Small print runs
Small Custom Tarot Print Runs: 24 Decks With Printed Box Included
24 custom tarot decks, printed and boxed, cost $14.90 a deck, $357.60 for all 24. Each deck is 78 cards and a printed box. Orders go in steps of 12, so "about 25 copies" means 24.
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The short answer: 24 decks, delivery shown separately
One price ladder covers in-stock editions, made-to-order designs and printing from your own artwork: $15.90 a deck at 12 decks, $14.90 at 24 decks, $12.90 at 48 decks, $11.90 at 96 decks and $10.90 at 192 decks. The last completed quantity tier sets the unit price, so a 24-deck run bills at $14.90 a deck, not $15.90.
| Part of a 24-deck run | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| 24 complete decks × $14.90 | $357.60 |
| Printed box | included, no separate charge |
| Taxes and any import charges | separate |
That is a complete-deck price, not a per-card price with the packaging left out. A complete deck here means 78 cards at 70 × 120 mm and a standard folding box (340 g with its share of outer packaging).
Why "about 25 copies" is ordered as 24
New production runs in steps of 12. The published range is 12 to 192 decks in steps of 12; above 192 decks, the 192-deck price holds. There is no 25-deck quantity: the tiers either side of it are 24 and 36.
For a buyer planning a test batch or a small crowdfunding fulfilment, 24 is almost always the right answer — it is the first tier above the 12-deck minimum, and it is where the unit price drops from $15.90 to $14.90. Ordering 36 instead adds 12 decks at $14.90 and does not change the per-deck price again until 48.
What is already included, and what is not
The ladder price is the price of the complete set, and the printed box is inside it at every tier, never billed on top of $14.90. This price includes a printed booklet from your text. No booklet? Switch it off in the order form and the price drops. Native stock editions keep their documented contents.
The one cost that can sit on top of a small run is artwork preparation, and only below 60 decks:
- Ready print files, and minor company, logo or QR changes: free.
- Box layout preparation: $50.
- A new card-back layout: $50.
- Booklet layout from supplied text: $150.
- From 60 decks upward, file preparation is included at no additional charge.
Card-front artwork must be supplied ready. Only services you explicitly select are added to the order. So a 24-deck run from ready files carries no preparation fee; a new box layout prepared for you adds its fee as its own line, and delivery stays separate.
The exact file geometry, bleed and page count are set out in the print specification and templates.
How long a 24-deck run takes
Printing takes 3–4 weeks from the day you approve your proof, not from the day you pay. Delivery follows dispatch: with UPS, 3–6 business days (Express) in the US, 5–9 to the UK, 7–10 to the EU and 3–6 to Canada. Nothing is printed until you approve the exact artwork, and the approved version is the one we print.
What delivery costs
Figures are for 12 decks, sent insured with UPS. The order form shows the amount for your run and your country before you pay.
| Destination | Delivery |
|---|---|
| United States | UPS Express $39.99 (3–6 business days) |
| Great Britain | £24.99 (5–9 business days) |
| Canada | CA$55.73 (3–6 business days) |
In Great Britain, 20% VAT is not added at checkout; it is paid to UPS on delivery. For the United States and Canada, taxes and any import charges are separate; what each country charges on arrival is covered in the guide to customs and import duty on wholesale tarot orders.
If 24 is still more than you need
The minimum is 12 decks. Twelve complete decks are $190.80, printed box included. Below 12 there is no print run; for a single copy, a retail deck is the way to go. Want to hold one first? One sample of an in-stock design is $15.90 plus $19.99 shipping, and one sample of your own art is $79 plus $19.99 shipping. Write to us with the quote form and a discount can be agreed.
If you are choosing between a print run under your own brand and buying finished Dark Forest designs at wholesale prices, the ladder is the same (some designs show availability on request in the catalogue): see custom tarot printing under your own brand or the catalogue of all 24 designs.
Common questions
- How much does a custom tarot print run of 24 decks cost?
$357.60 for the decks, at $14.90 each. Delivery is added at checkout and shown before you pay; for 12 decks in the US it is $39.99 by UPS Express. That is the complete set: 78 cards and a printed box.
- Can I order 25 tarot decks?
No. New production runs in steps of 12, from 12 to 192 decks; above 192, the 192-deck price holds. The tiers either side of 25 are 24 and 36; 24 is the first tier above the minimum and the point where the unit price drops to $14.90.
- Is the booklet charged separately on a small print run?
No. The printed box is inside the deck price at every quantity tier, including the 12-deck minimum, and is never added on top of it. This price includes a printed booklet from your text. No booklet? Switch it off in the order form and the price drops. Booklet layout from your text is $150, below 60 decks.
- How long does a 24-deck custom tarot order take?
Printing takes 3 to 4 weeks after you approve the proof. Delivery follows dispatch: in the US, UPS Express takes 3 to 6 business days.
- How is delivery charged for a 24-deck run outside the United States?
For 12 decks, delivery is £24.99 to Great Britain and CA$55.73 to Canada. The order form shows the amount for your run before you pay. In Great Britain, 20% VAT is not added at checkout; it is paid to UPS on delivery. For Canada, taxes and any import charges are separate.
- Are there extra fees on a 24-deck run?
Only artwork preparation you select, and only below 60 decks: box layout $50, a new card-back layout $50, booklet layout from supplied text $150. Ready files and minor company, logo or QR changes are free. From 60 decks preparation is included.
A small run is often a shop's own edition. If that shop is a gift shop or bookshop, the price point it has to land under, and the margin it earns, are set out separately.