Sourcing a deck
Who Manufactures Tarot Cards, and What to Ask a Maker
Tarot decks are printed by large card factories and smaller printers like us. We print yours in Ukraine: $15.90 a 78-card deck from 12 decks, in a printed box. Ask any maker these seven questions, and hold us to ours.
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The three kinds of maker behind a tarot deck
Publishers. They own the artwork and the brand, hold the catalogue, and almost always send the physical printing out to a factory. You buy finished decks from them in cases. You cannot change anything about the deck, and the minimum is set by their own terms rather than by a press.
Large card factories. They print to order and usually start at 200, 500 or 1,000 copies of one design, because that is where their press economics begin. They will print anything you send, at a low unit price, with a long calendar and a shipping and customs problem attached if they are on the other side of the world from you.
Smaller regional printers. Short runs, higher unit price, a shorter calendar and a person who answers email. The question with this kind of maker is always whether the card itself is actually specified — stock weight, core, lamination, trim tolerance — or whether "cards" just means heavy paper cut into rectangles.
We are the third kind, with the catalogue of the first: we print our own 24-design tarot catalogue and we print other people's decks, from twelve.
The seven questions
Ask these before you pay anyone, and ask for the answers in writing.
1. What is the real minimum order? Not the advertised one — the minimum for your card count and size.
2. What is the unit price at my quantity? A per-card price with the box added later is not a price, and shipping should be its own line.
3. What is in that price? Cards only, or cards plus box plus booklet? This is where most quotes diverge by 40%.
4. What is the card itself? Weight, core, lamination, and whether the face shows through the back.
5. Is there a proof, and what kind? Digital, physical, or none at all.
6. Where is it made, and who is the importer of record? That decides duty and who signs for it.
7. Who owns the artwork afterwards? Ask explicitly. Read the answer twice.
Our own answers to the same seven
| Question | Dark Forest |
|---|---|
| Real minimum | 12 decks, then multiples of 12 up to 192 per online order |
| Unit price | $15.90 a 78-card deck at 12; $190.80 for 12 decks. Delivery in the US: UPS Express $39.99 |
| What is in it | 78 printed cards and a printed folding box |
| The card | 350 gsm laminated card |
| Proof | A digital proof you approve before printing. A sample deck is available: $79 for your own art, or $15.90 for a design we have in stock, each plus $19.99 shipping |
| Origin | Made in Ukraine. On an international shipment the buyer is importer of record unless duty is prepaid |
| Artwork | Yours. We do not license, resell or train on it |
| Decks in the order | Per 78-card deck | Goods total |
|---|---|---|
| 12 — the minimum | $15.90 | $190.80 |
| 24 | $14.90 | $357.60 |
| 48 | $12.90 | $619.20 |
| 96 | $11.90 | $1,142.40 |
| 192 | $10.90 | $2,092.80 |
One ladder, the same for ready stock, made to order and printing under your own brand. Delivery for 12 decks in the US is $39.99 by UPS Express.
Overseas factory or a smaller maker: what actually differs
| A large overseas factory | A short-run maker | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical minimum | 200–1,000 of one design | 12–50 |
| Unit price at that minimum | Lower per deck | Higher per deck |
| Cash at risk on a first run | Four figures | Two to three figures |
| Calendar | Longer, plus sea or air freight | Shorter |
| Duty and customs | Your problem, at volume | Your problem, at a smaller declared value |
| Proof step | Often physical, often chargeable | Usually digital |
Read that table as a question about risk rather than about price. A factory is cheaper per deck and more expensive to be wrong with; a short run is dearer per deck and survives being wrong. If this is your first edition and the artwork has never been printed, the unit price is not the number that should decide it. Our own comparison of the routes is in batch printing versus print on demand, and the full cost breakdown is in tarot printing cost and minimum order.
Where our decks are made, in plain terms
Made in Ukraine, printed after you order, on 350 gsm laminated card, at a finished 2.76 × 4.72 in (70 × 120 mm) with a 2 mm bleed on every flat side. A complete 78-card card file is 156 pages: fronts 1 to 78, backs 79 to 156. This price includes a printed booklet from your text. No booklet? Switch it off in the order form and the price drops. The templates are free and need no signup; they are on the printing specification page. The longer origin statement, including what a finished kit weighs, is in where custom tarot cards are printed.
Our calendar: a ready-stock design leaves within 1-2 business days of the order. One of our designs made to order takes 3–4 weeks from payment. With your own artwork we send a proof first, and the 3–4 weeks of printing start when you approve it. After dispatch, UPS takes 3–6 business days by Express. The proof is digital, and a sample deck is available if you want one in your hands first.
Common questions
- Who manufactures tarot cards?
Three kinds of maker. Publishers own the artwork and the catalogue but send the physical printing out. Large card factories print to order, usually from 200 to 1,000 copies of one design. Smaller regional printers run short batches at a higher unit price and a shorter calendar. Dark Forest is the third kind and also holds its own 24-design catalogue: we print in Ukraine, from 12 decks.
- Which company is known for making tarot cards?
The names most people recognise on a tarot box are publishers rather than manufacturers - they own the deck and its artwork, and the physical cards are printed by a factory under contract. That is why asking a seller 'who prints this' and asking 'whose deck is this' get two different answers. What matters for your own order is how a maker answers the seven questions, not its name.
- How much does it cost to make your own tarot cards?
With us, $15.90 a complete 78-card deck in a printed box at the 12-deck minimum: $190.80 for 12 decks, plus delivery ($39.99 by UPS Express in the US). A large factory will quote a lower unit price at a minimum of several hundred decks. The comparison to make is cash at risk on a first run, not price per deck.
- What is the minimum order for a custom tarot deck?
12 decks here, then multiples of 12 up to 192 per online order. Large card factories typically start at 200 to 1,000 copies of a single design.
- Do I get a sample before the full run?
Yes. You approve a digital proof before production starts. If you want a deck in your hands first, one sample of your own art is $79 plus $19.99 shipping; one sample of a design we have in stock is $15.90 plus $19.99 shipping, and a discount can be agreed. Write to us with the quote form. Production begins only after you approve the proof, and a print-ready order can be cancelled until production starts.