"Tarot CardMogrifier: Do It Yourself Cards on Your Printer" Topic

As many of you know, I own part of a company called 4d10 LLC -- I guess you could say I'm 1d10 of the 4d10. After three successful Kickstarters, we're having a fourth. Again, it's about making your own cards on your laser printer -- this time with large, Tarot-sized cards.
Now, we're introducing TWO new products in the CardMogrifier line:

* Tarot Cardmogrifier -- the Tarot-sized version of the original CardMogrifier allows you to alter and print one card (you supply the card) at a time.

* Tarot-Sized 4up Blanks -- allows you to print four Tarot-sized cars per sheet, then punch them out.

If you have grognard eyes and want cards with a larger surface area than our Poker-sized cards, either for an existing game or for your own game, consider one of our Tarot-sized items. Again, we'll have downloadable templates so you can pop in your own text and graphics.

Our Kickstarter page has the details. We're already about 85% of the way there. For more information, here's the direct KS link:

Kickstarter Tarot Cardmogrifier

Thank you for your support.

I am too dense to understand how this works better than just printing out cards from Word, on photo paper and then cutting them out. Making cards one at a time is quite tedious and seems wasteful of paper. I wanted to make unit cards for my various Congo units. I just took a picture of the unit, put it in a data base with the appropriate statistics, and printed it 4 up on a photo paper sheet.

What does the mogrifier do, I am just missing that? I make a lot of cards for games, with ink jet printer. So, I am always looking for help. Does your program only work with laser printer. I wonder how many people have their own at home.

I did the same for my DBA element hint cards.

At least you're reduced the target to an attainable level. I backed the original cardmogrifier, which didn't make its goal. Tarot size is just too big for me

Purpose of the CardMogrifier

It all started when my buddy Steve wanted to create custom cards for existing Cards Against Humanity and Zombiecide games, but hated scrawling in pen. He's a graphics guy by trade, so he jury-rigged a template so he could plaster friends' faces onto cards.

That got him thinking that others probably had the same idea, so he went looking for a more polished way…hence the search that turned up 'plastic paper' (poly-something-or-other) that wouldn't melt in a laser printer and would hold its shape for repeated uses. We ran one CM through a laser printer more than 100 times without a problem, so it's durable.

A couple of prototypes later, out came the CardMogrifier. It's for do-it-yourselfers who want to try altering/making cards on the fly at home. It's great for prototyping.

What's a CardMogrifier?

* CardMogrifier is a specialized template made of what I call 'plastic paper' with a die-cut opening that allows you to alter an existing card -- one at a time -- using your laser or inkjet printer. Currently (on Amazon), we offer Poker-, Bridge-, and Half-sized templates. So, you can create your own customized Magic, Pokémon, Zombiecide, etc cards. Our 4d10.com website offers downloadable templates for Photoshop, InDesign and so on so you place text/graphics and then print. Admittedly, this takes a bit of image resizing and typing placement.

The current Kickstarter covers a Tarot-sized CardMogrifier.

* Our CardMogrifier Poker Size Blank Cards and Templates allow you to print up to six Poker-sized cards at a time per sheet of cardstock paper. Each pack comes with 20 sheets, thus, 120 cards. The cardstock paper has been run through a die-cutter (it is slightly thinner than commercially-available cards so it can bend as it moves through the printer).

Currently, for sale via Amazon, we sell packs for the Poker-sized cards with either pre-printed red or blue swirling "Pegasus" backs or completely blank cards. Again, templates from our 4d10.com website allow you to drop in text/graphics.

The current Kickstarter covers Tarot-sized cards, four to a sheet (they're larger than Poker-sized cards). These are blank only.

Our 4d10.com website has custom images: dragon, WWII tank, haunted house, and sci-fi city that can be used as is as backs, or adapted for use as backs. Look under Downloads link on our website.

Does your program only work with laser printer? I wonder how many people have their own at home.

It works with both types, HOWEVER, whereas laser printers use heat to merge toner onto paper, inkjet sprays ink onto paper. With inkjet, you should remove the varnish of existing cards else the ink will settle atop the varnish and not be as durable. Kickstarter has our video about how to remove varnish and ink from existing Magic, Pokémon, Cards Against Humanity, Zombiecide, etc cards.

The price of color laser printers is dropping. I got my HP Color Laser Jet Pro at Staples for about $400 USD and that was a year or so ago.

Other folks use the blank cards to make 'gag' cards for parties. It's really up to your own creativity.

Tarot Sized?

We decided to do a Tarot size due to customer feedback. While we expect some folks to use it for Tarot cards, we expect others to enjoy the larger-sized cards so that custom card fonts can also be larger.

I just flicked to our Kickstarter using the link above and see we're 95% of the way to being funded with 12 days left. I expect we'll go over the top for our fourth successful KS.

Thanks for asking.

>At least you're reduced the target to an attainable level. I backed the original CardMogrifier, which didn't make its goal.

Yes. We got better at creating the prototypes and worked closer with the printer and die-cutter companies on specifications, etc, which helps with price when you go back for second and third jobs. We also anticipated that Tarot card sized cards would not be as popular as poker, bridge, ettc size, and so could settle on a smaller print/die-cutting run and the secondary sales via Amazon.

Any company also has start-up costs beyond the actual printing and manufacturing and packaging costs. We ended up absorbing them for our subsequent (and successful) KSs. Now, a year later, we're established and we're getting better at estimating demand.

We have a couple other projects for this year, although we won't announce them until we have a bona-fide production quality prototype (my one 'demand' for being '1d10' of 4d10 LLC). We begin production, adjusted depending on response, immediately after the end date. We begin shipping within a month of the KS ending -- KS doesn't release funds, minus their 10% cut, for 2 weeks after end date.

We've had three successful KSs in a row and with 95% of the goal with 12 days left, fully expect this fourth one to be a success.

Thanks for your support.

We reached $1,251 USD, exceeding our goal of $1,000. USD Thanks for your support.