-leafed, unicorn-tear-infused card stock. Just something sturdy that felt like a real card.
I mostly looked at:
- Card stock options – I wanted something with a bit of snap.
- Price per deck, especially for a single sample.
- How easy their website was to use. Some were just confusing.
Eventually, I settled on one that seemed to have a decent balance. Their uploader looked straightforward enough, which was a big plus for me.
Uploading and Fiddling
Okay, so I had my designs, and I had a printer. Now to get the two to talk to each other. This is where you gotta pay attention to the details. The printer had specific requirements for file size, resolution, and this thing called “bleed.” Basically, you make your image a little bigger than the card, so when they chop it, you don’t get weird white edges. I had to go back and adjust pretty much every single card image. Took a while, let me tell you. Resizing, checking the “safe zone” (so no important bits got cut off), and then saving everything in the right format. Lots of clicking. Lots of coffee.
Uploading itself was pretty smooth once I had all the files ready. Just dragged and dropped them into their system. Then I picked the card stock I wanted – I think I went for a standard smooth finish – and a simple tuck box.
The Wait and the Unboxing
Then came the hard part: waiting. I’d ordered just one sample deck. It wasn’t super expensive, but I was still eager to see how it turned out. Felt like ages, though it was probably only a week or two. When the package finally arrived, I was like a kid at Christmas. Ripped it open pretty much straight away.
And there it was. My own tarot deck. Holding it was a bit surreal. The box was decent, and the cards… well, the cards were actually cards!
So, How Did They Turn Out?
Overall, I was pretty chuffed. The colors were pretty close to what I saw on my screen, which is always a gamble. The card stock felt good – not too flimsy, not too stiff. They shuffled okay, which is important, right? The printing was crisp, and the cuts were clean. No weird off-center images, thankfully.
Were they perfect? Nah. A couple of the darker cards were a tiny bit muddier than I’d hoped. And looking at them in physical form, I spotted a few design elements I’d probably tweak if I did another run. Little things you just don’t notice on a screen. But for a first attempt, using print on demand, I was really happy.
The biggest lesson was probably to triple-check everything before hitting that final “order” button. And maybe order a physical proof of just one or two cards if the service offers it, before committing to a whole deck, even if it’s just one deck.
Now I’ve got this unique tarot deck that I actually made. It’s pretty cool. Not sure if I’ll make more, or try to sell them or anything. For now, it’s just a neat thing I did, and I learned a bunch along the way. Definitely a fun project if you’re into that kind of thing.