I’ve expanded my series of posts on using TheGameCrafter to offer your Tarot or other Oracle deck on a Print On Demand basis. There’s much more info, and updated pricing, available now as a .pdf download at DigitalGryphonDesign.com.
Earlier this year I wrote about the NEW Box Inserts at The Gamecrafter. That was just the beginning of a large number of new items, product upgrades and price increases they announced in June.
Here are some of the latest products, specifically reviewed from the viewpoint of Tarot (and non-Tarot Oracle) deck creation. Check out the TGC tag for all relevant posts.
Cardstock
New, thicker card stock in Tuck & Hook Boxes and expanded range of Hook Box sizes
From their news item linked above: “We’ll be upgrading the heavy card stock used in tuck boxes, hook boxes, and screens from 295gsm 16pt stock to 360gsm 18pt stock. This will be coated on both sides unlike the last card stock, which means it will be dry erasable on both sides if you apply UV coating.”
I understand that tuck boxes aren’t actually evil and probably suitable for decks that are not used on a daily basis. Tarot and other Oracle decks tend to be used very frequently; designers are strongly encouraged to consider Pro or Stout box upgrades. New sizes for both Boxes and Inserts are coming from TGC.
TGC has had Hook Boxes for some time; in a limited range of card sizes and capacities. As shown here, they are offering Hook Boxes to match all the sizes and card counts of their Tuck Boxes. As of today, a Tuck Box adds US$3.99 to a deck, while the Hook Box costs only US$2.41. I’ve not purchased any hook boxes so I’m not going to guess on how they’d hold up to daily use. They do offer double the printable area as the interior is fully usable.
Transparent cardstock
Plastic cards are available only as “Euro Poker Size” (63mm x 88mm) at the moment. Made of glossy 12pt PVC plastic they are clear enough that you can stack up to 5 above a standard card and read all the layers. Visit this page and its links for information on preparing artwork for front and back of these cards.
Foil cards
Launched September 6th, these cards are available in Poker (2.5″x3.5″) and Tarot (2.75″x4.75″) size:
“ Foiled paper is a glossy, iridescent silver color, not bright matte white, so what this means for your artwork is that white areas are going to let the glossy foil fully shine through. Areas of light color and less color are going to get a little dulled but still have a bit of foil shine. Areas of dark, saturated color will cover up most of the foil but have a rich matte color instead.” – from their Designing for Foil help page. That article has some tips on designing for maximum effect.
There’s a significant increase in cost; using a maximum of one Production Sheet (18 poker cards, or 10 tarot cards) can add a surprise to a deck of regular stock.
Mats; cardstock
Offered as an alternative playing surface to their 60pt chipboard game boards, Mats use the same 12 point/320gsm black-core matte cardstock as their decks. Now available in sizes from foldable 11″x17″ to individual card sizes in both rectangular and hexagonal shapes. These offer double-sided print; but with square corners instead of die-cut rounds. Possible uses for deck designers; a paper version of a reading cloth, or on smaller sizes, info cards with branding, web links, spread diagrams…
The Mats section at TGC also includes the Mint Tin Accordion-fold Set (4,6 and 8 panel versions) which have rounded corners matching the Mint Tin decks. An example is shown here, beside the similarly-sized Folio product discussed below.
The photo above (or to the left on some devices) shows Sister Flirt’s Choose JOY Meditation Tin with the new Folio insert on the left. To the right is the Accordion Fold Set included in the Color Printing Guide for TGC. Produced by the creators of Worlde of Legends games and a valuable resource for printing on TGC cardstock.
TheGameCrafter also offer 2 sizes of Neoprene mats, printed on one side. I guess they could be used as an upscale reading cloth- costs starting at US$13.00
Paperstock
Folios
Listed in the Books section at TGC. Folios are printed on the same 148gsm paper as their original ‘Document’ (still available). A single sheet (2 sided) Document costs US$1.35 while Folios are US$1.73 to $1.97. Folios offer a more professional presentation; panels are laid out to be seen (and read) as folded, are scored to fold precisely, and allow full bleed (not possible on the Document).
Shown here are the Front and Back templates for the Mint Tin size folio- shown above with Sister Flirt’s Choose JOY Meditation Tin. Folios are offered in 7 sizes, from the Mint Tin up to 4″x8″ trimmed size. They are a great complement to The Gamecrafter’s range of Books and Booklets.
More, More, More
Also mentioned in the June announcement as being developed:
More Inserts – We recently released printed tarot inserts, and we’re working on some other styles of inserts as well.
More Boxes – You’ve asked for more styles and sizes of boxes, and we’re happy to report that we have many more on the way.
3D Printing – We’ve used 3D printing for many years at The Game Crafter for internal purposes. We’re not sure how yet, but we’re going to be bringing 3D printing into the fore-front. For starters, I think we’ll probably start using it to make components that people often request, but that we’ve been unable to find suppliers for.
Important Disclosures:
# This is NOT a ‘sponsored post’ – The Gamecrafter has neither paid for nor reviewed my comments;
# Links to TheGameCrafter website are not Affiliate links; I don’t earn a commission if you place an order for the Color Printing Guide for TGC or other products. I do earn the Designer’s Royalty on sales of the Tarot of Sister Who and Sister Flirt’s Choose JOY tin;
# The image of the 108 card Hook Box, and the Mint Tin folio templates, are ©copyright TheGamecrafter.com and used under ‘Fair Use’ principles.
