How To Make Print and Play Game Cards

How Martin makes Print and Play game cards. By popular demand.
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[@delekatala]

that hole punch technique has blown my mind.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

delekatala Thank you! So glad that you’re finding my techniques useful. :)

[@kosterix123]

haha, 1 hole works if you can be sure that stuff is horizontal. 2 holes is better.

[@lozD83]

It's a great idea. Looks like the second edge of holes is kind of redundant though, as once you've aligned one edge you will already have adhered the paper before you can check the other edge

[@KimberlyLetsGo]

Gotta say, that is the best secret EVER for card making!!!!!!

[@SenselessUsername]

But to avoid (11:00) accidentally rotating 180degrees, better way is: Punch in one side 3 holes, in the other side 2holes. Or two near corners of the long side, and one in the middle of the opposite long side. [Woodworkers do the same when they line up a set of boards they've chosen for the prettiest pattern to may e.g. a tabletop: Draw in pencil one big freehand zigzag like that, from left edge downwards to middle of right side, then continue downwards back to left edge... Now you can mix all planks up and still find the position back, as all boards have two pieces of line on their top, the lines are slanted with the wider-apart side left, put them in order from widest-apart-marks up to the 'peak' -- now just slide up&down till it's a smooth line.]

[@TheECWay]

9:15 Trick for aligning front and back using the light and hole-punch will be so useful!

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Ian Bolton Thanks, glad you find that technique useful! :)

[@darioamir2577]

Instablaster

[@lozD83]

I swear growing up in the age of cartoons such as Chip 'n' Dale and The Chipmunks really helped me with this video

[@relaxobomber98]

I've been trying to find a way to print and make my own very good Magic the Gathering proxy cards. None of the videos on KZbin had any tips as good as yours. The use of the crystal clear enamel, spray glue, rotary cutter and the corner cutter will help me make my very own perfect proxys. Thanks a lot.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Leon K. Thank you! :)

[@BrokenSmokeDks]

did you find a proper way to make proxys? im thinking on try some coated paper

[@paxhumana2015]

@@MartinGonzalvez , hello, and do you do your own art to your card decks? I have an idea for a game myself, but I am horrible at art.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

@@paxhumana2015 Hello, I don't do my own art, I tend to source these from other sites.

[@elcharrito8065]

Hi @relaxobomber98 do u make customized cards?

[@JasonEllingsworth]

Have you experimented yet with compressing the cards? I always found hand made cards to be way too thick, and spongey due to the limitations we have at home for making these. One extra step that seemed to really finish the job, was to make a jig out of wood. It is basically a box that is a little larger than the cards. You fill it with a stack of your cards, and then another piece of wood that fits just inside the box sits on the cards. You then compress this wood down on to the stack of cards with a clamp or similar device and leave it for an hour. Come back and tighten it once more, then leave it over night. You can then come back and pull your cards back apart, and give them a final seal with satin clearcoat or a UV spray. They end up much thinner with a good snap back to them, and will no longer be spongey.

[@uraszz]

May I ask if you have any permanent bending issues while shuffling the cards you made over time using spray coating? I'm going back and forth about using liquid varnish vs laminate because I'd like the cards I'm making to really stand the test of time and be regularly handled. Thank you very much in advance 🙏🏾

[@StephanBeal]

Martin, your hole puncher trick has definitely leveled up my PnP crafting. i had been cutting out the fronts and backs separately, gluing them (just enough to hold them together), then micro-trimming them to be the same sizes before sleeving them. (i always sleeve - can't *NOT* sleeve.) On my current professionally-printed PnP batch (296 pages from 7 or 8 different games) i've been using your hole puncher trick to line up the backs and fronts and it's not only saved me tons of cutting but has also produced far superior results than my previous efforts.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Glad that my techniques helped you! :)

[@loganbrown6441]

I appreciate that all the stuff you need can be bought at an office max or target. So many of these require you buy a special printer or complicated technique. I’ve got this saved and will be using your tips liberally. 🎉🎉🎉

[@emoryfesel1654]

I use a similar method to the hole punch I staple them instead. Line them up the same but put 3 staples on one of the long sides. Then you can open it like a book, spray a bit of super77 on the cardstock, and when you smooth it out the pages will have no chance to slip or become misaligned and you only need to focus on avoiding wrinkles.

[@livvyjos]

That’s a great idea!

[@faucamargo]

Fantastic tutorial. And the funniest part is the accelerated cutting process and the funny voice behind lol

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@PirouettingFox]

This is fantastic! Thank you SO much! Your video was extremely informative, that hole punch technique for the alignment is pure genius. You did every step slowly enough to make it easy to understand, while not just dragging on making us want to skip parts of the video. This video is going in my favorites and I’m off to make some token cards for my hubby. Thank you!

[@Ari-ru8uh]

Thank you! Very simple. So far the first video I was drawn to. Also affordable tools. This gave me more motivation to make my cards.

[@Ari-ru8uh]

Question, can you also print onto the cardstock itself and then use the rest of the methods?

[@NoticeMeSenpaiii]

Tha trick to line up the front and back is BRILLIANT. This video was super, super helpful. Thank you!!

[@topplintoads6230]

That hole punch idea is brilliant. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

[@sanjeetsingh3854]

Thanks Martin, great video. It's surprising how rounding card corners can make the card look much better.

[@bvp334]

That hole punch thing is such a good tool to have! I didnt know what it was for until you used it to align the cards! Amazing, thank you for making this video!!!

[@george_a79]

A really wonderful result. Looking forward to practicing it since I want to print some custom cards for a board game that community made, and really well done designed, and didn't know how to approach it. Your tut saved the day. Kudos and keep it up. 👍👌

[@Chiraaksha_kalra]

Thank you ♥️♥️I’m subscribing! Love this channel

[@tommessig2060]

excellent tips. looking forward to trying this out for sure.

[@darkgengar9410]

There are binder made hole punchers that use elevated circles. When the paper is pressed down the circles punch through and the paper almost always gets held in place by the elevated circles. If you could punch all 3 at once they might automatically be aligned and held together. From there you can probably peel aside each sheet to spray them.

[@atalhlla]

Love it, a nice overview of higher quality prototyping process for game cards. Regarding materials of mass produced cards, the core of MTG cards is a thin layer of plastic which is what gives them their spring. I expect most mass manufactured cards are like that. I don’t even know where we’d start to look for that sort of thing for print-and-play use, though it’s not really needed unless you want the prototypes to stand up to abuse.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thanks for your kind words! My PnP colleague Rachel Bruner has a similar card-making video in which she uses 24 lb. linen paper for front and back, and a sheet of laminating pouch as the core. Run the three-layer sheet through a laminator, and presto! You have a linen finish pnp card with a springy center layer. :)

[@atalhlla]

@@MartinGonzalvez I somehow missed your reply back when you made it, but thanks for the pointer! That's really good to know, I'll check her video out!

[@albertoroche7168]

What I would recommend for avoiding the white lines from off-cutting the lines is to expand the card backs to be border-to-border without the space between the cards. That way, you base your cutting off of the fronts of the cards and end up with perfect lines.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Alberto Roche Thanks for the suggestion! Since I made this video, I have in fact started editing PnP files to make the backs full bleed with no white space between them. However, I now recommend cutting from the back than the front. The reason is that alignment imperfections will not be visible from the back of the card. Which makes the cards still playable. If I cut from the front and there are alignment issues, if it’s obvious from the back then the cards are marked/recognizable and thus unplayable. :)

[@sangitayadav1282]

what is the price of the cardstock you have?

[@hand8anana]

Really cool to see the process! Great stuff!

[@VGAfanatic]

This was an amazing tutorial. I'm considering making cards to sell as merchandise online or at conventions, and I'll definitely refer back to this video for advice on what I'll need and need to do.

[@faville]

Looked up PnP board games for help and happened on your video, and as a Neenah resident it was certainly cool to see you using paper from my community! Interestingly, I've never seen it sold in stores around me, but since you got yours at Target, perhaps I'll look in my Target store--I wouldn't think to look there for heavier paper.

[@The_mrbob]

Love your enthusiasm!

[@JohnRemy-td9ki]

Really enjoyed the video, found it so useful as I was getting quite lost as I’ve never done anything like this before, but feeling really motivated to continue my project, thank you Martin, hope your well and happy holidays from England

[@bradleypayne8724]

The chickmunks was a nice effect. The hole punch was a great idea. Thanks for the video.

[@saqibaqureshi72]

Thanks! I was printing two sided on card stock and using an adhesive plastic backer from the dollar store on both sides then cutting them and rounding off. This seems like a much more 'linen' result and look.

[@Evandroo5]

Great video. A hug from Brazil

[@laisandrade8665]

ok, this is the best (and the only one that I've found) tutorial for printing cards in good stat

[@MVVibes-tr7hd]

Absolutely loved this video as I already watched it like 4 times😂 super helpful video, thank you🙌🏽💯

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thank you for your kind words! :)

[@davideisner6171]

The hole punch is a good tip. Also, I'm now augmenting my straight edge with grip. I recommend cutting with the card backs facing up first, because marked backs affect gameplay in virtually all games. I don't know how this one is played, but other people taking ideas from this videos are very likely to need the card backs to match as closely as possible.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

You are correct! I need to re-do this video with a few more tips, such as cutting most card decks from the back. :)

[@mattreagan4347]

So many smart tips and tricks here, what a great way of creating custom cards. Thanks so much for sharing this!

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Glad it was helpful!

[@newhampshirenate]

Take a 8.5/11 board and drill 6 holes (4 will do, tho) same size as punch holes, and put dowels in the holes. Drop back sheet, face down. Spray, drop in center, spray, then top. Or just spray both sides of center sheet.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Great suggestion, Nate! since making this video I have since moved on to double-sided printing + laminating the cards. But if ever I have occasion to construct cards using this method again, I will certainly keep your suggestion in mind. :)

[@TitanMcBeardy]

This guy is a genius! I'm defiantly going to implement these strategies in cards im going to home brew.

[@drybonesmunchakoopas5143]

I'm planning on making some custom cards for Bakugan this has been very helpful for my quest of card making

[@winterzee]

You could put the holes at different counts or locations to enable to you line up the top better, you'd need to double before punching, but after your punch, it would be good to go. The blip, blip, blip when you were cutting made me wonder if you need a new blade in your cutter or your mat is damaged. When cutting fabric, I associate that sound with a dull blade. (A quilting ruler is a bit wider if you ever worry about cutting your fingers.) And $2 for that mat was an absolute steal!

[@yourcreativeavenue7699]

that hole punch is genius. Great tip

[@hcp144]

This was an amazing video, If possible can you make a video on how to set everything up on the computer so I can see a step-by-step process on how to form a profile of cards that I can print, thank you Mr. Martin.

[@spaztekwarrior]

Well done. I’ve made quite a few PNP projects. The hole punch alignment idea for matching card backs is brilliant. Thanks for the idea:)

[@nopopshots2722]

Adding in a single layer of the heated laminating pouches to the center works pretty well get a snap. My next experiment is to use a laminate center, paper on with side and then laminate on the front and back. It might get a little thick, but I want to see how it holds up. Keeps it water proof and bendy without creases.

[@RobertKonigsberg]

The hole punch idea is brilliant.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Robert Konigsberg Thanks! :) since then, I have also used binder clips to fasten then two sides in alignment. Could also try using a stapler. :)

[@RobertKonigsberg]

@@MartinGonzalvez yeah, those mean I don't have to buy a hole punch. Good tip.

[@marieskar]

I love this!! So clever❤️I’m subscribing

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Marie Skarpeid Thanks for watching and for subscribing! :)

[@tugssanaa8425]

wow this video must be the most easy teaching long video i ever had in a long time, thanks

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@dimitripiliego3939]

Thank you very much, Martin ! really useful tutorial !

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thanks for watching, and for your kind words. :)

[@AlekseyLoykuts]

Thanks! I know it was 4 years ago, but still find this tutorial interesting ) About the cutting and white lines on perimeter - even professional cutting machines have some slack. To avoid this you have to print with additional safe zone padding, like 0.5cm on side (just expand your background graphics) so when you cut - you won't have whites. Mark your points for cutting as + on corners, as you actually don't need lines to align the ruler for the cut. And those + even if they'll be visible after cutting will go away when you round the corners.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thanks! In the years since I released this video, I have started adding bleed to my card layouts. :)

[@Ohkapi]

WOW I am mind-blown. all the details, tools, handling, steps. I can now see how Martin you are serious on your Print and Play. No wonder you defend anything opposite against PnP community. Full respect.

[@Ohkapi]

@12:14 it made me laughed. so funny on those gibberish chipmunk speed

[@mightbeahuman3442]

Beautiful, I must try this some time

[@JPWestmas]

great technique, thanks!

[@othellosmistake]

hole punch idea is brilliant

[@KeithJDavies]

The alignment technique is clever, it never occurred to me. Thank you. When cutting, I'd suggest a couple of changes. First, cut from the back side rather than the front side. The side you cut from will generally cut more cleanly than the other side. Artifacts on the front of the card are visible to the card holder, but artifacts (such as the white edges you had) are visible to the other players and can be tells, letting the other players know what the card is. Second, keep the part you want to keep under the ruler, in case you slip. If you run over the margin and make that crooked, it's mildly annoying. If you run it across the card face you'll probably want to redo the card. Thank you! Good tutorial.

[@livvyjos]

Great tips, thank you!!

[@xxxnamkhaxxx]

The ALIGNMENT trick shown around 09:15 is PLATINUM! THANK YOU!

[@space.weather]

This was fun to watch Thank you 👏

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thanks for your kind words! :)

[@phookadude]

Try Krylon triple thick glaze it really coats cards well, I use a lot to really seal the paper and add snap to the cards. When aligning backs to front I mount the front then trim 2 of the sides, like the top and the right, then you trim the left and top of the backs and can align them with the cut edges and it's fewer steps. Cutting cards to make them look really professional you need something like a "plow" used by book binders. A couple of boards clamps and a chisel is all you need, clamp the cards between the boards with the front board on the line you want to trim and the back board higher to provide a surface to cut against, then using the front board as a guide for the flat edge of the chisel and only slicing a few cards at a time you can get a nice straight clean cut (good for making rules books look professional too).

[@phookadude]

The true snap of a playing card is due to the glue the paper is held together with. White glue is a plastic and works well, if you mix in graphite and glue just 2 sheets of good printer paper together it makes pretty much the same stuff. The problem is getting 2 sheets to glue together without warping, lots of weights work. If you have a printer that has a back-loading straight paper path you can run that directly though. If you want a coating for paper that is very similar to what is used by printers and card makers then a very thin layer of Minwax Polycrylic (applied with a printer's brayer roller or a very smooth edged scraper).

[@Aflacist]

that is the LONGEST pair of scissors ive ever seen lol

[@ponkarta2012]

Thanks for sharing this masterpiece to us. The process looks so easily and fluently. I'm gonna try this to make my arkham horror the card game & unlock both board games PNP version with it. OH YEAH, can't wait to see.😊🎉❤

[@MissingRedacted]

thanks for the tutorial! holepunch method is gonna help a lot I feel lol, new to this so thanks!

[@Brahdyssey]

" And I hope that explanation made sense " 🤣 great video!

[@Brahdyssey]

I also wanted to ask how much spray glue did you do for each side?

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Cameron Arias about 3-5 seconds of spray per sheet. :)

[@amusement420]

That's a good tutorial. The hole punch registration is interesting. I see you flipped the fronts over though but they still seemed to align. They also sell Crystal Clear in Matte if anyone doesn't want a sheen. good point about not spraying heavy. Scotch Super 77 Multi-purpose adhesive spray glue in the arts & crafts orange can with purple cap is a finer spray than doesn't splotch and clog the nozzle like the classic heavy-duty Super 77. wearing a mask isn't a bad idea even outdoors. it's nice you showed the cover stock you use. what printer paper do you use? some like linen finishes which are like business letterhead or resume paper but those usually have the paper company watermarks. I don't need to riffle shuffle cards so I've been using Staples Premium 8.5" x 11" Multipurpose Paper, 24 lbs., 98 Bright White, 500/Ream Purple Package. It's got a nice sort of satin finish feel to them but not linen. I can do low ink on both sides without the triple layering for small decks of solo AI cards. I don't make a ton of cards now. I have a large paper cutter or x-acto knife on the cutting mat. but if I make more I might invest in the rotary cutter or a small Friskars 12" Side Ruler paper cutter. How long does the Rotary Cutter blade last?

[@guglielmo9922]

Brilliant video, Thanks!!

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thank you!

[@basedmatt]

The man, the myth, the legend.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

LOLOL!

[@ajstopmotionstudios4082]

Thanks man! this really helped!

[@ferbyallo]

Thank you, man! Very good video!

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thanks! :)

[@Thegamewolf225]

Dude this is a great tutorial!!

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thank you! :)

[@FahdGamer2023]

Thank you so much bro you helped me out soo much.

[@happysteve9565]

Thanks for making this. Very informative.

[@ceramicchicken1]

Great video, with a lot of great tips! Have you considered using a guillotine trimmer to cut the cards? I use one to make long, narrow (11” X 0.25”) strips of cards stock for some other projects I do, so I bet one could make long straight cuts along the cards, and even cut that thin white space between cards! You could also probably make a few jigs to position sheet after sheet in the same location so you know you are getting consistent sizes for all your cards.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Hi there, thanks for your comment! I have tried many different methods and tools to cut cards since I have been doing PnP (started January 2018). I find guillotine cutters to lack accuracy, especially when cutting multiple sheets. I prefer either a straight blade paper trimmer with a guide wire, or the rotary cutter with ruler that you see in this video. :)

[@lemonhead94133]

Great video Martin. Thanks for posting it. Quick question: Do you print the cards file onto regular paper or photo paper?

[@MartinGonzalvez]

lemonhead94133 In this video I print to regular paper. I only used photo paper once, hated it. The images look good but the cards stick together and do not slide against each other at all.

[@charlycharly4958]

Excelent video!!!

[@raynaladrien5339]

Cool stuff thank you!

[@ahothoneyb]

This tutorial was absolutely wonderful! Thanks for sharing. I have one question, have you ever put something along the edges to seal them to prevent peeling? Does peeling ever occur?

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Nope, the laminate bonds directly to the card stock so I have not observed any peeling / delamination. :)

[@CarmenBelcher]

Wondering if I can make my own tarot orcle cards using people I know as each court card! Thanks for making this video with all of the tools

[@MartinGonzalvez]

You're welcome! :)

[@BlipzCCG]

Great video bro

[@MrMomobot]

Great video Martin! I'm looking into how to make cards for a homebrew version of "Horrified" but with a Godzilla theme. And that needs cards. :3

[@Lermer07]

great video. thanks

[@MartinGonzalvez]

You are welcome!

[@dubarrybecudecantigny3973]

Hello. I am currently making my own board game to have some fun with friends and found this tutorial fantastically helpful for when I finish designing my deck of cards. Thank you for this. I have a query if I may: did you have a general template to position cards before printing so as to match the front and back? Or did you have a sheet containing the cards you printed ready-made? I wish to find a template for multiple use of card printing and maybe you have some advice? Thanks

[@happypinoy1583]

this video is a great help for my ideas.., i just wanted to know what is the program you use in designing the card

[@thegamingartisan4531]

Just been introduced to your channel. Thank you so much for your content! Amazing stuff!

[@MartinGonzalvez]

The Gaming Artisan Thank you! :)

[@laraangelic3503]

Love it ♥️

[@adventuresinTW]

I just started getting into PnP. This is a great and informative video, thanks!

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Andrew Who Thanks!

[@EdMonks]

Awesome

[@serenezain2988]

Hey, I would like to ask.. what kind of printing you did to print those ? Is it laser printing ? Or its just normal printing. Thanks in advance and great video to make customize card games.

[@Hanusaur]

Hi Martin, just found this video. I'm making preparations to sell personalized Pokemon card commissions. So I'm looking around the internet for alternatives to getting them printed through a company (such as MakePlayingCards). I'd rather do them at home to cut down on the turn around time for customers. I was wondering if you've ever used holographic sheets to add some holofoiling to your cards, and how you'd recommend doing that. Thank you!

[@gunpowderboardgames]

I use card stock (A3 sheets from amazon) in a Canon Pixma, you can then turn over and print the back so no sticking required.

[@user-bz1uc5oe9h]

great tutorial !!

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Glad you liked it!

[@awakenyoursoul9721]

Thank you so much 😊

[@MartinGonzalvez]

You're welcome! :)

[@arthurfranklin9315]

Thumbs up for the chipmunk voice section - more KZbinrs should use this technique :-)

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Hahaha!

[@brucelee9346]

I would place each card in a plastic sleve it helps to make them shufflable and reduces the apperance of slight size differences

[@CCXPExamSimulator]

What printer do you recommend for print and play, Martin? Interested in your thoughts.

[@Naeddyr]

One trick I use when cutting cards (with a rotary cutter and metal ruler) is that if there's a margin around the edge of the paper (as there always should be right??) I don't cut *through* it the whole way and separate the strips from the page. That is, I cut a grove along the cut marks inside the paper, but leave the ends alone so that the paper is still attached and nothing is cut away from the "frame". When I'm done with the vertical, long lines, the columns of cards are still aligned with each other because there's a frame around them, and so I cut (starting from the middle rows) in the opposite, horizontal, short direction. Saves a lot of effort keeping the cards aligned.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Naeddyr Thanks, that’s how I cut cards now, since I made this video. :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/namXY5ibepeNZtU

[@NiteRaven54]

thanks Martin

[@MartinGonzalvez]

NiteRaven54 You’re most welcome! :)

[@Luca-kd2lx]

Nice video! :) Haven't tried the holepunch yet, looks like a good idea.

[@denisorganishuk4526]

Great video

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Thanks!

[@arvi8843]

Thank you so much! I can't wait to buy materials I need to print Solo variants for Parks following your technique. 🥰 I wish you didn't fast forward while cutting I was very interested in what you're saying about cutting and your experience. I tried to turn on auto-caption but it doesn't register 😂😂😂.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

I have a newer video about laminating cards, which is the technique that I use now. I find laminating faster and easier than this method, while still yielding good quality cards. :)

[@dannyzwolf4546]

I'm a quilter, didn't even think of using a rotary cutter.

[@tjcworks]

Very informative. Thank you!

[@MartinGonzalvez]

Tom Conboy Thanks for watching! :)

[@sonsenvrac945]

Merci beaucoup! - thanks a lot :)

[@kcatton9734]

Martin I have been learning from you in our facebook group for sometime and so know and appreciate your mad skills there. I think this KZbin gig could really be a thing, you do a great job looking into the camera and you are enjoyable to listen to (I am selective about the reviewers on BGG I will watch). Put up a screen patterned cloth sheet behind you to up the professional grade. And then please go for it. I really think you have something.

[@MartinGonzalvez]

K Catton Thank you for all of your kind words, Katherine! :) I’ll see what I can do about an appropriate background.

[@d.aardent9382]

Wow, love that corner trimmer gadget. I am going to get one of those for sure. I cut my labels and small signs by hand usually and cutting the small arcs off the corners all evenly with scissors is pretty tough. Lol. That would save so much time and make things look super pro. And since I wanted to start making my own cards finally, it would speedup finishing so much. Maybe I can finally get back to creating my game development work with all the great hints and info you have given. I've had a couple games I'd thought on for probably decades now, which they might have been unique way back in the early 90's but I've procrastinated so long now that other games have already been developed in recent years that are similar to my game, that it is a waste of time now to think it might find interest,but with some of what you are talking about with the "print n play" scene, that I may still be able to do something eventually.

[@luisvazquez4397]

Kadomaru Pro corner cutter 3M 77 spray-glue Hole Puncher Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel