Print-and-play board games are a great way to enjoy board gaming without having to spend a lot of money or leave the comfort of your own home. With a few basic supplies, you can create games that are just as fun and engaging as those that you buy in stores.
In this article, we’ll show you the easiest way to make games that look professional while keeping the process easy. We also outline some alternative methods in case you don’t have all the equipment on hand.
Step 1: Choose your game
The first step in making a print-and-play game is to choose the game you want to create. When doing your first print-and-play, you really want to find a game online that has been designed for printing. I’d suggest an easy build, something with only 9 or 18 cards and minimal other components.
Button Shy Games makes some of my favorite PnP games, and most of the files are only $3. A few of my top picks are:
- Sprawlopolis
- Circle of Wagons
- Food Chain Island
- Skulls of Sedlec
- Tussie Mussie
If you are looking for something free, a few that I would suggest are:
- Village Pillage
- Orchard
- Under Falling Skies
- Mini Rogue
Step 2: Print the game
The next step is to print out the game. I suggest printing on a duplex color printer, as it will really save you some effort later in having to glue the backs of cards onto the fronts. However, printing duplex can have the downside that some printers just won’t align the back and the front nicely.
When I was starting out with print-and-play games, I would go down to my local office supply store and get them to print the games for me. It’s more expensive than having a printer at home, but still way cheaper than buying a board game.
You want to make sure to use high-quality paper that is thick enough to hold up to regular use. Thicker paper will also feel like actual playing cards once laminated. I like to use 200gsm paper, which is 110lb.
The other thing to be aware of is the direction you flip the duplex printing. All the Button Shy Games are flip on short side to get the correct alignment, but some other games can be flip on long side. See if the game you are printing has printing instructions, otherwise, I suggest printing a test page in black and white on normal paper in order to test the alignment.
If you don’t have a duplex printer, you can print each page on normal paper and then stick them together using a glue stick. You’ll want to be able to have some sort of light source behind them to be able to see through the paper and ensure it lines up, which can be quite a frustrating experience.
Step 3: Laminate the cards
To make your game more durable and long-lasting, it’s a good idea to laminate the cards. This will protect them from wear and tear, spills, and other damage.
It also helps make them feel like real playing cards, although budget laminator pouches tend to have a gloss finish, so they do end up a bit shinier than regular playing cards.
Laminators and laminator pouches are super cheap these days. I use an Amazon Basic laminator and Scotch laminating pouches, which are pretty affordable options. I use 3mm or 80 micron pouches, as anything thicker is hard to cut.
I use the hottest setting, and I like to set up a book about the height of the laminator on the other side of the laminator to catch the laminated paper as it comes out. This ensures that they stay straight while they are hot and don’t end up bent.
If you don’t want to get a laminator, you can buy penny sleeves or card sleeves to protect your cards and put old MtG, Pokemon, or cheap playing cards in the back to make them stiffer if you have some spares lying around.
Step 4: Cut the cards
Once the cards are laminated, use a cutter to cut them out. It’s important to cut the cards precisely so that they fit together correctly during gameplay.
When I first started printing games, I was surprised you could cut out laminate, however, these days laminate is plastic with glue on the inside that is activated by heat, so it will stick to the cards even when you cut them out.
I like the Fiskars Paper Trimmer as it has a wire down the line that will be cut so that I can line up my paper prior to cutting. I also start my vertical cuts about half an inch from the top of the paper, that way when I turn the paper around to do my horizontal cuts, it’s all still held together by the top of the paper and I can still see the cutting lines.
The other option is to use a metal ruler and rotary cutter for this step, which is more time consuming, or if you are happy to have less accurate cuts, then scissors are fine.
I don’t recommend a guillotine cutter for this step, as I find it really hard to line up the paper perfectly.
Step 5: Round the corners
For a professional look, use a corner cutter to round the corners of the cards.
This step is optional, but it helps elevate the level of your print and play games for a pretty cheap price and low effort.
I use the Kodamaru Neo Corner Cutter to round corners, however, this does miss a few corners sometimes that I then need to round off with scissors. The Kodamaru Pro is more powerful, however, my children don’t have the strength to use it, and I like to use the free labor.
Step 6: Run the cards through the laminator again
After cutting and rounding cards I find the laminate has come off a little on the edges or the corners, so I like to run the whole thing through the laminator again
Again, I set up a book about the height of the laminator on the other side of the laminator to catch the cards as they come out, that way, they don’t end up bent.
Step 7: Assemble the instructions
A lot of games come with little instruction booklets to assemble. Print these out in color on normal paper.
I like to fold games using the pocket mod method, as it makes cool little instruction booklets. I’ve also seen print-and-play games that come with booklets specifically designed to go together in different ways, so follow whatever instructions they give you.
Optional Step 8: Gather other components
If a game requires printable tokens or small game boards (e.g., for tracking points), then I’ll usually print, laminate, cut, and round the corners in the same way I do for cards, on a smaller scale. There are a lot fancier ways to make tokens that feel better, but for a beginner, I think this is really the easiest way.
Other common components in games are dice and various chits. I like to have a big bunch of cheap d6 dice from Amazon, as well as various colored cubes I’ve got for cheap. While requiring a bit of an initial investment, these two things cover me for 90% of print-and-play board games.
I recommend for your first game picking a game that doesn’t require extra components or that uses components you already have lying around.
Optional Step 9: Make a box
There are many options people use to store their PnP games. When I started out, I used to store them all in sandwich bags, as they’re cheap and easy to obtain. I’ve seen other people use little tins, gum boxes, make paper origami wallets, or use photo boxes.
You do want to avoid tying a rubber band around the cards though, as this will warp and destroy them.
If you do want something custom, you can make your own tuck boxes. Here is a great site that will generate a template in the size you give it, and you can even upload pictures to each side of your box. Note that you’ll want to go out and buy some thicker cardboard (300gsm or 140lb) to give the boxes some sturdiness.
Conclusion
Making print-and-play board games can be a fun and rewarding experience, and with the right supplies and a little bit of patience, you can create games that are just as enjoyable as those that you buy in stores.
It also allows you to get a sizable collection of board games for a really cheap price.
By following these steps and using a duplex color printer, laminator, paper trimmer, and corner cutter, you can easily make your own custom games that are both durable and professional-looking.
