Crafting Custom Tuck Boxes for Cards

This post and accompanying photos are from my most recent project for Summoner Wars (Second Edition). On my birthday I received the Master Set, the Starter Set, and two faction decks (Skyspear Avians and The Cloaks), for a total of ten faction decks. Everything fits in the Master Set box, but its cardboard insert does nothing to prevent damage to the cards or scrambling of the factions. This article is about my journey to solve those problems, the crafting techniques and tools used, and the lessons learned.

The first lesson in crafting is that it is easier to buy something than make something. Also, it’s often cheaper to buy than to make. I have a drawer full of heavy-duty plastic zipper bags in various sizes that would indeed be a cheap solution. These are fine for loose components (dice, chits, tokens, etc.) and can be used for cards, but they are short on looks. The next alternative was clear plastic card boxes that I already had on hand. They cost under a dollar apiece, but unfortunately were just a tiny bit too shallow for cards after sleeving: 28 of the 34 fit comfortably. These boxes (from Amazon vendor Skylety ) are great for small decks, especially when there’s enough room to also store player tokens. For example, they are perfect for Ark Nova and fit in that box without modification. And I like that snap shut securely and offer a gap on each side of a deck to make card removal easier. Had they been just a smidge taller, I could have trashed the insert and had room for 12 of these containers.

Plastic card box was just a smidge too shallow for a full player’s deck.

The next box I tried was from Michael’s™ arts & crafts. They sell a variety of small and inexpensive boxes that are great for organizing components. They can even stay on the table during the game and serve as token dispensers. Some also come in colors so you can match them to player components. Unfortunately, the “crayon box” size was too bulky for my scenario. Even if I trashed the insert, only 6 of the 10 decks would fit.

Crayon boxes are good for components and slightly larger (and/or more cards)

A Goldilocks “just right” size was needed, so I decided to craft them. I considered thick, clear mylar, but I didn’t have the tools for that approach, and it would probably require heat and special tools to get crisp corners. Heavy cardstock is the choice of commercially created boxes, so that seemed the best route.

The paper I used to create my tuck boxes is 110 lbs. cardstock. It is the thickest paper I’ve been able to coax through my HP LaserJet printer. By itself, it isn’t stiff enough for a strong tuck box. But, after printing, if I glued two together then the 220# equivalent would be sturdy.

When I say “coax,” anything over 65# really does require assistance. First, I used the manual tray to feed sheets one at a time. That paper path doesn’t have as sharp or as many curves as from the bulk paper tray, and therefore less prone to jam. But, most importantly, as each sheet exited, I would take hold of the paper and give it a consistent but gentle pull to ensure that it fully exited. Otherwise, the very last bit would stall as it left the last roller. Despite the print job being a success, the printer’s sensors would be confused and think there was a paper jam. By manually coaxing every sheet out, I avoided multiple resets required to convince to printer to clear those false alarms.

I also wanted the tuck boxes to be horizontal (i.e., landscape versus portrait). With sleeved cards, a tuck flap on smaller edge can get caught on the sleeve openings. A horizontal orientation avoids this and makes getting cards in and out easier. The first step was to create a template in CorelDRAW. And before adding any text or artwork, I ensured that my dimensions were correct by printing a prototype on plain paper. I wanted the box to be snug enough to form a solid (and protective) whole when filled, yet enough wiggle room so that loading and unloading cards was easy.

The prototype also confirmed that all my cuts, folds, and orientations were correct. And I also took the opportunity to test different shades of gray for those lines. I settled on 30% black, which saves on ink/toner, is less noticeable in the finished product, and yet still visible during cutting and folding. Constructing the prototype also let me plan the assembly steps and identify which flaps to tape/glue, on which side(s), and in what order.

Once the design structure was validated, I added the artwork and text. I tested one printing before working on additional boxes. I wanted to flush out any issues before replicating my template. Two problems surfaced when I attempted a production version. The first was extremely minor: the inside bottom flap was unnecessarily short. I wouldn’t have even changed my design, except I was going to adjust it for the second (and more important issue), so I went ahead and corrected for both.

The second and more noticeable issue was that artwork near any fold was damaged as the paper fibers were stretched. The underlying white paper contrasted with the dark colors of the artwork, making the problem more noticeable. Commercial printshops don’t have this problem. But, to handcraft these boxes, I needed to accommodate the behavior. I “fixed” my first box using a brown felt pen to color all the edges and fraying folds to disguise the white. These will be tuck boxes inside of a game box, so it was an adequate compromise. Therefore, before replicating my artwork to the other designs, I removed any artwork from the areas that would be impacted. It was sad to dial back the visual impact, but I was consoled that reducing the artwork not only avoided the stress areas, but also saved on expensive color toner.

Before proceeding, I want to point out that some technique details are not covered below because they are provided in my previous article. This article focuses on the tools and techniques unique to this project of creating tuck boxes for cards. And it assumes you already know the previously discussed techniques for cutting, folding, and gluing.

The first step of assembly is to glue two sheets of cardstock together to form a single, strong sheet. All the artwork of the tuckbox is on the outside of the box, so I only needed to print on one side of one sheet. That also meant that alignment of the two sheets didn’t have to be perfect. But as practice I still used the “tape hinge” method to keep both sheets aligned. Since the hinges are cut off in a future step, they don’t have to be pretty, and any kind of tape can be used. I put two tiny tabs of cellophane tape near the corners of the first sheet, along its long edge. Then I stood both sheets on their opposite edges, with the tape tabs on the top, and then squared up the sheets. While they were in alignment, I folded the tape tabs over to join the two sheets. The two cards now formed a “book” with tape as their hinge/spine.

Tape tabs at the bottom left and bottom right, near the corners of the top sheet

Align the sheets and fold over the tape to connect the two sheets

The second step of assembly is to glue the sheets together. Liquid glues cause paper to warp, so I use the spray adhesive Super 77 by 3M™. I hold one edge and allow the “book” to fall open. I only spray the bottom sheet, on the inside of the “book,” while the top sheet gives me a place to hold onto the project and stay away from the spray. After a light coat, carefully close the book while keeping the sheets aligned. Work from the spine side and press the sheets together. Once closed, lay it on a flat surface and ensure both sheets are pressed flatly together for a good bond. Within a few minutes of drying, you can begin the next step.

Ready for spray glue (just the bottom sheet, on the side opposite of the printing)

The third step is cutting and punching. Like a woodworker, I used a jig for the thumb hole at the top front of the box. I took a scrap of cardstock and cut to be half the width of the box front. When the jig is aligned with both the scoring crease on the left, and the scoring crease on the bottom of the box front, then the jig’s right edge indicated the center of the circle. The hole punch is embossed with three pointers, which allows it to be lined up to cut a centered semi-circle. The last cutting step is to round the corners of the top flap using the large diameter option.

After cutting, thumb hole punched, and corners of the tuck flap rounded

The fourth step is scoring with a bone folder, and I identified a couple of issue in my technique. The first challenge was that folding wasn’t as easy due to the thickness of combined sheets. Therefore, I scored on both sides to help the folds stay accurate. Because I’d done all the cutting first, I was able to line up the creases on the blank “inside” side using the “V” cuts (on either side of the small tabs) as guides for the metal ruler. Scoring on both sides made the folds easier to keep accurate.

Scored on both sides. Note stain on tip of folding bone (before cleaning)

The second scoring issue was that my folding bone was picking up ink. To prevent that, and prevent damage to my printing, I put a scrap sheet of paper on top of the cardstock when sharpening the folds of my creases. I was still getting ink, which was confusing, but I soon identified it was from old residue on my metal ruler. A cotton ball and some alcohol soon cleaned both the folding bones and the ruler.

The final step was to tape the box. The cardstock was thick enough that a good craft glue might have been possible. But I avoid liquid glues that can cause paper to buckle or warp. Instead, I used permanent double-sided tape. The first strip goes on the left-hand tab on the box front. Align the tape with the edge, but not over the edge (otherwise it will be exposed and stick to your cards after assembly). Trim any overhang and use the trimmings on the uncovered areas of the tab to increase the surface area for bonding. Line up the front of the box to the side and then, from inside the box, press the tab to the connected side to set the join. You now have a box with an open top and bottom.

Inside of box showing bottom flap sequence. In future iterations I switched to doing the side flaps as the middle layer, so either works.

The bottom flaps will need double-sided tape applied in the same manner. The short side tabs will be on top of the long flap, so put tape on the side that will face away from the box. To prevent mistakes, my template printed the word “glue” on the side that gets the double-sided tape. The tab at the bottom of the box front gets tape along the side nearest the fold. The bottom of the box can optionally have tape as well for a stronger bond, and it would go on the “inside” side and along the outer edge. To close the bottom, fold the small side tabs into place first, then followed by the long tab (on the box’s bottom front), and lastly the box bottom (notice it’s squared off rather than angled like a tab). Keep everything squared up as you do this and then press the bottom of the box from both inside and outside simultaneously and thoroughly so all the flaps and tabs bind.