✦Introduction

If you've been thinking "I just can't find a tarot deck with the design I really want" or "I'd love to make a tarot deck that's easier for me to use," then making your own tarot cards might be the perfect answer.

We'll walk through exactly how to make your own tarot cards and what you'll need to get started.

There are also easy methods for people who aren't confident in their drawing skills, so be sure to check those out too.

✧Let's Try Making Our Own Tarot Cards!

Plenty of people dream of making their own tarot deck. If that's you, you're probably wondering exactly how it's done and what materials or tools you'll need.

Some people also want to sell the tarot cards they've made. And if you want to boost your reading accuracy by building your own original interpretations right into the deck, making your own cards is a great option too.

We'll cover two approaches: designing the card artwork digitally on a computer, and creating cards by hand.

☀How to Design Tarot Card Artwork on a Computer

The most important part of making your own tarot deck is, without a doubt, the artwork. Original artwork you've drawn yourself lets you create a truly one-of-a-kind deck.

Even if you can't draw, you can still design your cards using photos or illustrations instead.

The design on the back of the cards is also worth thinking carefully about — we'll go into that in more detail shortly.

Creating Original Artwork from Scratch

If you're confident in your drawing skills, we highly recommend designing your tarot artwork completely from scratch.

You can create the artwork using whatever medium you like, then scan it into your computer, or you can draw directly using a computer or tablet.

Once the artwork is finished, you can print it at home, or send the files to a printing company to have them professionally printed.

You can also skip printing entirely and draw directly onto blank cards.

If you're not confident in your own art skills, you can commission an artist or illustrator to do it for you — try posting a request on a crowdsourcing platform or a marketplace for individual skills and services.

Using Photos or Illustrations

If drawing isn't your strong suit, you can use photos or illustrations instead. There are even tarot and oracle decks out there built from photo-and-illustration collages.

Using graphic design software such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator will help you produce a beautifully finished result.

One important thing to be careful about, though, is if you plan to sell your tarot or oracle deck. There's no problem at all using photos you took yourself or illustrations you created yourself.

However, other people's photos and illustrations are protected by copyright, and selling a work that uses someone else's images without the copyright holder's permission is against the law.

If you're using photos or illustrations from a free stock-image site online, be sure to check in advance whether "commercial use" is permitted.

That said, if you're only making the deck for your own personal use (just for yourself, not for sale), you don't need to worry about "commercial use OK" restrictions at all.

Designing the Card Backs

Don't forget to think through the design for the backs of your tarot cards. One key question is whether you want the back design to reveal upright versus reversed positioning.

If the design isn't symmetrical top-to-bottom and left-to-right, an observer could tell whether a card is upright or reversed just by looking at the back. If you want to keep that hidden, the back design needs to be fully symmetrical, like a photo that looks the same no matter how it's rotated.

If you don't want to design a back at all, a single solid color with no pattern works perfectly well too.

If you're making a hand-drawn deck using "blank cards" that already have the back printed for you (more on this below), you won't need to design or print the back at all.

If you're planning to have a printing company handle production, some companies offer their own back designs as an option — it's worth checking in advance.

Things to Watch for When Designing on a Computer or Tablet

Once you've finished all 78 pieces of artwork, you're ready to move on to printing — but there are a few things to keep in mind if you're working digitally.

Work in CMYK Color

CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black — the four inks that printed materials are produced from by blending these colors.

Your computer screen, on the other hand, displays color in RGB. In other words, the colors you see on your computer or tablet screen and the colors that come out in the final print can differ.

Ideally, you should work in CMYK color from the start when designing on a computer. However, some software can only save files in RGB.

In that case, your printed colors may not turn out exactly as expected, so if you're concerned, it's best to consult with your printing company beforehand.

Use 350dpi Resolution for Your Artwork

Images created on a computer sometimes don't print cleanly, and low image resolution is often the culprit.

Computer and tablet screens display images at 72dpi, but the resolution suited to printing is 350dpi. Be sure to work at 350dpi when creating your artwork.

For reference, a standard tarot card size (12cm × 7cm) works out to about 1654px × 965px on a computer (roughly a 4.57MB file).

Printing companies also have specific requirements for file formats (psd, ai, png, pdf, and so on), so check with your printer ahead of time.

You can also draw directly onto blank cards instead — we'll cover blank cards in more detail shortly.

Things to Watch for When Working with a Printing Company

If you're sending your finished tarot artwork to a printing company, there are a few things to keep in mind when submitting your files.

Layout and Outlining Text

When a printing company cuts printed sheets, they typically cut through a stack of many sheets at once, which introduces tiny amounts of misalignment.

To guard against this, it's a good idea to extend your artwork 2–3mm beyond the final trim size (called a "bleed").

Also, avoid placing any text right up against the trim edge. Follow each printer's specific layout and positioning guidelines.

If you're including text within the image itself — like "THE MAGICIAN" — that text needs to be outlined (converted to shapes).

Outlining simply means converting text into vector shapes rather than leaving it as live, editable text. If you submit files without outlining the text, it may render incorrectly or become garbled.

Printing companies often have their own detailed rules regarding layout and other requirements. If anything is unclear, be sure to ask.

Software Compatibility

There are many applications you could use to create your images, but the most commonly supported software across printers tends to be:

• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe InDesign
• QuarkXPress

Since supported software varies by printing company, it's worth checking with them in advance.

Paper Stock and Coating

Another option is to have a printing company produce your finished tarot artwork as cards. This is a great approach if you're hoping to sell your self-made deck.

Printing companies offer a wide variety of paper stocks, and some can even work with plastic card materials.

If you're not sure what paper stock is best suited for tarot cards, it's worth discussing with your printer directly.

Also, since reading tarot involves shuffling and cutting the deck, PP (polypropylene) coating is highly recommended.

Applying a PP coating to the printed surface helps protect it from scuffing and color transfer caused by friction. Matte PP and glossy PP are both common options.

Packaging (the Box)

If you're planning to sell your self-made tarot deck, you'll also need to think about packaging design.

Having proper packaging for your deck gives it the same polished feel as a commercially produced tarot deck.

It's a good idea to choose a printing company that also offers packaging production.

Check the Minimum Order Quantity

Printing companies typically require a minimum order quantity, so if this is your first time ordering, pay close attention to the lot size requirements.

The typical market price for a full tarot deck set is around ¥20,000 and up. A smaller minimum order quantity helps you avoid the risk of being stuck with excess inventory.

It's also a good idea to get quotes from at least two or three printing companies and choose whichever offers the best terms.

Printing at Home? Try Business Card Stock

You can also make your own tarot deck at home using a standard inkjet printer.

The cards will end up smaller than a typical tarot card (about 12cm × 7cm), but using business-card or card stock paper makes it easy to produce your own deck at home.

Since you'll be shuffling the cards, a thicker paper stock — heavy or extra-heavy weight (around 0.25mm) — is recommended. For reference, standard playing cards are typically about 0.3mm thick.

Paper finishes range from smooth/glossy to matte, so choose whichever texture you prefer. If you want to print on both sides, be sure to choose double-sided printable stock.

Using a corner-rounding tool such as a "Kadomaru Pro" corner cutter to round off the four corners of your business cards can also give your homemade deck a beautifully finished, professional look. Definitely worth considering.

And since the cards are business-card sized, you can even use a business card case as a tarot card case. For more on tarot card cases, check out our related article below.

☾"Blank Cards" Are Ideal for Hand-Drawn Tarot Decks

A blank card is a card that already has its back designed and printed, while the front remains blank (some blank cards are blank on both sides).

You can find many different types of blank cards sold online. Some are made specifically for tarot, but blank cards intended for playing cards or other card games can work too.

If you use blank cards not specifically designed for tarot, keep in mind you'll need to buy enough to reach a full set of 78. It's a good idea to buy a few extra in case you need to redo a card or make a mistake.

Since the blank areas can't be printed on, blank cards are ideal for anyone who wants to create a fully hand-drawn, original tarot deck.

♡Thinking Through Your Deck's Concept and World

Most tarot decks consist of 78 cards total: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana.

That said, some decks differ from the standard structure and card count — like the I Ching Tarot (64 cards total) or the Major Arcana of the Thoth Tarot. Feel free to adjust the structure to whatever suits how you personally want to use it.

Incorporating elements like color symbolism, numerology, astrology, runes, or mythology can also make your readings richer and more meaningful.

If you want your deck to reflect your own personal worldview, you don't have to stick to a traditional tarot structure or a full 78 cards at all — creating it as an oracle deck instead is a wonderful option too.

✦Summary

Making your own tarot deck takes time and effort, but the result is a completely one-of-a-kind original deck that exists nowhere else in the world.

If you work with a printing company, you can end up with a deck every bit as beautiful as a commercially produced one — one you can confidently use in face-to-face readings, or sell online or at events.

If you're only making a deck for your own personal enjoyment, there's no problem using whatever photos or images you like.

However, if you're actually planning to sell a self-made tarot deck, you'll need to pay careful attention to copyright issues. Whether you're making the deck purely for yourself or considering selling it down the line changes what you need to watch out for quite significantly.

It's worth clarifying that point first before you start creating. If it's just for your own enjoyment, business card stock or blank cards are a great way to go.

You can use your own inspiration to design a tarot deck that expresses your personal spiritual worldview. And if you don't want to be confined to the traditional tarot framework, creating an oracle deck instead is a great option too.

Go ahead and create your own uniquely designed tarot deck, and take your readings to an even deeper level.