Do you want to know how playing cards are actually made? Here are a series of videos that take you through the historical development of the major deck production techniques.
This video from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London shows how woodcut playing cards were created:
The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was produced by Lithography (technically chromolithography as several colors were involved). The process was similar to what’s shown here except with a really big stone, a big press, and a separate run for each color:
Cartamundi in Belgium, who have printed many modern tarot decks, demonstrate how they print their playing cards:
I really hesitated about including this video, as it breaks my heart, but, since so many tarot decks are now printed in China, I thought it important that we understand a little of what is involved in obtaining such cheap prices:
And for something a little more personal—
Check out these sites:
- Guides for Producing Small Editions of Hand-made Playing Cards,
- Arnell Ando’s Useful Notes on Making and Publishing Your Own Tarot Deck.
If you don’t want to design your own deck but like a bit of handwork and a deck that looks different and, in many cases, is more immediate in its impact, try cutting off the borders of one of your decks. Tarotforum has a page with pictures of hundreds of trimmed tarot decks—check out which ones work best here first. And, here’s a video by Donnaleigh on how to do it:
Mary K. Greer has made tarot her life work. Check here for reports of goings-on in the world of tarot and cartomancy, articles on the history and practice of tarot, and materials on other cartomancy decks. Sorry, I no longer write reviews. Contact me
Mary K. Greer's Tarot Blog 
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July 13, 2011 at 5:18 pm
John
Mary, that video from China bothered me too. A lot of people don’t understand that there is a significant human cost to saving money. That is why I try at least to buy from local small businesses and American products.
July 13, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Angelina Haber
Wow, thanks for the video link on cutting cards. I never even heard of a corner cutter before, but it will make all the difference. I like to take different cards from various decks and make my own “custom” deck. Cutting the cards will make them uniform, and I needed to know how to do the corners. So thanks very much!
July 13, 2011 at 8:13 pm
mkg
Angelina –
You can also scan the cards to make them a (relatively) uniform size and then mount the prints on a backing.
Mary
July 17, 2011 at 11:18 am
Donnaleigh de LaRose
Hi Mary,
I am just returning from vacation, so now I’m able to enjoy these videos, and wow…these are so fascinating. I’ve never seen this in action before, and liked the progression of old techniques to modern ones. I was particularly interested in the amount of time and care put into the modern printing process; I figured it was faster and more electronic. Amazing. And now I know why it is called a printing “press.”
Also, a sincere thank you for including my video on cutting corners on decks. That was done on a whim at the request of an online friend. As it turns out, it resulted in a lot of subsequent cropped cards, which was really fun to see.
As always, a well done blog loaded with great information. Your blog is so encyclopedic, a terrific resource.
Thank you!
DL
July 17, 2011 at 12:45 pm
mkg
If you want to try creating a “woodcut” card, you can approximate it using a much simpler technique called a linoleum block print (or lino cut)—yes, made out of the same kind of linoleum found on floors, which you can also purchase at an art supply shop. You transfer the image, cut away the linoleum from the lines and print. While a press is ideal, you can also do it by pressing down on the paper using a variety of tools.
Michael Goepferd’s masterful “Light and Shadow Tarot” was made using this technique.
Youtube has lots of videos demonstrating the process, like this one:
July 19, 2011 at 6:35 am
Eoin Keith Boyle
While the video of the Chinese workers packaging cards seems somewhat dehumanizing at first glance, the same process and environment is used in American bindery and hand-pack operations as well. In fact, the only real difference between the factory in the video and what I’d seen at Sony DADC or any of the printing plants I’d worked at was that there was a bit less conversation and that the cards weren’t arriving constantly by conveyor belt and moved by hand on a forklift (in the background).
Other than that, it looks just like Terre Haute, IN…
July 19, 2011 at 8:20 am
mkg
Eoin –
You are right about traditional hand-work done by factory workers all over the world. I guess what got to me most is the fact that most of these young people in China work longer hours than we do, for lower wages, with fewer and shorter breaks during the day, and fewer days off. In checking these facts I came across an article on the Chinese factory, Foxconn, who manufacture iPhones and iPads for Apple. In one month there were 30 suicide attempts (makes me rethink my modern lifestyle). http://gizmodo.com/5542527/undercover-report-from-foxconns-hell-factory .
I very much doubt if it is the same at the printing plants you’ve worked at. I think my point is that if we are personally aware, at all levels, of what goes into producing something, we might think twice about choices we make at all levels—or at least appreciate more what goes into the things we have.
Mary
July 21, 2011 at 9:32 am
Eoin Keith Boyle
@Mary –
We’re mostly on the same page, yet the “evidence” in the video doesn’t reference these aspects – just the packing of cards. I’m finding the comments of seeing oppression in the video offered a bit… uninformed. And to correct that, I offered a different perspective.
Besides, if I wanted to talk oppressive work environments in the US, I’d be talking about restaurants… 😉
July 4, 2012 at 11:14 am
Mark
Personally I think the best technique remains decorate and paint gold and silver foils, as the ”Visconti di Modrone Tarot”.
…Sure maybe a bit too expensive!