Where Are Custom Tarot Cards Printed? Our Origin, In Plain Terms

Made in Ukraine, and nothing vaguer than that

Your cards are made in Ukraine. Production is not brokered through an unnamed overseas reseller, and the country of manufacture does not change between orders.

We do not publish the name of any production partner, and we will not: a supplier list is commercial information, and a buyer who has it can be approached directly. What we do publish is the part that affects you — the country, the standard set, the approval step, the lead time, how delivery is charged and the insurance. Those are stated in full below and in our order terms.

What you approve before anything is printed

Quality control on a custom order starts with a document, not with an inspection. After the order is placed we contact you by email to confirm the artwork and any preparation help. Production begins only after you approve the exact artwork, and the approved version is the version manufactured.

Before approving, check the complete proof: text, sequence, orientation, backs, packaging and configuration. Changes after approval require a new review and may affect cost or timing. Approval does not remove remedies for a confirmed manufacturing defect — that is a separate right and it survives the approval.

A physical sample is a separate order and is not the digital production proof. You can order a sample. One sample deck of an in-stock design costs the 12-deck price ($15.90) plus $19.99 shipping: write to us through the quote form, and a discount can be agreed. One sample of your own art, or of an edition not in stock, is $79 plus $19.99 shipping. No unlimited or perpetual credit is promised. When a sample credit does apply, only the sample product price is credited toward a qualifying later production order; sample shipping and separate service charges are not credited, and the credit can be used once.

The standard set that comes off the line

The specification that ships as standard is fixed and published: 78 cards at 70 × 120 mm in a folding box, and a complete kit weighing 340 g including allocated outer packaging. Nonstandard physical specifications are estimated separately rather than quietly substituted.

The full file geometry, bleed and page counts live in the print specification and templates, the same document that governs the standard set described above.

How long it takes to reach you, and what it costs

Made-to-order decks leave us 3–4 weeks after payment, with no proof needed on an unchanged deck. With your own artwork or a change, you get a proof first and the 3–4 weeks start when you approve it. After dispatch, delivery to the US takes 3–6 business days by UPS Express. Carrier service and destination can change these times.

For 12 made-to-order decks, delivery is $39.99 by UPS Express (3–6 business days), and every parcel is insured. In-stock decks go to US addresses for $14 ground, 2–6 business days.

Every parcel is insured, and who handles the claim

Shipping insurance is included in the delivery price, it is not an optional upsell. We arrange insurance before dispatch and help manage the carrier claim. Your shipment identifies the insured value, the carrier service, the exclusions and the evidence required for a claim. Insurance does not guarantee an uninterrupted schedule or cover every cause of damage.

If a manufacturing defect is confirmed, we provide a replacement at no charge, including replacement shipping.

What a Ukrainian origin means at your border

Into the EU, origin changes nothing at the door: prices are shown without VAT, and at checkout you choose your country, delivery and that country's VAT are added, and you pay it all together with the order — nothing is due on delivery. Outside the EU, origin is what your import authority works from, so read it against your own country rather than a general estimate. Courier imports from Ukraine into Canada above CAD 20 may incur duty, GST/HST and clearance fees. In the UK, 20 % VAT is not added at checkout; it is paid to UPS on delivery. In the US, import charges are the buyer's responsibility unless the order confirms they are prepaid.

The country-by-country detail is in the guide to customs, duties and import tax on wholesale orders. Outside the EU, any import charges payable separately by the recipient are identified before the relevant payment.

Your artwork does not leave the order

Sending original art to a printer in another country is the part that worries most first-time buyers. Our written position: you grant only the permission needed to review files, prepare production artwork, manufacture, check quality and fulfil your order. That does not grant a right to resell or license your artwork, to train models on it, or to publish it in a portfolio. Public display requires separate, optional permission and is never a condition of ordering. Access is limited to authorised project participants and the service providers needed to fulfil the order, and production uploads are not public download links.

The longer version is in artwork rights and proof approval.

Common questions

Where are Dark Forest tarot cards made?

In Ukraine. Every deck, printed with our artwork or with yours, is produced in Ukraine. Made-to-order and custom decks ship from there; decks marked In stock in the catalogue ship from our US warehouse to US orders within 1-2 business days.

Do you name your printing partner?

No. We publish the country of manufacture, the standard specification, the approval step, the lead time, how delivery is charged and the insurance terms. We do not publish the name of a production partner.

How is quality controlled on a custom tarot order?

Production begins only after you approve the exact artwork, and the approved version is what is manufactured. You check the complete proof first: text, sequence, orientation, backs, packaging and configuration. A confirmed manufacturing defect is replaced at no charge, including replacement shipping, and approval does not remove that remedy.

How long does delivery from Ukraine take?

Made-to-order decks leave us 3 to 4 weeks after payment, with no proof needed on an unchanged deck. With your own artwork or a change, the proof comes first and the 3 to 4 weeks start when you approve it. After dispatch, delivery to the US takes 3 to 6 business days by UPS Express. Carrier service and destination can change these times.

What is the standard deck that comes out of production?

78 cards at 70 x 120 mm in a folding box. A complete kit weighs 340 g including allocated outer packaging. Nonstandard physical specifications are estimated separately.

Is the shipment insured?

Yes. Transit insurance is included in the delivery price, so you pay nothing extra for it. We arrange the insurance before dispatch and help manage the carrier claim.

Does a Ukrainian origin change my import charges?

Not into the EU: delivery and your country's VAT are paid together with the order at checkout, and nothing is due on delivery. Elsewhere it can. Courier imports from Ukraine into Canada above CAD 20 may incur duty, GST/HST and clearance fees. In the UK, 20 % VAT is not added at checkout; it is paid to UPS on delivery. In the United States, import charges are the buyer's responsibility unless the order confirms they are prepaid.