How to Make Playing Cards
Fifty-two-card decks have been around for centuries and form the basis of countless enjoyable games. With the advent of new software and printing technology, you can now design decks of your very own. Decorate them with family photos, employ Tarot imagery or design your own variations of the classic suits and face cards. The design process itself can be just as enjoyable as playing with them when you're done, while giving the games you play a uniquely personal touch.
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Things You'll Need
- Design software Card stock paper or perforated card printouts Color printer Scissors Laminating plastic
Instructions
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Prepare a basic design idea for your deck. Standard playing cards come in four suits (red hearts, red diamonds, black spades and black clubs) and each suit requires 13 individual cards (the numbers 2 through 10, an ace, a king, a queen and a jack). Your card design needs to match those parameters, though it can vary as much as you like within them.
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Formalize your designs using a graphics program like Adobe Photoshop or InDesign. (PlainCards.com sells a software program specifically designed for cards; see Resources below.) Standard-size playing cards are 2 1/2 inches wide by 3 1/2 inches long. You can make your cards whatever size you want, but they must all be the same size. In addition, each card should list its number and suit type (2 of spades, king of hearts, etc.) in both the upper left-hand corner and the lower right-hand corner. (The numbers in the lower right-hand corner should be upside down as well.) That allows players to read the cards easily in a hand.
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Prepare a uniform card back design, matching the same parameters as the front of the cards. Card backs need to be absolutely the same for every card. You can place photos or anything else you want on the back, but it needs to be in the same position and reflect the same pattern on all of the cards in the deck.
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Print the cards out on card stock, then cut them to size with a pair of scissors. Cut carefully: it's very important that every card be uniform, with no variations. PlainCards.com sells perforated card templates that can be printed out on standard 8 1/2 by 11-inch paper to make the process easier.
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Laminate your cards in clear plastic to protect them and provide them with a firm backing . Wait for the laminate to dry, then shuffle them and play as normal.
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Tips & Warnings
Playing cards work best if they are focused on a single theme. For instance, you can design each suit around pictures of a particular child, or organize your suits according to photos from four different vacations. Many card decks come with a pair of jokers as well as the 52 cards themselves. Though they're rarely used in play, you can design a pair of your own to go along with your cards if you wish.
