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Old 12-30-2015, 09:21 PM   #1
Damon Griffin
 
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Default Make-your-own cards that look like the real thing?

I've seen a bunch of card images evidently made by translating from German, Italian or Polish promo cards. The messageboard theads where these were shown seem to have had their last activity in 2010, so I can't ask there:

Anyone know how these would have been made? I don't know for sure that they were ever printed -- if so, it would have been for their creator's own use, there was no indication he was trying to sell them (totes illegal, obviously) -- but if there's a way to print-your-own cards with this kind of "looks like W23 made it" image quality, I'd certainly like to know about it.

Last edited by Damon Griffin; 12-30-2015 at 09:35 PM.
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Old 01-01-2016, 11:38 AM   #2
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Default Re: Make-your-own cards that look like the real thing?

As far as I am to believe, the only way to legally do it is to print off the image at home and glue it to a blank card.

I've had cards printed for Cards Against Humanity, but that was made under a Creative Commons licence, and making your own expansions is pretty much encouraged. Ordinarily though, I'm pretty sure even having the cards printed for yourself is illegal. After all, you're still giving money to an independent print firm and not giving any to SJ Games for the blank cards. It's like burning a CD for your own use. There's probably other reasons too.
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Old 01-01-2016, 06:00 PM   #3
Damon Griffin
 
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Default Re: Make-your-own cards that look like the real thing?

No, I don't want to have someone else make them. I want to make them. For the specific cards I saw on that website, it should be "just" a matter of making sure the image is exactly the right size when I print it onto a label, then cut out that label and affix it to a blank card.

I was wondering what I could use to make similarly nice looking cards from scratch. For example, there are things that happen to our Pathfinder RPG group a lot, that I might want to make in-joke Curse cards for.
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Old 01-02-2016, 11:41 AM   #4
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Default Re: Make-your-own cards that look like the real thing?

A method I'd read about previously involved printing directly onto the blank cards. The idea is, you print the image on to a sheet of paper, then stick a blank card over where the image is printed, and run the same sheet through again, so the printer prints the image onto the card.

Another method I'd heard is to print it on clear sticky-back plastic, then stick that onto a blank card.

A lot of people on the internet have claimed that these both work, and with an inkjet printer at that, but I can confirm I've tried both on a Kodak printer and the ink has bubble up and not taken properly both times. Still, food for thought.

Edit: If my memory serves, the cards are 88mm by 53mm (or 63mm, but that sounds a bit too square), but I could be wrong. That should help with you sizing.
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Old 01-02-2016, 12:31 PM   #5
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Default Re: Make-your-own cards that look like the real thing?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Damon Griffin View Post
No, I don't want to have someone else make them. I want to make them.
Pretty sure that doesn't really matter. You don't have to make money off of something for it to be copyright infringement. To be honest I'm incredibly surprised this topic wasn't deleted already because usually SJGames is super heavy handed with their copyright (as they should be).

But since it hasn't been deleted I'll go ahead and throw in my 2 cents. If you want to do this for real, just spend some time on it. Look into finding the right paper, something that matches as closely as possible. Or just buy blanks from Warehouse 24 (they do sell blanks). Then you might be able to contact a local printing company to have them printed professionally.

Realistically speaking if anyone here is printing their own cards they have probably gone to a lot of trouble to do so and won't have advice that fits every situation.

And lastly once you do figure out the printing process, start printing Heart of the Anomaly like crazy and selling them for $500 a pop on eBay. I think about doing that all the time.
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Old 01-02-2016, 12:45 PM   #6
Andrew Hackard
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We wouldn't produce blank cards if we didn't want people creating their own cards. In fact, we ran some tests on printer-capable blank card sheets, using the same stock used for the "real" cards; unfortunately, those tests were unsatisfactory ("PC LOAD LETTER" unsatisfactory) and we have abandoned that project for now.

I think clear label sheets are the best option, especially if you intend to make several new cards at once and you have access to a medium-quality laser printer or better. I don't think home-quality inkjet printers are likely to give good results.

Munchkin cards are 56mm x 87mm.

Quote:
Originally Posted by collinc View Post
And lastly once you do figure out the printing process, start printing Heart of the Anomaly like crazy and selling them for $500 a pop on eBay. I think about doing that all the time.
We definitely WOULD work to shut that down, so, y'know, please don't.
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Old 01-02-2016, 11:25 PM   #7
Damon Griffin
 
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Default Re: Make-your-own cards that look like the real thing?

Quote:
Originally Posted by collinc View Post
Look into finding the right paper, something that matches as closely as possible. Or just buy blanks from Warehouse 24 (they do sell blanks). Then you might be able to contact a local printing company to have them printed professionally.
I won't be doing this via professional printing. I'll find out how to do it myself, or I won't do it at all. There are any number of reasons for this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by collinc View Post
And lastly once you do figure out the printing process, start printing Heart of the Anomaly like crazy and selling them for $500 a pop on eBay. I think about doing that all the time.
Any cards I print will be for my use, and given to a very few friends. Making money illegally is not the goal here; having "official looking" cards that represent in-jokes for my group is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Hackard View Post
We wouldn't produce blank cards if we didn't want people creating their own cards. In fact, we ran some tests on printer-capable blank card sheets, using the same stock used for the "real" cards; unfortunately, those tests were unsatisfactory ("PC LOAD LETTER" unsatisfactory) and we have abandoned that project for now.
So blank card sheets are not available? That probably does mean printing on transparent labels, then.

This may need to wait until we invest in a new printer anyway. Right now we're using an old HP OfficeJet.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Hackard View Post
Munchkin cards are 56mm x 87mm.
Good to know.
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Old 01-12-2016, 05:35 PM   #8
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Default Re: Make-your-own cards that look like the real thing?

I've come across This That may be of some use to you, it's from here in the UK but I'm sure there'll be alternatives wherever you are based.

The size is Bridge size, which is about 1mm bigger on either dimension than ordinary Munchkin cards but it shouldn't matter, and if it does you can trim the excess. Munchkin cards are pretty uniquely sized so I doubt you'll get any closer, but if you do please point me in the direction.

From what I can make out, the card is thinner than Munchkin cards, so a print-out of your image on sticky-backed paper, plus a card back for the other side, won't make the cards too thick.

Also, if the paper finish isn't to your liking, there are spray finishes available to make the cards feel a bit more plasticky (plasticy? plastickey?).

I've also just stumbled across This on BoardGameGeek, which looks very professional, providing you have the equipment. Hope this helps.
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Old 01-15-2016, 04:12 AM   #9
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Default Re: Make-your-own cards that look like the real thing?

I was thinking last night, you say that the card stock was not a viable option, presumably because it couldn't be fed through home printers.

In the Stocking Stuffers set there were a few sticky-backed gift labels, which were the exact size of Munchkin cards (admittedly I didn't check, but they looked to be).

So why not sell A4 sheets of those, printed to look like blank cards? That way people can print off what they want and stick them to either your blank cards, or if the blanks aren't available, ordinary Munchkin cards that they have duplicates of?

I'd buy these by the dozen.
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Old 01-16-2016, 07:09 PM   #10
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Default Re: Make-your-own cards that look like the real thing?

We don't do A4 over here. . .
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