An Inkscape Extension to Create Templates for Playing Cards

Overview

This Inkscape extension creates templates for playing cards. It lets you define:

• the width and height of the cards,
• an optional bleed for the cards,
• an optional horizontal or vertical fold line,
• a minimal distance between the cards,
• a minimal distance between the cards and the fold line,
• an optional page margin, and
• an optional alignment grid.

The following image shows an example template for 2.5in x 3.5in cards on A4 paper in landscape format. The template has a horizontal folding line with at least 5mm space between the line and the cards. Each card has a bleed of 2mm. The page has a empty margin of 5mm. The bottom left corners of each card is aligned to a 5mm grid (although the card sizes are defined in inches). Crop marks for each card extend from the page border to the bleed area and between between bleed areas.

Installation

Download the two files PlayingCards.inx and PlayingCards.py. Copy these files to your Inkscape extension folder. To find the location of that folder open the Inkscape preferences dialog (menu Edit/Preferences) and look at System/System info/User extensions.

You must restart Inkscape after copying the files to your Inkscape extension folder. There should now be a menu item called Extensions/Boardgames/Playing Cards.... This opens the settings window for the extension.

Settings

Cards

Here you can define the width and height of your cards and also the width of the bleed area around the cards. Make sure that the right units are selected.

Margins

Here you can define several different empty areas on your page. You can enter the minimal desired values, but the actual values might be larger depending on the values for the bleed size and the alignment grid.

Fold line

Here you can define whether or not you want a horizontal or vertical fold line or no fold line at all. A fold line is usefull if you want to have the fronts and backs of the cards on one page. This lets you match the fronts and backs of the cards perfectly while glueing them together.

Alignment

If Align cards to grid is enabled the lower left corner of each card is put on a grid point as defined by Grid spacing. This grid might be different from you document grid.

The purpose of the grid alignment is that it allows you to easily copy items between cards even if the units of the cards and the document don't match.

For example: You are used to metric units and your document is set up to use millimeters. When you design cards of size 2.5in x 3.5in with a bleed of 2mm and you want to copy items from one card to the card above it you would have to somehow move the item by 92.9mm (88.9mm for the card and 2x2mm for the bleed areas). This is inconvenient. But if you enable the grid alignment with a grid size of say 10mm, then the cards are placed such that you can move your items up by 100mm. This is easily done with the arrow keys.