Trading cards typically have unique character names, and includes details such as the character’s powers, skills, strengths, any any other information you’d like to include.
Baseball cards typically include the player’s name, their statistics, team history (where they played in college and high school), and a few fun facts.
You can add whatever information you’d like to on these cards, but you should usually include the person’s name, occupation or major, maybe their favorite food and color, and a couple fun facts. This is the most personal of all trading cards, so have fun with it!
Choose a paper with a thick consistency. Index cards, construction paper, or thick card stock paper are all good options. You want your playing cards to be sturdy so that they last longer and appear to be more professional. Choose bright colored markers to give your trading cards a vibrant look.
Use a ruler to draw guide lines on your paper. This will make cutting your cards much easier. Trace a trading card you already have (Pokemon, baseball card, etc. ) multiple times until you’ve filled up your paper with outlines, and carefully cut each card out. This will help your cards be uniform in size. Using small index cards as your trading cards is a great option that requires no cutting. Although index cards are slightly larger than typical trading cards, choosing this option will require less work and give you completely even cards to play with.
Create a unique character on each trading card if your making a Trading Card Game. Draw each character in pencil first so that you’re able to fix any mistakes you may make. Once you’re satisfied with your drawing, trace and color in your character with marker to give it a polished, colorful look. If you are uncomfortable with drawing, use stickers as the images for your characters. Find stickers that you like and simply stick them in the center of your trading cards where the artwork would typically go. If you’re making baseball cards, it’s best to print out photos of the players you’re putting on the cards. Then, tape or glue them to the card. Remember to use a small quantity of glue so it dries faster. If you’re making personalized trading cards, print out pictures of your friends and family to tape or glue to your cards. You can also use wallet sized class photos if you’re making the cards for a group of friends at school. Be sure to leave room on the top and bottom of your card to write in details about your person or character.
Write your character / person’s name at the top of each card using legible handwriting. Make the name bold with a marker so that it stands out. List the details about the character / person under the image. This is where you’d add the character’s powers, skill level, etc. , the baseball players stats, team history, etc. , of the person’s favorite food and color. Use a thin marker or very dark pen so that these details are easy to read.
Your computer should also have access to a printer. If you don’t have access to a printer, you can pay to have your trading cards printed at any store with printing services, such as FedEx Office.
Drawing your own artwork is a great option if you want to create a unique trading card game. You should draw your characters in pencil, and color them in with marker to give them a finished look. Once you’ve drawn your characters, you’ll either scan your images into your computer using a scanner printer, or take a photo of each character and upload the photos to your computer. (If you choose to take photos, make sure you have bright lighting with no shadows). Using photos of your friends, family, or even pets for your characters is a great way to make a personalized trading card game. Simply upload pictures of each person you want to be a character to your computer. Download photos of your favorite baseball players to you computer to make your own baseball cards. Crop your photos / artwork into square shaped images. This will make adding them to your templates much easier.
Click “Insert Shape” to insert a rectangle into your document. Drag the dimensions of your rectangle so that it is the size of your desired trading card. As you drag your rectangle, the size measurements will appear. Typical trading cards are roughly 2. 5 inches wide and 3. 5 inches tall. For size reference, you can hold a trading card or playing card up to your computer screen, and drag your rectangle’s dimensions so that it is the same size as that card. Be sure your document is zoomed in to 150% for accuracy if you use this method. Give your rectangle shape a thick border for you to cut around. Once you’ve created the shape of your card, it is time to insert text boxes for your character / person’s name and details. Add a thin text box along the top of your card, and type in your character / person’s name. Next, add a slightly larger text box along the bottom of your card. This will be where you list your character / person’s details. Use a legible font so that the name and details are easy to read. You should now have an open square area in the middle of your card, this is where the image / artwork of your character will go.
To copy and paste your entire template (the rectangle shape and the text boxes together), click “Edit” in the upper left hand corner, then click “Select All,” and finally do your copy and paste. Add the names and details for each of your characters into your templates so that each card is for a different character / person. Drag the image for each character / person into the templates, and resize accordingly. Once you’ve done this for each card template, you should have a sheet full of individual trading cards ready to print.
If you’re unable to print at home, save your documents to a flash drive / thumb drive and bring them into your local printing store. Be sure to select a thicker paper for your print job.
