The World of Playing Cards Logo

Playing Card Manufacturing Processes

Manufacture of Playing Cards

Traditionally cardmakers worked in guilds with long apprenticeships under master craftsmen.

Displaying 18 articles

Sort by: Publication Date Alphabetical Year of Production

Filter by Year of Production

14: Back Designs

14: Back Designs

A few examples of the many interesting back designs.

28: How to Analyze and Differentiate Playing Card Plates (De La Rue, Waddington and the Berlin pattern [französisches Bild])

28: How to Analyze and Differentiate Playing Card Plates (De La Rue, Waddington and the Berlin pattern [französisches Bild])

My interest in postage stamp variants led me to apply the same principles to playing cards.

33: Functional Changes to Playing Cards

33: Functional Changes to Playing Cards

The emphasis throughout my collecting has been on the design of the courts cards, and it should be pointed out that there have been some functional changes to cards, which have affected the traditional designs, especially in the 19th century.

41: A Guide to Dating Playing Cards

41: A Guide to Dating Playing Cards

Dating is a particularly tricky but very interesting problem to tackle and there are many pitfalls.

Amos Whitney Inventory

Amos Whitney Inventory

Amos Whitney Factory Inventory. What it was like inside an 18th century playing card factory...

Chromolithography

Chromolithography

Colour lithography was invented in 1798 by a Bavarian actor and playwright named Alois Senefelder (1771-1834). It is based on the principle that oil and water do not mix.

Geschichte des Buchgewerbes 1989

Geschichte des Buchgewerbes

Geschichte des Buchgewerbes illustrated by Ludwig Winkler, published by Verlag für Lehrmittel Pößneck.

Ivorette 1883

Ivorette

Dougherty was at the forefront of innovation, adding Best Bowers and then Jokers, rounded corners and various types of indices, or indicators, to his cards.

Letterpress 1831

Letterpress

Some notes on the manufacture of playing cards taken from Thomas De la Rue's patent, 1831.

Lilian Cailleaud’s Tarot Project

Lilian Cailleaud’s Tarot Project

Lilian Caillaeud lino-cuts his version of the tarot by Nicolas Rolichon of Lyon c.1600

Manufacture of Playing Cards

Manufacture of Playing Cards

Traditionally cardmakers worked in guilds with long apprenticeships under master craftsmen.

Paper and Cardboard

Paper and Cardboard

The manufacture of the pasteboard used for playing cards contains a number of interesting processes including mingling, pasting and drying.

Pneumatic Playing Cards

Pneumatic Playing Cards

The surface of the cards was slightly grooved by being rolled on prepared plates, so that there were little pockets of air between each card, which prevented them sticking together.

Printing of Playing Cards: Stencilling

Printing of Playing Cards: Stencilling

Printing of Playing Cards :: Stencilling can usually be detected by observing the outlines of the coloured areas which are often irregular with brush strokes discernible in the coloured areas.

Regarding the designs of playing cards

Regarding the designs of playing cards

The quality of playing card designs often deteriorates with time…

Rotxotxo Workshop Inventories

Rotxotxo Workshop Inventories

Rotxotxo Workshop Inventories, Barcelona, 1660-1800.