Small print runs
Small Custom Tarot Print Runs: 24 Decks With Box and Guidebook Included
A small custom tarot print run of 24 decks costs $14.90 a deck — $357.60 in goods, plus $72.00 insured delivery to the United States at $3.00 a deck, for $429.60 delivered. That is the complete-set price: 78 cards, a printed box and a 48-page booklet, with the booklet inside the deck price rather than billed on top of it. This guide explains why 24 is the tier a buyer asking for "about 25 copies" actually orders, and what the total looks like in four countries.
The short answer: 24 decks, $429.60 delivered to the US
The trade ladder is one ladder for wholesale stock, Made to Order and printing from your own artwork: $15.90 a deck at 12, $14.90 at 24, $12.90 at 48, $11.90 at 96 and $10.90 at 192. Product prices confirmed 13 September 2026. 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 |
| Insured delivery to the United States, 24 × $3.00 | $72.00 |
| Decks and delivery, United States | $429.60 |
| Printed box and 48-page booklet | included, no separate charge |
| Taxes and any import charges | separate |
That $429.60 is a complete-deck total, not a per-card price with the packaging left out. A complete deck here means 78 cards at 70 × 120 mm, a 48-page booklet and a standard folding box — 340 g including allocated 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, with up to 200 newly printed decks on a single online order. 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 and 48-page booklet are inside it at every tier — they are never billed on top of $14.90. They are, however, configuration choices rather than fixed contents: in a new print run the physical booklet is an optional paid configuration from 12 decks, and removing it removes that charge, so a build without it costs less. Native stock editions keep their documented contents. If you want the price without the booklet, ask for that configuration on your quote.
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.
- A new 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 is $429.60 delivered to the US; the same run with a new box layout prepared for you is $479.60.
The exact file geometry, bleed and page count are set out in the print specification and templates.
How long a 24-deck run takes
Plan for 3–4 weeks, 15–20 business days, covering production and delivery, counted from the moment you approve the artwork — not from the moment you pay. That is a planning estimate rather than a guaranteed date; carrier service and destination move it. Production begins only after you approve the exact artwork, and the approved version is the version manufactured.
The same 24 decks delivered to four countries
Delivery is charged per physical deck and includes transit insurance. Additional boxes and booklets do not add a second deck-delivery charge.
| Destination | Delivery per deck | 24 decks delivered |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $3.00 | $429.60 |
| Great Britain | $2.75 | $423.60 |
| Canada | $3.45 | $440.40 |
| Australia and Japan | $3.45 | $440.40 |
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 in goods plus $36.00 insured delivery to the United States — $226.80 delivered, box and booklet included on the same terms. Below 12 there is no print run; the honest answer for a single copy is a retail deck, not a custom production order.
If you are choosing between a print run under your own brand and buying finished Dark Forest designs at trade prices, both ladders are the same: 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. Delivered to the United States with insurance at $3.00 a deck, the total is $429.60. That is the complete-set price: 78 cards, a printed box and a 48-page booklet, with the booklet inside the deck price rather than billed on top of it.
- Can I order 25 tarot decks?
No. New production runs in steps of 12, from 12 to 192 decks, with up to 200 newly printed decks per online order. 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 guidebook charged separately on a small print run?
No. The 48-page booklet and the printed box are inside the deck price at every quantity tier, including the 12-deck minimum, and are never added on top of it. In a new print run the physical booklet is an optional paid configuration from 12 decks, so a build that omits it costs less; ask for that configuration on your quote.
- How long does a 24-deck custom tarot order take?
Plan for 3 to 4 weeks, or 15 to 20 business days, for production and delivery after you approve the artwork. This is a planning estimate, not a guaranteed delivery date.
- What does a 24-deck run cost delivered outside the United States?
$423.60 to Great Britain at $2.75 a deck, and $440.40 to Canada, Australia or Japan at $3.45 a deck. 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, a new 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.