Why borders?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 03 Sep 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

yve	03 Sep 2004
I just don't understand why tarot decks have borders at all! It just downsizes/minimizes the images/graphics and symbols on the cards. So why have borders at all? I think that this may also take away from the impact of the card. After all, the borders can sidetrack the eyes away from what is really important, the symbols. It might be interesting to take do research on perception of the cards with and without borders (of course for such research to be valid, it would have to be the same deck, and there probably isn't such a thing as a deck that comes borderless or with borders?) Perhaps someone more educated and informed on the issue can enlighten me and offer some insight...

HudsonGray	03 Sep 2004
It's often for a totally practical reason--card cutting by the printer. Without a border or guideline of some sort, once they start cutting they have to be spot on the mark with EACH cut, even if the first cut took away half their guide markes at the outer edges of the page. Having artwork bleed to the very edge makes it impossible for the cutter to be accurate with all the cards, much less having a deck of cards that line up on all sides 100%. Also, 'framed' art, even with a thin border, often is set off nicer than non-framed art, for aesthetic reasons. Remember, you can always take a scissors & slice the edges off your decks if you want.

Rusty Neon	03 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray It's often for a totally practical reason--card cutting by the printer. Without a border or guideline of some sort, once they start cutting they have to be spot on the mark with EACH cut, even if the first cut took away half their guide markes at the outer edges of the page. Having artwork bleed to the very edge makes it impossible for the cutter to be accurate with all the cards, much less having a deck of cards that line up on all sides 100%. The borderless US Games Morgan-Greer deck is probably manufactured in the same factory in Belgium as the bordered US Games Rider-Waite deck. That factory has no problems manufacturing the Morgan-Greer.

Rusty Neon	03 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by yve I just don't understand why tarot decks have borders at all! One explanation may be that it's traditional. Even cards of 17th century playing cards and tarot decks had borders.

yve	03 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray Remember, you can always take a scissors & slice the edges off your decks if you want. Actually, my point was that if there wasn't that border, the images would be larger on the same sized cardstock...so cutting the border makes the cards even smaller, and wouldn't increase the images...I guess it is personal preference, like people who prefer their photos on 4X6 bordered prints or 4X6 borderless prints (actually I go for the borderless)....:)

Logiatrix	04 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by yve ...So why have borders at all? I think that this may also take away from the impact of the card. After all, the borders can sidetrack the eyes away from what is really important, the symbols... Hi, yve! :D One advantage I find with 'bordered' decks is in their usage for pathworking. I am more successful with the pathworking process when I work with a bordered image, because I seem to prefer to 'step into' the card. For me, the border is a marker on the path, between the world I visit and the world I return to (but some days make me suspect that I've gotten them mixed up and I'm still just visiting, hehe :rolleyes: ). In my visualizations, that doorway (border) is an almost tangible signifier that I have begun my meditative journey. Aesthetically speaking, I agree that 'un-bordered' cards draw me into the image, and they are often more attractive to me than plain white borders. However, I find that aesthetically pleasing decks don't even work for me as meditational tools, and being 'drawn in' isn't the same as stepping into the card by means of a very particular practice. When it comes to pathworking with my cards, the border is a very specific tool I find necessary for the process... Quote: ...there probably isn't such a thing as a deck that comes borderless or with borders? The only one I can think of is the Enchanted Tarot, which has borders, and the Zerner-Farber Tarot, which has the same images, but no borders. There are only slight variations in color, and the card titles on the borderless version are over the lower part of the cards, banner style. I don't recall if the actual image sizes vary between the two decks. :)

Cerulean	04 Sep 2004
will be more image-driven to be without borders, as the cards are more likely--I believe--to be used as a divination tool, not a betting game that has large numbers and titles. Come to think of it, the Italian-suited cards I like traditionally had borders, but some people like French pips on their cards, and these do not have borders at all. So maybe its a 'cultural game' convention? Regards, Cerulean

blue_fusion	04 Sep 2004
for me, they center the image, they frame it. i mean, even paintings are put in frames. but then, thats just me. :)

Ravenswing	04 Sep 2004
Yve-- I've sliced the boarder off many decks. It frees the image wonderfully. The two in particular that work well are my Thoth and Gill. The Thoth works a lot better for me without those annoying keywords... One advantage of boarderless cards is that in a reading you can placed them right next to one another. Some images will blend together, some will stay separate. Logatrix-- For pathworking purposes, I've created frames out of index cards and used colored pencils. I've designed different ones to fit the spirit of the cards. The shape isn't always rectangular, and I can 'spotlight' particular areas of a card if I want. Of course, you could do the same thing without removing the boarders... fly well Raven

anubis	04 Sep 2004
the borders protect your PRECIOOOUUSSS image from damage inflicted by shuffling. however, you may want to laminate the cards if you have cut the borders. :)

Logiatrix	06 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Ravenswing Logatrix-- For pathworking purposes, I've created frames out of index cards and used colored pencils. I've designed different ones to fit the spirit of the cards. The shape isn't always rectangular, and I can 'spotlight' particular areas of a card if I want. Of course, you could do the same thing without removing the boarders... fly well Raven Raven, Excellent idea! Very nifty, thank you for sharing it... PEACE, Tauni

dolphingirl	06 Sep 2004
I am a big border lover, now I don't necessary love the borders with tons of words of symbols but a nice border really sets off the artwork of most decks well and frames them. A border on a deck just seems to me to make a card look "finished" to me. I do have a few decks without borders and while they are nice decks I don't find myself drawn to them or wanting to pick them to read with like I do decks with borders. I think it is a personal preference on a deck :)

schuldich_sunde	06 Sep 2004
i think borders are more of an aesthetic thing that sets off the picture but in a way it does make the card look....inaccessible. but u can think of it in two ways. without the border, u can imagine yourself part of the card. with the border, u can imagine urself stepping into the card, meaning you're about to become part of it. :P the best i can do~

Little Baron	06 Sep 2004
I read a thread on the Stygian Darkness tarot this evening. I had heard of this but not seen it. I took a look. An interesting deck with some lovely art, but .... massive bloody borders!!! After my Rohrig experience, I think I would not hesitate, if I had a deck like the SD, to chop it up. Yaboot

Ravenswing	07 Sep 2004
Yaboot-- Yet another convert }) cut well Raven

The 78th Fool	07 Sep 2004
Borders can be a positive part of a deck but in most cases I dislike large white borders. Instinctively the eye is always drawn to the brightest part of an image, therefore white borders often do nothing but detract, particularly when the art is quite rich in colour. When I designed my own deck I wanted to have borders but I also wanted to make a proper feature of them in a similar way to decks like the Gilded Tarot or The Quest Tarot. I chose black bordering because it generally detracts the least and allows the eye to 'sink in' to the image. My hope was this would allow for increased focus on the artwork. At present, I'm experimenting with coloured and textured borders. When I'm happy with the results I'll post some samples for you to see. There are a few cases where I don't find white borders distracting. The Nigel Jackson Tarot is one, probably because the artwork is so gorgeously translucent anyway. Secondly, The Rider Waite - because I love it and just couldn't imagine it any other way (except perhaps for the replacement of the dreaded tartan backs!!!!) Chris. xx

SongDeva	08 Sep 2004
I think the Shapeshifter was originally published without Borders. Now it's published with.

The Why borders? thread was originally posted on 03 Sep 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.