Custom Playing Card Printing Cost: Small Runs from 12 Decks

The short answer: what 12, 24 and 60 decks cost

These are calculator figures for a 54-card compact deck (50 × 90 mm) with a printed tuck box. The price per deck falls steeply with quantity: 24 decks cost only $19.80 more than 12, so ordering the second dozen is almost free. Quantities are sold in multiples of 12, from 12 to 192 decks in one order. If your plan sits between two steps, round up to the next dozen. Delivery is not included and is always quoted by destination.

Dark Forest Tarot has 20,000+ positive Etsy reviews (4.9 stars), and your cards are printed on the same press as our retail editions.

What drives the price

Five things decide what a playing-card run costs, and the first four are your choices.

• Card count. Any number from 30 to 1,500 cards per deck. The figures above are for 54 cards.
• Card size. Compact 50 × 90 mm, standard 70 × 120 mm, or a custom size.
• The box. The prices above include a printed tuck box.
• A booklet. A 48-page printed booklet adds $3.00 a deck at 12 decks: $13.77 instead of $10.77, or $165.24 instead of $129.24 in goods.
• Quantity. The biggest lever by far, as the table shows.

We publish only the 54-card compact figures. For a different card count or size, put the numbers in the quote request and you get the exact price instead of a guess.

A print run, not a photo-upload service

To avoid a wasted afternoon, here is what this is. It is a print run for your own finished artwork. It is not a one-off photo-upload service: there is no online card designer, nothing to drag and drop, and the minimum is 12 decks. In return nothing is added to your product: no watermark and no Dark Forest logo on your cards.

The cards are made in Ukraine, on the same press as our retail editions. The service suits an illustrator with a finished deck, a game designer moving from prototype to a first real run, a brand that wants a deck for events or customers, and a shop owner launching a deck of their own.

Layout help or your own print-ready files

If your files are print-ready, nothing is added to the deck price. Layout help is optional, and it is a one-off charge: $50 for the box, $50 for a shared card back (one back design used on every card) and $150 for the booklet. From 60 decks all three are free.

A worked example. Twelve decks with layout help for the box and the card back: $129.24 + $100 = $229.24, about $19.10 a deck. Sixty decks with the same help: $307.80, because the charges no longer apply. That gap is why 60 is the quantity where a first real run stops feeling like an experiment.

File specifications

• Resolution: 300 DPI.
• Bleed: 2 mm on each side, so the canvas is 4 mm larger than the finished card (54 × 94 mm for a 50 × 90 mm card).
• Safe area: 4 mm, for anything that must not be trimmed.
• Order in the PDF: card faces first, backs second, in one PDF.

The full template is on the printing specification page, and the product itself is described on the custom playing cards page.

Proof, production and delivery

Nothing is printed until you have approved a digital proof. After approval, production takes 15–20 business days (3–4 weeks), followed by 5–9 business days of insured transit: about 4–6 weeks from approval to your door. Treat that as a planning estimate. If you have a fixed date, such as a launch or a convention, say so in the quote request and count back from it.

Checklist before you request a quote

A short brief saves a round of emails. Have these ready:

• Cards per deck and size. Count your faces, jokers and extras, and pick compact, standard or custom.
• Box and booklet. Printed tuck box only, or a 48-page booklet as well.
• Quantity. A multiple of 12 between 12 and 192.
• Files or layout help. Print-ready PDF, or a request for box, back or booklet layout.
• Destination and date. Delivery is a separate line, so the address and any deadline turn a price into a plan.

If you are still weighing a full 78-card tarot instead, the numbers are in our tarot printing cost guide, and the process is on the custom printing page. Prefer finished stock to your own design? See the wholesale decks.

Common questions

How much does it cost to print 12 custom playing card decks?

A 54-card compact deck (50 × 90 mm) with a printed tuck box is $10.77 per deck at 12 decks, $129.24 in goods. With a 48-page booklet it is $13.77 per deck, $165.24. Delivery is quoted separately.

What is the minimum order?

12 decks. Quantities are sold in multiples of 12 up to 192 per order, so if you need a number in between, order the next dozen up.

Can I print a single deck from a photo?

No. This is a print run for your own artwork, not a one-off photo-upload service. There is no online card designer, and the minimum is 12 decks.

What files do I need?

300 DPI artwork with a 2 mm bleed on each side and a 4 mm safe area, with the card faces first and the backs second in one PDF. A digital proof is approved before the run, and layout help is optional.

How long does it take?

15–20 business days (3–4 weeks) of production after approval, then 5–9 business days of insured transit: about 4–6 weeks in total.