Publishing A Card Game

[Mekgames]

Ok my friend and I recently came up with a nifty little card game. Once we get all the cards visually designed it would be a great one shot game to have something selling which our big projects work themselves out. I have been looking around and printing cards is a royal pain. Does anyone know of someone who actually has information on what it would cost to print up decks of cards? Most of the companies that people here have said will print CCGs don't have prices on their sites, and I want to know what I'm getting myself into. Thanks.

[VisionaryEntertainment]

I would think that they would have a rep you could call and speak to about prices and what not. I know every printer I 've spoken to and asked for quotes have been very helpful.

[Wingnut]

Originally posted by Mekgames
Ok my friend and I recently came up with a nifty little card game. Once we get all the cards visually designed it would be a great one shot game to have something selling which our big projects work themselves out. I have been looking around and printing cards is a royal pain. Does anyone know of someone who actually has information on what it would cost to print up decks of cards? Most of the companies that people here have said will print CCGs don't have prices on their sites, and I want to know what I'm getting myself into. Thanks.

If you tell me the specs of the card game I can give you pretty close numbers for cost. You need to tell me the colors involved and card count.

Best,
Aldo

[Mekgames]

Ok were looking at a 82 card game right now. With pretty much all full process color. The case has not been designed, because we wanted to get a template from whoever published for us.

[NPC Philip Reed]

Before doing any serious work you want to select a printer and design everything around their stadard specs. I don't know of any printers that do an 82 card deck (or 41 card deck).

By using non-standard specifications you push your production costs from "Crap, that's expensive!" to "OW!"

[Caduceus]

Can't you throw some blanks in there? ;)

[NPC Philip Reed]

Originally posted by Stephen Henderson-Grady
Can't you throw some blanks in there? ;)

Yes. But how many? And are these Poker or Bridge-size cards? Common bleed? Does the printer have a set template for card printing? (Hint: Yes.)

Cards are a massive undertaking and should never be started until print issues are resolved.

[Mekgames]

To be perfectly honest the way you people make it sound I would be half tempted to purchase my own die cutter (you can get small ones for around 300) and just have the sheets printed and cut them out myself. I just wanted some suggestions of places to go to have them printed.

[LMPjr007]

Originally posted by NPC Philip Reed
Before doing any serious work you want to select a printer and design everything around their stadard specs. I don't know of any printers that do an 82 card deck (or 41 card deck).

By using non-standard specifications you push your production costs from "Crap, that's expensive!" to "OW!"

What is the "standard" deck size that a printer uses?

[Wingnut]

Originally posted by LMPjr007


What is the "standard" deck size that a printer uses?

Multiples of 55 or 60...It depends on the printer. Another size sometimes used is 72 (a'la Fluxx).

Best,
Aldo

[NPC Diet Evil]

If you print overseas the impact of non-standard specs and extras such as uncommon bleed, different backs, etc. are lessened to a great extent.

I'm paying my printer the same price for 4CP with bleeds and uncommon backs as I was for no bleed/common bleed and only one back.

Regarding doing your own cutting: if you do it yourself, plan to produce in the "Cheapass" style and price accordingly. Retailers won't want to stock a game with non-professional production values that are priced as if they were professionally printed.
Don't forget that the printers do more than just cut the cards, they round corners, smooth, and coat them too.

Just a thought.

Anye Sellers
Diet Evil Games
www.dietevil.com

[NPC John Nephew]

Many details vary. But suppose you're looking at a package with two decks of cards, 55 or 56 decks each, in a tuckbox (like a canasta double deck), with a rules sheet (folded, not big enough to need stapling), and suppose further that you can do it in 4/2 colors or fewer, and you could probably put together a run of 3000 to 5000 decks at a price of $3 per deck or lower.

I'm doing a lot of generalizing to guess that number...a CCG has many more variables to generalize (how many press sheets? foils? what randomization process/scheme? what kind of packaging options...the cost of plastic flowpack can be extremely high, but the it's almost all set-up cost and the actual quantity is near irrelevant), and I haven't dealt with any CCG production in years, so I wouldn't hazard a guess. (And a printer is not likely to be able to give you much of one unless they get a lot of those details.)