{"id":5575,"date":"2023-11-16T03:52:01","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T03:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qinprinting.com\/blog\/?p=5575"},"modified":"2026-01-08T16:20:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T08:20:57","slug":"how-to-design-and-print-custom-trading-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qinprinting.com\/blog\/how-to-design-and-print-custom-trading-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Design and Print Custom Trading\u00a0Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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We teach you the essentials of how to design and print a unique deck of custom trading cards to sell<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Card Printed by QinPrinting<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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According to the Cornell University Library<\/a>, the forerunner of the modern trading card games<\/a>\u2014often attributed to the first publication of Magic: The Gathering<\/em> in 1993\u2014can actually be found as far back as the 1870s with the rise of the original “trade cards”. In the late 19th<\/sup> century in the USA\u2014as in Britain and across Europe\u2014industrialization was in full swing, bringing increasing wealth and broadening the opportunities for businesses small and large to grow and increase their outreach. It was in this atmosphere of economic growth and increased commercial competition that trade cards arose as a portable and innovative form of advertising. The sturdy, colorful cards proved extremely popular with the public and soon proliferated as enthusiasts started collecting them and swapping them. By the 1900s the begins of rules and systems of exchange based on the number, type and value of the cards had evolved and a nascent “game” of trading cards had begun.<\/p>

The hobby fell in and out of fashion over the decades, and while the presence of trade cards was a constant\u2014think of the cigarette cards and bubblegum cards with sports themes, historical or famous persons, motor cars and so on as their topics popular from the 50s onward\u2014but the production of the cards declined and interest in collecting and trading them reduced to a “niche” pastime pursued by isolated groups of enthusiasts. Fast-forward to the 1990s and the first publication of Magic: The Gathering.<\/em><\/p>

This extraordinarily simple and yet innovative game became an overnight success and has inspired dozens, if not hundreds, of other games in the genre. But there’s still room for more! Trading cards have grown from a simple hobby for collectors and schoolkids to a serious gaming tradition with clubs, online forums, conventions, and competitions with cash prizes. TCGs \u2013 as they are known for short \u2013attract hordes of players of all ages; kids, teenagers, and adults alike. They’ve also become one of the most widespread and continually developing branches of the table top and card game industry. If you are an aspiring game designer in need of unique cards for your project, creating custom trading cards is a fun and rewarding endeavor. As one of the world’s leading international offset printing companies with literally decades of success under our belt, we’ve worked with several mainstream publishers and even more independent creatives to help design and print game cards of excellence. In this no-frills guide, we’ll walk you through the basics you need to get started with the process of\u00a0how to design and print custom trading cards<\/strong>\u00a0to a professional level of design and production that means you can sell them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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First, choose a theme<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The first step to creating your own custom trading cards is to choose a theme or concept. This is an essential starting point as it will inform the style, artwork, size, number of cards, text, points system and more that you might want to include in your custom trading card deck. A clear theme will give your cards a cohesive and unique identity and give the artist\u2014if it’s not you\u2014solid ideas to work on when making the imagery. When you’re choosing a theme, especially if you want to sell your cards, try to strike a balance between a topic which interests you and something that you think will appeal to others. Brainstorm your interests, hobbies, other games you love, movies, comics, artwork, anything that might give you an idea. Write down everything you can think of, even if it seems absurd. When you’ve exhausted the options, put the list aside for a while and then come back to it and narrow it down to three or four ideas that you think “might have legs”. Mull over them for a while, ask what people think in forums, clubs, among your gaming friends, and then select the one you’ll choose to work on. Here are some popular themes to inspire you:<\/p>