Nice Deck - Shame About The Borders!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Mar 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Centaur	29 Mar 2004
Ever seen a deck and thought that the images look great. Then you see the card border and think, EW! I feel that way about the Arthurian Tarot: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/arthurian/ I think that the imagery is excellent, but I just cannot seem to take to the hideous black arch-like borders. I cannot help but think that if the borders were different, I would definetly purchase this deck. Anyone else had a deck/border crisis?

yve	29 Mar 2004
I tend to agree with your opinion about the borders taking away from these cards. However, in my case, it's my inherited bad eyesight that makes me prejudice of borders. I was born farsighted, and because of my age, i'm getting that long arm syndrome too...Borders seem to downplay and make the image of the cards smaller, and makes it difficult for me to see and focus on the images and symbolism of the cards. I guess that is why I like large, borderless decks (although my tiny hands find it very hard to shuffle and deal them!)... Makes it easier for my bad eyes to pick up on the messages of the cards.

Chronata	29 Mar 2004
yep. Had a border crisis with my Vision. I cut those borders right off, and now I have a great deck...in a most agreeable size!

zorya	29 Mar 2004
i wish lo scarabeo didn't put their own borders on their reproduction decks. it takes away so much from the cards. i want my reproductions to look like the originals.

Bean Feasa	30 Mar 2004
I think the borders make the scenes in Waking the Wild Spirit (otherwise very beautiful) look confined and busy. They're diagonally striped (a bit like a barber's pole) - different colours for the Majors and the different suits of the Minors. Totally unnecessary imho, the cards would be far more beautiful and effective without. Oh well.... c'est la vie, non?

Nycelle	30 Mar 2004
I feel as though I want to see what's behind those black borders! I love the Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg, though, and that has huge borders. I think it is the plain, opaque nature of these ones that bothers me.

yve	30 Mar 2004
I too have the Russian tarot of St Petersburg, but cannot use them as the images are too tiny with those borders, and not good for me with my bad eyesight....It was a deck that was on my wishlist that I finally obtained as I read many good reviews about it...a shame, such a nice deck unsuable because of the borders...

Ruby7	30 Mar 2004
For me it was the borders on the Moongarden tarot that ruined it for me. The border was so busy that it distracted the eye from the image on the card. I couldn't concentrate on the image, the ugly border just kept distracting me. Ruby7

Kissa	30 Mar 2004
Hudes awful cheap looking leaf borders. IMHO

mercenary30	30 Mar 2004
Oh, to remove all borders from the world....of tarot. To experience the wholeness of the scene, not cropped or hidden behind a veil of blackness. To see the lush countryside surrounding the focus of the scenes depicted. In this modern age of widescreen and panoramic pictures why must we put up with such a small view of something so beautiful? Beside the organization of protests to stamp out his horrible trend, the only other idea I can think of is to meditate on the picture that you see. Take yourself in, behind that vile border and view in your own mind the vastness of world you now see through a peep hole. Send me a post card. And when you get back out, we want a full description of everything you see!!! :)

SongDeva	30 Mar 2004
I think the artwork is great, but the cards are so small already, and the borders are comparatively huge....enough to get name of card in four languages, and a statement about the card in two. I like the deck and will work with it, but the artwork is the real star of teh deck and it's minimized. I love big decks, and I love borderless decks. Partly why I adore the Templar...it's like 4X6 an not only borderless, but here's the kicker: Even the titles are done in subtle, transparent block letter...you really have to hunt for some of them, so it's very possible to ignore them in most cases. I love it! I love it! I love it! Now, oddly, I have the Arthurian, and I feel its borders are part of what makes the deck. Ironic, no? Yes, the artwork is lovely. I feel the borders look like portals....windows into Arthur's world. Picture it that way and take another look. Maybe we'll here from Contrascarpe too, as he just got this deck.

fairyhedgehog	30 Mar 2004
I hate the borders on the Goddess Tarot. I disliked it enough to trade it on, but many of the pictures are lovely. Why does it have such huge brown borders, though? I could live with the inner borders, but a double border is just excessive.

Sulis	30 Mar 2004
Yes, borders are really my pet hate. I can't use the Spiral tarot because of the awful swirly, purple borders. I think that one of the reasons why the Morgan Greer is my favorite deck is because it doesn't have borders, the images on the cards seem so much bigger and they just jump out at you. I don't tend to mind plain black borders but I'd much rather have none at all. Love and light Sulis xx

jema	30 Mar 2004
I have to agree with Sulis. Spiral happens to be one of my top 5 fave decks ever but it would rank number 1 (or 2) if it had no borders.

dolphingirl	30 Mar 2004
Hi Everyone Please don't hurt me but I don't like cards that are borderless. To me they just feel unfinished. I have to say that I prefer decks with a darker border, so many of the decks out there have pretty colors then this bright white border that is kind of stark. One deck where the border bothers me is the Tarot of the Old Path. It just seems to take up half the card. I would love to see this deck with say a smaller dark green border :)

mercenary30	30 Mar 2004
With a dark border is that as time goes on nicks and scratches will become quite obvious, especially as often as we tend to shuffle the deck. A white border does not show that kind of damage as readily........

lunakasha	30 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by mercenary30 Oh, to remove all borders from the world....of tarot. To experience the wholeness of the scene, not cropped or hidden behind a veil of blackness. To see the lush countryside surrounding the focus of the scenes depicted. I couldn't agree more, Merc! With very few exceptions (none coming to mind at the moment), borders are unnecessary distractions...it is a shame that there are so few borderless decks available. When you look at a card without borders (my only deck is the Buckland Romani), you feel more like you are actually experiencing the card, a participant in the story rather than an outside observer. I agree that the borders of the Arthurian in particular are a complete waste of space...one of the reasons I have yet to add it to my collection.... :) Luna

Centaur	30 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by dolphingirl One deck where the border bothers me is the Tarot of the Old Path. It just seems to take up half the card. I would love to see this deck with say a smaller dark green border :) I agree. It would look very nice with a smaller dark green border. I am thinking that although the darker borders may result in more scratches and the likes, perhaps this might add to the create the cosy feeling of a 'well-used deck'? I think that a borders are a lovely aspect of a deck if done in a nice way, but it just seems to be me that quite a few of them are either too big, too small, too oddly-shaped, or just plain vile. Ha! Come to think of it, with the borders on my Universal-Waite... I don't actually view them as borders... all I see is the white... and the image. Straaaaaange.

Summerdream	31 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by SongDeva INow, oddly, I have the Arthurian, and I feel its borders are part of what makes the deck. Ironic, no? Yes, the artwork is lovely. I feel the borders look like portals....windows into Arthur's world. Picture it that way and take another look. Maybe we'll here from Contrascarpe too, as he just got this deck. I totally agree SongDeva! The borders are what attracted me to this deck. On the whole, I prefer decks without borders, like the Buckland Romani. However, this deck does seem like you are peeking into a portal as SongDeva described. It's part of the charm! Momof3girls:)

Centaur	31 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Momof3girls However, this deck does seem like you are peeking into a portal as SongDeva described. I'm not so sure. In my opinion, I feel that much of the charm is lost with the border. I look at the card, and think... lovely image... and then, I see the border and think, ew. Maybe I would think differently if I actually had the cards in my hands? Anyone like to send me a copy? ;)

Summerdream	31 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Centaur I'm not so sure. In my opinion, I feel that much of the charm is lost with the border. I look at the card, and think... lovely image... and then, I see the border and think, ew. Maybe I would think differently if I actually had the cards in my hands? Anyone like to send me a copy? ;) Hey Centaur, You probably would think differently if you had the cards in your hands. They look a lot better in person than the scans on the websites. Now about sending you a copy...hmmm....can't help with that one! Momof3girls:)

Centaur	31 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Momof3girls Now about sending you a copy...hmmm....can't help with that one! Oh well. Thought I might try my luck! Ha!

The Nice Deck - Shame About The Borders! thread was originally posted on 29 Mar 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.