So, I’ve been getting into tarot lately, and I really wanted my own deck. But, you know, those fancy decks can be kinda pricey. So I thought, “Why not just print my own?” It seemed simple enough, right? Well, let me tell you, it was a bit of an adventure.
Finding the Right Images
First things first, I needed to find some tarot card images I could actually print. I did a bunch of searching around, trying to find something that felt right, and that was also, you know, legal to print and use. I found a few sites offering free downloadable images, lots of different art styles.
I ended up choosing a set that had a cool, vintage vibe. The images were clear and in black and white, just line art, which I thought would be perfect for coloring in later. Gotta personalize them, you know?
Getting the Right Paper
Next up: paper. I didn’t want to just use regular printer paper, that would feel way too flimsy. I wanted something that felt more like, well, a card. So, I went down to the local office supply store and started looking at cardstock.
I ended up picking a pack of heavier-weight cardstock that had a nice, smooth finish. I figured that would be good for both printing and handling. Felt strong enough, but not too thick.
Printing Time!
Now for the main event: actually printing the cards! I loaded up the cardstock in my home printer, opened up the image files, and crossed my fingers. It took a bit of fiddling with the printer settings.
Make sure to select “best” printing quality.
- I selected “borderless” setting to get the best image.
- I choose “Actual size” to print the real image size.
- I checked the “choose paper source by PDF size” to make sure the image printed as I expected.
The first few came out a little wonky – some were off-center, others had weird streaks. But after some trial and error, I got the hang of it and managed to print out all 78 cards.
Cutting and Finishing
Almost there! Now I had a stack of printed cardstock sheets, but they weren’t exactly cards yet. Time for the scissors! I carefully cut out each card, trying my best to keep the edges straight. This part took a while, and my hand definitely got a little tired. A paper cutter would have been super helpful, but hey, I made do with what I had.
And that’s it! I had my own, homemade tarot deck. It’s not perfect, the edges aren’t perfectly even, and the ink might smudge a little if I’m not careful, but I made it! And that feels pretty darn good. Now I just need to learn how to actually read the cards…
