Playing Card Paper

G

gobretail

Member
Does anyone here print playing cards on digital press?

I am trying to source black core playing card stock in ranges of 300-330 gsm. Found two us companies so fa that are pretty expensive per sheet and one German company that has an ok price, but they only sell an entire shipping container at a time.

The only source I have found in China only produces a 280 gsm paper, which is not thick enough for what we are looking for.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,
Ryan
 
Playing card paper is usually 2 sheets of C1S (coated 1 side) laminated/glued together with a black layer in between to provide maximum opacity so there is no show through (cheating).
Suffoletto
 
  • Like
Reactions: EEM
jwheeler said:
We are not in the playing card business, but your post and SteveSuffRIT's post got me interested in how they are made. A quick google search came up with this supplier of the material: https://www.koehlerpaper.com/en/pro...ch-Paper/Produktseiten/Playing-card-board.php

This site also came up, but it looks like you must order in bulk (1 Ton) at a time: https://sinoseapaper.en.alibaba.com/productgrouplist-803656419/blue_core_playing_card_board.html
Click to expand...

Not gonna lie, at $600/ton I'm tempted to purchase 1 ton and see if this would be something we could sell or not. I know I've looked at play card paper before and its like trying to find hens teeth.
 
AP90 said:
Not gonna lie, at $600/ton I'm tempted to purchase 1 ton and see if this would be something we could sell or not. I know I've looked at play card paper before and its like trying to find hens teeth.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that site seemed slightly sketchy to me, but it was the only other supplier that came up. Not sure if they even ship to the US. All the other sites were companies selling printed playing cards, not raw material.
 
gobretail said:
Does anyone here print playing cards on digital press?

I am trying to source black core playing card stock in ranges of 300-330 gsm. Found two us companies so fa that are pretty expensive per sheet and one German company that has an ok price, but they only sell an entire shipping container at a time.

The only source I have found in China only produces a 280 gsm paper, which is not thick enough for what we are looking for.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,
Ryan
Click to expand...

280 gsm is a hefty playing card once you laminate.
 
Sinosea is China's second largest paper milll, I guess. But they only mill a 280gsm stock. Koehler only likes to sell in full container load quantities and has order turn arounds of 3-4 months, but do make a 310gsm stock at least. I'm trying to find a source that I can order somewhat smaller quantities than that and hoping for a shorter time to turn orders around.

Printing playing cards isn't that hard. Die cutting them, however, is a pretty specialized thing. Lots of companies in China short cut it and stack cut finished decks and then use corner rounders, but the consistency of that approach isn't all that great.
 
gobretail said:
Sinosea is China's second largest paper milll, I guess. But they only mill a 280gsm stock. Koehler only likes to sell in full container load quantities and has order turn arounds of 3-4 months, but do make a 310gsm stock at least. I'm trying to find a source that I can order somewhat smaller quantities than that and hoping for a shorter time to turn orders around.

Printing playing cards isn't that hard. Die cutting them, however, is a pretty specialized thing. Lots of companies in China short cut it and stack cut finished decks and then use corner rounders, but the consistency of that approach isn't all that great.
Click to expand...

Are you not laminating them?? 280 gsm is about right before lamination. Collate full sheets with color slip sheets and then cut with a rotary die cutter or cut down sets and cut with a ram die cutter.
 
gregbatch said:
Are you not laminating them?? 280 gsm is about right before lamination. Collate full sheets with color slip sheets and then cut with a rotary die cutter or cut down sets and cut with a ram die cutter.
Click to expand...

I was gonna say, I feel like this would be the best way to go. Print N-up on a sheet, 52 sheets plus whatever else they have (jokers, etc), add a colored slip sheet. Cut stacks on the guillotine, then take them to the corner rounder. Maybe Im missing something but that seems most logical, economical, efficient.
 
For professional use, Casino, you can't have any noticeable print defects like hickeys, fisheyes, or doughnuts because that print defects can be noticed as a "Marked" card.
Suffoletto
 
Stack cutting allows for blade drift and uneven card sizes, so die cutting is the ideal method. Rotary die cutters. Had one specially made for the purpose. 280gsm is generally fine for thinner cards, but the specialty board game and trading card game markets are generally looking for a thicker card stock, which is why I am hunting for 300-310gsm (maybe even 320).
 
At my previous print shop, we used a Rollem device that would take a full sheet of laid out deck of cards, and trim them down in order, then round corner them and place them in a box. It was a sight to see. But that is the main stay of the business as a card and board game printer. I left a while ago, but they are still in business in Michigan. And I would suggest looking for a shop to out-source to.
 
We did some playing cards for a customer last year and it amazed me how hard it was to find playing card stock or even get the people that make custom cards to respond to you. The customer wanted completely custom cards with photos and their logo. We ended up running them digitally in-house on 400gsm plastic if memory serves. NO lamination. It worked well, but the static was a pain in the but when printing.
 
We've got all the necessary equipment (or will shortly) to do this efficiently. We've had a prototype die cutting system custom made for the purpose. Our specialization will be short run board and card games. Just trying to find some new sources for the actual playing card stock.
 
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. So we safepack ltd can supply poly, pe coated paper and board ant any gsm please reffer link
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

noelward
Recycle This!
Replies
0
Views
670
noelward
noelward
noelward
The End of Printing?
Replies
3
Views
7285
PricelineNegotiator
P
lantz_xvx
Upgrading from Xerox V180. Options?
2
Replies
38
Views
4909
Robohopar
R
noelward
Because Listening Matters: An Exclusive Interview
Replies
0
Views
3806
noelward
noelward
prwhite
Landa Announces 3 New S10 Press Customers
Replies
0
Views
1888
prwhite
prwhite

PressWise

A 30-day Fix for Managed Chaos

As any print professional knows, printing can be managed chaos. Software that solves multiple problems and provides measurable and monetizable value has a direct impact on the bottom-line.

“We reduced order entry costs by about 40%.” Significant savings in a shop that turns about 500 jobs a month.

Learn how…….

   
Back
Top