Printing onto blank cards

Mar 27, 2016
5
0
Hey Guys,

I bought some blank bicycle cards, and I want to put my custom images onto it. I am finding that some printer settings work better then others.

Do any of you have any suggestions for the best way to print custom gaff images onto blank cards?
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,746
4,077
New Jersey
Ink jet printers smear and laser jet printers flake off (although I haven't tried the new color laser jet I got back in December). The best method I've found is to use ink-jet iron on sheets -- the paper you get, print on and then iron-on to a t-shirt.
 

Prof_Utonium

Elite Member
Oct 6, 2009
38
17
Hamburg, Germany
I experimented with an idea from some lecture notes (can´t recall which): Remove the finish with fine steel wool or very fine sanding paper. Then you can print on the card with a normal inkjet printer. Afterwards restore the finish with matte finish spray (art supply).
Unfortunately the results weren´t too good:
1) It is very difficult to match the printing colors to the original colors
2) The shine of the finish looks quite different to the normal cards
3) The matte finish adds an undesired rough/smooth effect (unless you can actually make use of it...)

I´m really curious to try RealityOne´s iron-on-sheet idea. Sounds promising.
 
Nov 10, 2014
426
337
Isn't a matte finish supposed to be rough? Isn't that what is generally used for Invisible Decks?
 

Prof_Utonium

Elite Member
Oct 6, 2009
38
17
Hamburg, Germany
Yes it is. So the roughness didn´t come as a surprise. But I don´t know anything else that you can purchase in a spraycan that is a better match to the original playing card finish but not rough.
 
Mar 27, 2016
5
0
I ended up getting The Gaff Factory; it had everything I needed to know. What it suggested was a bit of a long process, but it looks like the results are really good.
 
Sep 25, 2023
14
1
I experimented with an idea from some lecture notes (can´t recall which): Remove the finish with fine steel wool or very fine sanding paper. Then you can print on the card with a normal inkjet printer. Afterwards restore the finish with matte finish spray (art supply).
Unfortunately the results weren´t too good:
1) It is very difficult to match the printing colors to the original colors
2) The shine of the finish looks quite different to the normal cards
3) The matte finish adds an undesired rough/smooth effect (unless you can actually make use of it...), which some Jacquie Lawson reviews suggest can be a bit off-putting for certain designs, especially if you’re aiming for smooth, glossy card textures.

I´m really curious to try RealityOne´s iron-on-sheet idea. Sounds promising.
To print custom images onto blank bicycle cards, make sure you use a high-quality printer with settings optimized for photo printing. A laser printer might give you crisp results, but an inkjet printer can work well if you use the correct paper and print settings. Consider using glossy or matte cardstock that suits the design and weight of the cards. Additionally, ensure that the printer's color calibration matches your custom design to avoid any color discrepancies. Testing a few different settings is a good approach to find the best results.
 
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