CREATING VINTAGE CUSTOM CARDBACKS
Please note - this is a tutorial that I had on the old
CollectStarWars.com website,but it never made
it over as part of the Rebelscum merger.

I complied this list to help fellow Star Wars fans to create high quality custom cardbacks to add to their vintage collections and to fill in those holes that Kenner never filled (what, no Rebel Fleet Trooper!).  The steps are gears towards vintage cardbacks, but apply equally well to newer style cardbacks.  When appropriate, I’ve added notes for those creating POTF2 cardbacks.

These recommendations are based on my own personal experiences and are presented as a guide and may not represent your own experiences.  They may not reflect the best approach, but they work very well for me. 

Note:  I recommended several hardware and software items by name and model.  Always check for deals, sales, etc. when looking for these items (most have rebate offers).  And remember, new and better models are constantly being produced, so do your homework BEFORE you buy to get the best deal for the best price!

A Few Notes on Customizing

I've been customizing for awhile, and the one thing I have noticed is that the quality of your work increases with time!  It will take at least a few weeks to get a product you're satisfied with, and a few more after that to get stuff you're proud of (especially figure customs).  

The best advice I can give is to be patient!  Too many customs are ruined by rushing it, not letting the paint dry, or what have you.  Also, be sure and keep it fun and pick fun projects; otherwise you will burnout quickly.  Pick easy stuff in the beginning too - it helps to have something to show for those long hours!

An important note for cards is the DPI versus PPI.  DPI refers to dot per inch and is used in reference to printers, while PPI is pixels per inch and is used in reference to electronic images.  For arguments sake, dpi = ppi.  Technically they're not exactly the same, but if you work at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) and print at 300 dpi (ink dots per inch) you will have a nice quality product.  

Anatomy of a Cardback

Before we proceed, it is helpful to establish a glossary of terms.  They are illustrated in the image below:

Creating or Downloading Templates

The first step in creating a custom cardback is to either create or download a cardback template.  I personally created my Star Wars cardback template by scanning and touching up some old cardbacks because high quality downloads were not available at the time.  Luckily for the new customizer, www.ffurg.com has several templates available for download! (where was this site when I spent hours creating my templates???).

Regarding image quality, most of the vintage templates found at FFURG are 300 ppi and are of an excellent quality for printing.  However, several of the custom and POTF2 templates are generally lower resolution.  Some of these still print quite well, but if you want the best custom template - make your own!

Downloading Images

The next step is to select an image to go in the character window.  If you are looking for a particular image of a character try www.banthatracks.com and search under the DOWNLOAD area.  Another good spot is to try a search engine under the "SEARCH BY IMAGE" tab.

A word of caution, most web images are too small to get decent resolution when printing.  Some websites have decent images if you re-scale them and use them for small images - such as the smaller windows on the POTF2 cardbacks.  However, they just don't print well when expanded to fit the vintage size windows.  I recommend a test print of the saved image before getting too involved in creating the card.

Scanning Images

If you see a picture you like, or if the downloaded images are not suitable for printing, try scanning the pictures out of books and magazines.  Scanners have dropped in price so dramatically, there’s almost no excuse not to have one!  Almost everything scans at a minimum of 600 ppi, and a good home scanner can be had in the range of $50 to $80 after rebates.

You probably won't need to go any higher than 300 ppi, since most of the images you'll scan from magazines or books are printed at a resolution comparable to 300 dpi (or less!).  However, in the beginning I would try scanning the same image at different resolutions and printing them out to see which one looks best since each scanner is different.  

Also, if the original image is small you might try scanning at 400 to 600 ppi so that when they are enlarged they maintain better resolution.  Sometimes this technique allows you to see the “grains” of the picture, so try blur the picture ever so slightly and then sharpen it (this usually helps about half the time).

Also, your scanner should have a "quality" setting which you should set to best/highest (this will dramatically increase image quality, but will also increase file size!).  You should try playing with this setting too, to see which setting provides the best print quality to file size ratio.

Adding Images to Your Cardback Template

Without a doubt, the most important part of making the cards is a good image-editing platform.  I recommend Photoshop, but it can be very expensive.  If you’re a student, look for education discounts at the school bookstore or on the web.  An inexpensive alternative is PaintShopPro.  These are key to tweaking the images so they look good when printed.  If you're not familiar with these programs it can be the most frustrating part of the process, but once you learn them it is really cool the kinds of things you can do with them.

The most important part of creating a cardback from the template is to master layers.  Basically, think of layers as individual sheets that are sandwiched on top of each other.  When a portion of one layer is transparent, it allows you to see whatever layers are underneath it.  Creating and organizing your layers in the proper order is the key to streamlining the cardback creation process.

For my example cardback template, the layers are in the following order from top to bottom:

·         Border and Nameplate (this is what you’ll download from FFURG)

·         Nameplate Character Description

·         Color Fills for Figure Window and Nameplate

·         Scanned Image

This concept is illustrated in the image below where each of the four layers are listed with its components.  Note that I added the aqua blue color to areas within each layer to highlight areas that are transparent.  Also note that in LAYER 4 the image of Luke was modified so that the image would fill the entire window.

For the Character Description, I recommend using Century Gothic font since it very closely matches the vintage font used by Kenner.  It is not an exact match, but I would say its at least 95% accurate.  For the characters name I set the font size to 14 points (such as “Luke Skywalker”), and any additional character description to 8 points (such as “Bespin Gear”).  Depending on your printer, you may also want to try bold on your text.

Printing Your Cards

As far as printers go, you don't need to spend big bucks!  Hewlett Packard makes a line of very nice quality ink jet printers that work great.  The biggest thing is to make sure the resolution and quality of your images are good (I scan and work at 300 ppi for all images) and print on high-end photo quality paper at 300 dpi or better.  I prefer a satin finish photo paper, but some people prefer glossy photo paper.  I find the colors can bleed on the glossy paper.

Mounting Your Cardback Printouts

The next step is mounting your printed image on a piece of cardstock thick enough to mimic the feel of the original cards.  I use acid-free comic book backer boards as they are pretty close to the real thing, and are relatively cheap in bulk.  I’ve heard of others using matte board and chipboard.  Try several materials and use what feels best to you.

When mounting the printout on the backer board, I use spray adhesive (Krylon or 3M are good brands).  Make sure you spray evenly and don’t wait too long to apply the pieces together to be sure of a solid stick.  I also recommend rolling the print on using a wallpaper seam roller to work out waves and air bubbles.

Mounting the printed image is an easy step, but it’s definitely where the most can go wrong.  Take your time with this step and think ahead.  Also, be sure to use in a well ventilated area, like a garage, away from anything you don’t want to get sticky from the spray adhesive.

If you decide to add an image to the back of your card, take care to line up the images so they match.  I mount the front image first, and then trim the card before adding the back image (I find this helps to line up the two images).  It helps to enlarge the border area of the back image so the match doesn’t have to be perfect.  Remember to use wax paper or saran-wrap to protect the first image when adding the second to the opposite side!

Trimming Your Cards

Once you’ve printed and mounted your printout, it is time to trim the card.  This is pretty simple, just use a straight edge and an X-Acto knife.  Always be sure you have a sharp blade.  For the curved corners I use a pair of scissors, but some people have created a “jig” and then used an X-Acto knife.

Finding and Mounting Bubbles

I mount figure on the cards using repro bubbles from www.fettsplace.com, (you can try searching for them on eBay as well).  I recommend the vintage POTF coin bubbles as they are far better than the non-coin bubbles - plus, you can turn the coin bubble into a non-coin bubble by simply trimming the coin slot off with a straight edge.

When gluing the bubble to the cardback, use a clear RTV Silicone Adhesive Sealant.  DONT USE CRAZY GLUE!  The brand name on mine is Permatex, but they're basically all the same.  You'll find it in hardware stores, and maybe a craft shop.  Probably won't find it in hobby shops.  Beware, this stuff stinks bad!  The best thing about silicone adhesives is that they don't set fast, which allows you to make adjustments to the bubble position.

When gluing, be sure to have some heavy objects around to help hold the bubble edges down (like a “2 by 4” or books.  This is of particular importance with the coin bubbles.  Just be sure to separate the object from the cardback with wax paper or saran wrap (if some extra glue squeezes out from the bubble edge you could glue the object to the cardback and ruin all your work!).  Allow plenty of time for the adhesive to set (30 to 60 minutes).  I recommend leaving the final product flat for at least 24 hours to ensure a solid bond between the bubble and the cardback.

Closing

I hope that you find these comments helpful for creating custom cardbacks and that you have as much fun as I do.  Please feel free to email me with comments or questions.  Better yet, send me links to your custom card images!