How to Design and Print Your Own Card Game

By Andrew Yeung

Playing a card game is a fun social activity to do with others and is also a great way to exercise your mind. There are a multitude of traditional card games available to play–but why not use your imagination and create your own? This is a great chance to make up your own rules as well as use your creativity to design your own set of playing cards.

Basic things you will need:

  1. An idea for a game, including a set of rules. Use your experience from other card games you have played in the past to guide you when creating your game.
  2. A color inkjet printer.
  3. Cardstock paper.
  4. A group of people willing to test out your game.

Designing your cards

For your first card game, go easy on yourself and design a game that is simple to play and in looks. Think of games such as Uno, which features cards that are full of color and are designed to engage players of all age levels. When designing your cards, keep in mind the color, font, and artwork. The look of the cards will need to be appealing, but also simple and not so over designed that their purpose in the game is confusing.

After you decide on a color scheme for your cards, pick a font for the cards that displays the words or numbers on the cards clearly. A great font for a fun and playful game would be Comic Sans. Also think about the size and color of the font. Again, Uno is a great example because the font size and color is readable from everyone around the playing table. It is easy to recognize cards even when they are upside down.

Lastly, think about what type of graphic or artwork you would like to have displayed on the back side of the card. Most card games have some type of artwork to decorate the back of the cards. This looks nice when they are being held in the hands of the players.

Printing out your game

When you are ready to print out the playing cards you have designed it is important to print them out on paper that is durable. These cards will be handled quite a bit when being played, so your best bet would be to print them out on heavy card stock paper. To increase the durability of your cards, it is advised that you laminate the cards as well. This will make them waterproof and hold up for a longer period of time. When printing your cards, check your printer settings for a double-sided printing option. This will allow you to print out cards that have your artwork on the backside and the card instructions or abilities on the other side.

At CompAndSave we have glossy photo paper that might be able to provide the right texture and look for your cards. Keep in mind that the cards should feel uniformly “rounded”– not square or jagged. This makes the cards friendlier to the player’s hands and easier for shuffling. If all of this seems a lot of work, you can always print it out on regular paper and draw/color it out with others to help you make something that everyone can share together.

About the Author: James is an employee of CompAndSave, a leading online provider of premium printer ink cartridges, including remanufactured and compatible printer ink cartridges. With deals every month and a 100% customer satisfaction, CompandSave provides an easy way for people and businesses to purchase printer ink and accessories.

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