One Method for Making Your Own Print & Play or Replacement Counters

[@desertwargamer3718]

I should probably do an update to this video as I have changed a few things in my counter making process.

[@marchanna]

yes please do I will subscribe right now in case cheers!

[@savannafc]

I followed your instructions and just finished making my own counters, they turned out great! I used 4 ply Bristol board as the backing material and printed on 110lb card stock using a colour laser printer, fantastic results. I couldn't find 3M Super 90 but got my hands on Super 77 instead which I think is quite adequate. Thanks for the tutorial video!!!

[@desertwargamer3718]

For game counters, I'm sure the 77 is fine. Glad you found the video useful.

[@JasonHenke]

The same method I use, it works great. I don’t use spray adhesive indoors.

[@thegamesninja3119]

What I found makes for something interesting is double sided foam tape. I put counter back on one side and then mount to so blank side of index card is on other side. For postcard wargames with minimal counters, the extra thickness is good.

[@desertwargamer3718]

That's an interesting idea.

[@thegamesninja3119]

@Desert Wargamer I actually mounted 1:72 scale Minis on the tape, and put duct tape under it. The Minis did not cut right, but it worked.

[@appalachnik]

Those look great. Making double sided counters are especially difficult.

[@desertwargamer3718]

Thank you! And yes double-sided counters can be tricky sometimes. As a stated in a different reply, I've since adopted a method of applying the backside on each counter individually or in groups of 4 or 8 which makes lining things up much easier.

[@chrisfawcett7958]

I use a rotary cutter (Olfa or Fiskars) which allows for better control and less hand fatigue than scissors or a plain blade. You need a good straight edge (transparent acrylic is better than metal) and cutting board, both of which are also made by Olfa and Fiskars. Also, you might want to look into a dry adhesive, which has no noxious fumes, no soaking, and allows for better control when using doing doule-sided counters.

[@desertwargamer3718]

Great suggestions. I'll have to give that a try.

[@ssmytheYT]

Wow! Those look great! Well done! Really enjoyed this video. You mention a color laser printer over ink jet. Have you tried photo paper on an ink jet? I've had pretty good success getting nice glossy or semi glossy looking prints on that kind of paper on ink jets. Something to try. Your laser printer counters look amazingly good. Are you gonna try and get large scale maps printed and mounted on thick bristol boards? Maybe some kind of paper tape or something to connect them. Ahh, maybe have layers where it's board, then tape, then board, then map. That way, the map is nice and smooth on the board. This way, you can have sections of the board printed out on 8.5 x 11 inch paper like you do for your counters, and then stitch them together in a folding map. Hmmm. I wonder if others are doing stuff like this with maps. I use fingernail clippers to cut the corners on my counters. I can go through 'em pretty fast. It does look like your corner cut tool and a razor blade does the trick too. Hope you have a great weekend!

[@desertwargamer3718]

Thank you! Yes. I have since switched over to using photo paper.

[@DavidRamirez-ww5kv]

Great video sir. How do you print the counters on the index card stock? Your counter sheet did not look bent like after it goes through a typical printer? Thank you.

[@desertwargamer3718]

Thank you! My printer has a rear tray to allow the paper to pass straight through without curling around.

[@peterfmodel]

Your counters look very good. If you use photo quality paper on an ink jet the effect will be very nice as well, however always keep away from water. You can spray sealer over your counters and I use to do this many years ago, but I don’t do this anymore. Also the photo quality paper will resist any soaking effect from the glue. As for scissors, I found dressmaking scissors are very good for cutting very thick cardboard. I normally use 1.75mm thick cardboard, which is very thick but my trusty 10 ½ dressmaking scissors works very well. 2mm thick card is too thick. But the final effect will be counters as thick as any normal board game. Warning, these scissors are dangerous so keep in a safe place. Another option for gluing, which is harder and messier, is to use hardware quality outdoor PVA glue. You follow your suggested process but as soon as you have glued the paper on the cardboard you place between two books and put a heavy weight on top of it. It takes 24 hours to fully dry. This bonds the paper to the cardboard so completely there is no chance of any separation. I normally use books which have been covered with a “contact”: plastic cover, as glue will not glue to plastic. I use to use a piece of Perspex in the old days and that works as well. Finally, you can have double side’s counters as long as you glue the correct rear side on the rear of the glues cardboard. As for creating counters, I just use PowerPoint. You can also use Open Office, which is free.

[@TheAndreeon]

What other than cardboard can you use with same thickness as 1.75?

[@peterfmodel]

@@TheAndreeon One option, if you do not wish to use cardboard, is to use MDF. You can get 2mm thick MDF of any size from a number of shops in the UK. I have used them to create rather nice 3cm square counters. You need to individually cut the facing and rear and glue them on the 2mm thick MDF.

[@desertwargamer3718]

Thank you! Interesting that you should say that. Since this video was shot (almost 10 years ago), I've since started using semi-gloss photo paper. The results are outstanding.

[@farpointgamingdirect]

The method I use is to print the counters on full sheets of peel and stick label stock, then mount the sheets on chipboard and cut them out; you can also buy cheap scrabble tiles and mount the counters on those

[@desertwargamer3718]

Scrabble Tiles would make for some pretty thick counters...lol!

[@genxman7211]

Great stuff thanks! Would love to see a vid on designing counters in indesign and photoshop!

[@desertwargamer3718]

That would be a pretty long video. I have done something similar on my other channel cleaning up decals for scale models. I imagine the procedures are similar.

[@JUKspn]

Good Job. A Question. Any progrmam to make the "desing"? Usually i use Excell, useful but no "pretty". Thanks

[@desertwargamer3718]

GIMP is free and quite powerful. But if you're serious you'll want to look into Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator.

[@MichaelBacaArtist]

I tend to mount the printed markers on chipboard. I’ve also seen people using printable stick paper too, never tried that.

[@1CounterTerrorist]

Good video mate, shame you're not making these anymore.

[@desertwargamer3718]

I'm still around and still doing a few things. I have WAY too many hobbies for the amount of free time I have. Thanks for watching.

[@robertclopton8942]

Are there laser printers that can print the front and back of counter sheets at the same time.?

[@desertwargamer3718]

Yes but probably not on stock thick enough to make decent counters. Remember this method still requires gluing the counter face on the front and back of the cardstock.

[@Marek_F]

What thickness of cardboard to use? I'm thinking about a thickness of 1 or 2 mm.

[@desertwargamer3718]

I don't recall the exact thickness. It was definitely less than 2mm

[@Arg0n01]

Nice video mate! The counters look really nice and solid. I've just begun to get into the print and play thing did a few trial runs (for some reason it's really hard to find card stock in my town oddly enough, but I got by). I got myself a round corner punch on ebay and I'm ready to do some handiwork. It's interesting to see different methods although yours seems very interesting. I have one question though, do you experience warping of the paper with this method, if you do how do you counter it?

[@desertwargamer3718]

No, that's why I apply the adhesive to the cardboard and not the printed counter sheet.

[@mileslisner1004]

What website did you print them from?

[@desertwargamer3718]

www.boardgamegeek.com Search for the game "Napoleon at Waterloo". These counters are in the "Files" section.

[@JuneauFleshman]

Hi where I can find the corner cutter... Whats the name?

[@desertwargamer3718]

Sorry, I don't quite remember the name of it. I don't use it anymore. I've switched over to using the Oregon Lamination cutters.

[@bernardputersznit64]

Thank you! BTW do you have parkinsons? My father sadly had this.

[@bernardputersznit64]

glad to hear is is "only" that - thanks again for sharing the technique.

[@desertwargamer3718]

It looks like KZbin deleted a lot of my replies to questions so I'm going through and re-answering a few of them... My answer to this question was no, I don't have "Parkinsons", but I do have what's called "Essential Tremors". I have had it since my early 20's and unfortunately it gets worse with age. It's more of a nuisance than a health hazard though. What really bites is that my other 2 hobbies are building models and Photography so yeah, it gets annoying...

[@chip1gray]

@@desertwargamer3718 I love the determination ! you might have well said my other hobbies are card towers and playing operation. great video I love creating board games, wish someone would make a website dedicated to print and play games

[@dalerimkunas]

does anybody think that spraying them with a light coat of semi-matte varnish before cutting them is a good idea in order to protect them?

[@fsugnome]

I have used clear acrylic gloss spray on some print and play counters and even cards I printed on my inkjet printer. It really make the colors pop and gave it a shine. Just make sure everything dries with enough time. Worked for me.

[@fsugnome]

Forgot to say I sprayed the counters after I made/cut out so that the sides would have some acrylic protective barrier too. For the cards I sprayed the whole sheet b4 cutting.

[@desertwargamer3718]

If I were still printing on cardstock, I think that would work quite well for inkjet prints. I've since switched to using semi-gloss photo paper.

[@mrtactica]

Where was the file with the counters??

[@desertwargamer3718]

www.boardgamegeek.com Search for the game "Napoleon at Waterloo". These counters are in the "Files" section.

[@368engbn]

Only issue I see with this is getting the back of the counter to match up exactly.

[@desertwargamer3718]

Unless I'm making a game with hundreds of counters, I've since adopted a method of applying the backside on each counter individually or in groups of 4 or 8 which makes lining things up much easier.

[@JuneauFleshman]

Hi where I can find the corner cutter... Whats the name?

[@desertwargamer3718]

I'm not sure if it's available anymore. It was originally produced by Dave King Freelance Associates. It's called the "C4 Corner Cutter" if you want to look on Ebay. Noble Knight games gets them in sometimes also.

[@MichaelPower212]

I have had good results using CD cases for cutting the corners. Cut away a corner to a desired depth. You now have a template. The interior side of the case has an upraised lip. Slide a corner of the counter into the cut away corner of the case and cut with a fingernail cutter.