Tarot cards were initially used in Europe to play games, but have been used for fortune telling and divination since the 18th century. Decks have 78 cards that fall into two categories: major arcana and minor arcana. Major arcana consist of 22 cards without suits, and minor arcana have four suits with 14 cards each. By applying the SVU model (Simplicity, Variability, and Uniqueness), we can understand what makes this game so successful and learn how to make custom tarot cards.
Simplicity: though becoming a tarot expert requires time and study, it is a relatively easy hobby to pick up. All that’s required is a tarot deck, with information on how to get started available for free on the internet.
Variability: tarot is incredibly versatile: there are a ton of “spreads” (card arrangements) you can use to tell fortunes. If you’re not interested in that aspect of tarot, you can also use it to play games like jeu de tarot, which is the second most popular card game in France.
Uniqueness: tarot separates itself from other card games by being not only a game and hobby, but also a collectors item. There are so many decks with different types of art that it makes it hard to stop after buying just one deck. If you’re an artist, making a tarot deck is a novel way to sell your art in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Components
While you can customize your tarot deck with a number of specialty options like foil stamping, metallic ink, or linen texture, here are the components you need for a basic deck.
78 tarot size (2.75” x 4.75”) cards, 280 GSM blue core standard with gloss finish
2 piece box – gloss lamination
To find out how much it would cost, head over to our custom card game calculator and plug in the components to calculate the price of your custom tarot cards.
Since PrintNinja specializes in medium to large quantity orders, we have a minimum order quantity (MOQ) of 500 units. To help you make a decision on the types of materials to use in your card game, we recommend ordering a sample pack:this is a best way to experience the varieties of cards you can order for your custom card game.
We want both you and your wallet to be happy with your order, so we’ve provided some card game cost reduction strategies that will get you the perfect balance between features and value.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out some of our other tutorials,featuring instructions on how to make games like Cards Against Humanity, Blackjack, and Uno.
Looking for how to make a custom card game like Apples to Apples? PrintNinja can help take your card game idea from dream to reality.
We’ve created a custom card game pricing calculator just for card games so you can explore printing choices, shipping methods, and accurate order prices for your project. You can also customize just about anything, from game card sizes to specialty options like embossing and debossing.
