Board Game Design

Designing a custom board game isn’t exactly a simple process. From uploading your board game artwork to playtesting early stages of the game to having the final product shipped right to your doorstep, PrintNinja is here to help. 

The first major step in the design process is prototyping. We recommend this to be more of a DIY process using materials at home, rather than having a professional prototype made and sent to you (we also do not offer any prototyping services whatsoever). This is because prototyping generally requires a lot of tweaking and tinkering before your board game is ready to be proofed. For info on board game file setup — specifically bleed marks, trim lines, and safe areas — visit our board game file setup page

After prototyping, the next step is proofing. A proof is a digital or physical product you get that gauges how your board game will function when being played. With proofing, it’s expected your custom board game is fleshed out, thoroughly playtested, and otherwise almost ready for production. 

We offer two options for proofs: hardcopy and electronic. With electronic proofs, also known as soft proofs, we send an electronic copy of your board game and all its components to you. We offer this service for free as it is entirely digital, leaving the printing up to you. Hardcopy proofs, or physical proofs, are highly recommended for first-time offset printing customers. We send a full printed version of your board game to you that allows for final playtesting — think of it as a very late stage prototype.

Ready to start? Check out our budgetary board game calculator, or order a sample pack.

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