Optimize the number of cards: how to reduce costs in your board games

When developing a board game, creativity is essential, but cost control is just as important if we want the project to be viable. One of the decisions that can most affect the final price is the number of cards included in each deck.

Why does it matter?

In mass production, each printing sheet has a maximum capacity, and using it to 100% can lead to significant savings.

It’s not about printing fewer cards, but about printing smart. Adjusting the number of cards per deck to optimal multiples reduces waste, avoids extra cutting costs, and improves production efficiency.

What’s the ideal number of cards?

Here’s a guide based on standard card sizes and how many fit on a printing sheet:

Tamaño de carta	Medidas (mm)	Número de cartas por pliego
Mini USA	65x41	144
Mini Euro	68x45	144
ISO	85x54.5	100
Bridge	88x57	110
Póker	88x63	100
Standard Tarot	110x70	72
Large Tarot	120x80	64
Small Square	50x50	160
Medium Square	68x68	108
Large Square	78x78	80

If you’re designing a card deck and have creative freedom, try to stick to these multiples. For example, if you’re thinking of using 60 poker-sized cards, it might be worth increasing to 100 or reducing to 50 to optimize costs.

Optimizing doesn’t mean cutting creativity, it means finding the balance between what we want to tell and what we can afford.

---

With you from the starting square