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Notes for deck creators

Printing, files, and finding your people: the practical half of self-publishing a deck, written plainly.

✶ Latest note  ·  2 Oct 2026 Sell your tarot deck on your own website vs a marketplace Sell your tarot deck on your own website and keep the margin plus the customer email, or use a marketplace for built-in buyers. Here is the real tradeoff. Read the note →
Selling & people  ·  30 Sep 2026 Sell a Tarot Deck on Etsy: Fees and Reality What it really costs to sell a tarot deck on Etsy in 2026: the full fee stack, the listing photos that sell, and why getting found is really the hard part. Selling & people  ·  28 Sep 2026 Where to sell your tarot deck: Etsy, shop, in person Where to sell your tarot deck, compared: Etsy, your own shop, in person, and print on demand, with real fees, margins, and who each channel really fits. Selling & people  ·  26 Sep 2026 Small-Batch Tarot Deck Printing: 50 to 100 Decks Small batch tarot deck printing means printing 50 to 100 decks yourself and selling them direct until they run out. Here is the cost and when it fits. Selling & people  ·  24 Sep 2026 Sell a tarot deck with no inventory (print on demand) Want to sell a tarot deck with no inventory? Print on demand through Game Crafter or DriveThruCards prints and ships each deck per order, no upfront cash. Selling & people  ·  22 Sep 2026 Cost to launch a tarot deck Kickstarter: real math The true cost to launch a tarot deck Kickstarter, from platform fees and printing to shipping, 2026 tariffs, and the 10 percent creators forget to budget. Printing & costs  ·  20 Sep 2026 How to set your Kickstarter funding goal for a deck Set your Kickstarter funding goal for a tarot deck to cover printing, shipping, platform and payment fees, plus a buffer, at your realistic backer count. Print files  ·  18 Sep 2026 Kickstarter vs BackerKit vs direct pre-orders A BackerKit vs Kickstarter deck breakdown for indie creators: platform fees, backer emails, pledge management, and when direct pre-orders keep more margin. Printing & costs  ·  16 Sep 2026 Running a Kickstarter for a tarot deck This tarot deck Kickstarter guide covers funding goal math, the real fee stack, reward tiers, and the fulfillment burden most first-time creators forget. Selling & people  ·  14 Sep 2026 Do you need Kickstarter to publish a tarot deck? (no) You can publish a tarot deck without Kickstarter. Compare direct pre-orders, print-on-demand, small batches, and BackerKit, with real fees and tradeoffs. Printing & costs  ·  12 Sep 2026 How to make an oracle deck: structure without rules How to make an oracle deck when no 78-card rulebook exists: choosing a theme and card count, keeping the art cohesive, and why the guidebook carries it. Printing & costs  ·  10 Sep 2026 Tarot card title design, numbering, and borders Tarot card title design decides whether card names, numbers, and borders stay legible and survive the printer's cut on all 78 cards. Here is the setup. Printing & costs  ·  8 Sep 2026 How long to make a tarot deck? A realistic timeline How long to make a tarot deck runs from a few months to five years or more, set by the 78 cards and your pip choice. Learn how to plan a sustainable pace. Printing & costs  ·  6 Sep 2026 Tarot deck art medium: how each one prints Choosing a tarot deck art medium: how watercolour, gouache, ink, digital, and foraged pigments each look, scan, and print, so your run matches your art. Printing & costs  ·  4 Sep 2026 RWS vs original tarot deck: which should you make? RWS vs original tarot deck: the honest tradeoff between instant reader familiarity and full creative freedom, and how to choose the right path for your deck. Printing & costs  ·  2 Sep 2026 Tarot deck name ideas (and checking it's free) Tarot deck name ideas that fit your art, plus how to check a name is free: search other decks and Etsy, run a trademark search, and grab the domain and handle. Printing & costs  ·  31 Aug 2026 How to make your own tarot deck (idea to art) How to make your own tarot deck from first concept to finished art: choosing a theme, deck structure, a medium, and painting all 78 cards without burning out. Selling & people  ·  29 Aug 2026 How to write a tarot guidebook people keep Learn how to write a tarot guidebook readers keep: a per-card template, word-count targets, upright vs reversed calls, and a plan to finish all 78 entries. Printing & costs  ·  27 Aug 2026 How many cards in an oracle deck? (common counts) How many cards in an oracle deck is up to you: most run 30 to 50 or more. A maker's guide to picking a count by theme, print cost, and guidebook load. Print files  ·  25 Aug 2026 How to check a deck file before you print Learn how to check tarot deck files before you print, with a pre-flight checklist for 300 DPI, pixel size, bleed, and color so you avoid a costly reprint. Print files  ·  23 Aug 2026 Keeping all 78 cards the same size and aligned A consistent tarot card size means all 78 cards share one trim, bleed, DPI, and orientation. Here is why cards drift out of size and how to keep them aligned. Print files  ·  21 Aug 2026 Tarot card templates and sizes for common printers Every printer publishes its own tarot card template. Get the standard 2.75 x 4.75 inch size in pixels, plus where to download MPC and DriveThruCards files. Print files  ·  19 Aug 2026 Designing your tarot card back (and reversals) Tarot card back design has one rule most makers miss: the back sits on all 78 cards and should stay reversible so readers cannot read a card's orientation. Print files  ·  17 Aug 2026 RGB vs CMYK for tarot cards: what happens RGB vs CMYK cards explained for deck makers: why colors shift in print, whether printers convert your files, and how to soft-proof before you pay for a run. Print files  ·  15 Aug 2026 Procreate print tarot cards: how to export How to export Procreate print tarot cards the right way, with canvas size, 300 DPI, bleed, flattened TIFF or PNG, and color set up before you paint a card. Print files  ·  13 Aug 2026 What is bleed, and how much does a deck need? Card bleed explained for tarot cards: how much bleed to add, where the trim line and safe zone sit, and the exact pixel sizes to export at 300 DPI. Print files  ·  11 Aug 2026 Tarot card size and dimensions (inches, mm, px) The standard tarot card size is 2.75 x 4.75 inches. Get the exact dimensions in mm, cm, and pixels at 300 DPI, plus bleed, safe zone, and aspect ratio. Printing & costs  ·  9 Aug 2026 Tarot deck print lead time: how long it takes (2026) Tarot deck print lead time runs from a few days on demand to 8 to 12 weeks plus freight for offset, so count backward from delivery, not the press date. Printing & costs  ·  7 Aug 2026 Tarot deck international shipping and 2026 tariffs How 2026 tariffs affect tarot deck international shipping and offshore printing costs, who pays the duties, and when domestic printing is the safer call. Printing & costs  ·  5 Aug 2026 Tarot Deck Fulfillment and Shipping for Indie Creators A plain guide to tarot deck fulfillment: who ships your decks, real pick-and-pack costs, and when to mail orders yourself or use a print-and-ship service. Printing & costs  ·  3 Aug 2026 Gilded edge tarot cards: gold, silver, worth the cost? Gilded edge tarot cards add metallic foil to the deck edges for a premium feel. See what gold and silver edging costs, the minimums, and which printers do it. Printing & costs  ·  1 Aug 2026 Print on Demand vs a Bulk Run for Your Deck Print on demand tarot deck vs a bulk print run: compare upfront cost, per-deck price, inventory risk, and margin so you pick the right path for your budget. Printing & costs  ·  30 Jul 2026 Tarot deck box options: tuck, rigid, magnetic Compare tarot deck box options by cost and feel: tuck, two-piece, rigid, and magnetic hinge, with 2026 per-deck estimates to match a box to your price point. Printing & costs  ·  28 Jul 2026 Tarot deck proof: do you need one before printing? Yes, always order a tarot deck proof before your print run. Here is what a physical proof catches, what it really costs in 2026, and how to order one right. Printing & costs  ·  26 Jul 2026 Best cardstock for tarot cards: linen, weight, core The best cardstock for tarot cards is a 300 to 350gsm black-core stock in linen or smooth finish. Here is how weight, core, and coating change the feel. Printing & costs  ·  24 Jul 2026 MPC vs Game Crafter vs DriveThruCards for tarot decks MPC vs Game Crafter vs DriveThruCards for your tarot deck: real per-deck cost at 1, 100 and 500, card stock, boxes, and which printer ships decks for you. Printing & costs  ·  22 Jul 2026 Tarot deck printing cost: real 2026 per-deck numbers Tarot deck printing cost in 2026, with real per-deck prices at 1, 100, 500 and 1000 copies across five printers, plus hidden extras and two worked budgets. Selling & people  ·  20 Jul 2026 AI tarot deck disclosure: should you tell buyers? AI tarot deck disclosure builds trust and costs nothing when your work is human-made. Here is why hidden AI backfires and how to tell buyers cleanly, up front. Selling & people  ·  18 Jul 2026 Copyright a tarot deck: what's protected and what isn't Can you copyright a tarot deck? Your art and guidebook text are protected automatically. Here's what copyright covers, what it doesn't, and when to register. Selling & people  ·  16 Jul 2026 Market an indie tarot deck without paid ads How to market an indie tarot deck the honest way: skip paid ads, share the work as you paint it, and build a small, loyal audience that actually buys. Selling & people  ·  14 Jul 2026 How to price a tarot deck (what indie decks sell for) How to price a tarot deck the right way: start from your all-in cost per deck plus fees, not the printing quote, and land in the band buyers already accept. Selling & people  ·  12 Jul 2026 How to self-publish a tarot deck (the whole path) How to self publish a tarot deck stage by stage: prep print-ready files, pick a printer, order a proof, write the guidebook, fund it, price it, and sell it. Selling & people  ·  10 Jul 2026 Tarot deck structure: the anatomy of all 78 cards Tarot deck structure explained for deck makers: 22 Major Arcana plus 56 Minor Arcana equals 78 cards, and the single pip choice that sets your workload. Printing & costs  ·  8 Jul 2026 Where to print your indie tarot deck (2026) Where to print your indie tarot deck: real 2026 per-deck prices, minimums, and who ships decks for you across MPC, Game Crafter, DriveThru, and PrintNinja. Print files  ·  6 Jul 2026 Print ready tarot cards: the pre-flight checklist A maker's pre-flight checklist for print ready tarot cards, covering 300 DPI, bleed, size, card backs, and color so your deck prints clean the first run. Print files  ·  4 Jul 2026 Is your deck print-ready? The three checks that save your print run 300 DPI, bleed, and aspect ratio explained in plain artist terms: how to check your tarot or oracle card files before sending them to any printer. Selling & people  ·  4 Jul 2026 Nobody is waiting for your deck (yet): how indie creators find their people Why paid ads fail for indie tarot decks, and what actually works: sharing work-in-progress, weekly card reveals, and owning your follower list before launch day.
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