at the risk of asking a silly question

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Sep 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

GeminiLady	01 Sep 2001
I'm looking at a deck that is unpublished but the artist is offering as a business card size on photo paper. She runs them off of her inkjet printer. First question, does anyone use cards this size, how do they handle? (I have rather small hands, so it might not be a big deal) Second question, my husband suggested laminating these cards to help preserve them, and I am wondering if doing something like that would make it more difficult to read with them..you know, vibrations and all.... Love and Light, Gem

tarotbear	01 Sep 2001
Actually, all Tarot and playing cards are plastic-coated to help keep them cleaner. Commercial lamination plastic is a little thick and stiff...maybe placing them between two sheets of clear 'contact paper', which is a little thinner?

dolphingirl	01 Sep 2001
HI I have small hands and have a pocket sized Rider deck and find it super for shuffeling and reading in small spaces or traveling I would say go for it. Also if you could let me know what deck this is I would love to see a copy! I would also say try laminating a black paper that is like the paper the deck will be on and see how it feels in your hand... does it feel right?

EveAnna	01 Sep 2001
I too have small hands and I have a deck that is 1 3/4 inches by 2 1/2 inches. A friend gave me this deck, I don't know what its called but it has Russell Grant the astrologer on the back but its not his official deck, unfortunately it only contains the 22 Majors. But its lovely to shuffle and to lay out so I shouldn't think you'll have any problems with a deck that uses business size cards. I would love to see this deck too. :)

Jimilyn	01 Sep 2001
Definitely *not* a silly question!!! As far as laminating the deck goes...I agree with the suggestion about laminating some paper that is the same thickness as the deck, cut it to the same size and try out how it feels. I'm a teacher, so I do my share of laminating. If you laminate with a laminator that's working properly, it's a great way to preserve things. However, if it's not functioning properly, the film can peel which can sometimes result in ruining the laminated item. Lamination film is quite thin, yet it does add some thickness. You may not care for the slickness or the thickness of the laminated cards. I definitely recommend a trial run. Jimilyn

GeminiLady	02 Sep 2001
Thanks for the suggestions. :) Dolphin girl, here's a link on this site. http://aeclectic.net/tarot/vortex/index.html If that sparks your interest, check out the website. I also like how she has posted her interpetations of the cards right on her site..very nice... Lately I am just more drawn to the unpublished stuff...I'm still lusting after the rainewalker deck too... Love and Light, Gem

jade	03 Sep 2001
i don't know if anyone answered this part of your question....... i don't feel that laminating will change the energy of the cards at all. what it will do is keep the edges from bending or tearing and if you are worried that the cards may be too small, how about letting the lamination process make them a bit bigger, just leave an edge on them. jade

Buca	04 Sep 2001
I find the smaller size cards easier to handel/shuffle etc. They are also easier to cary with you requiring less space. As an alternative to lamination you could place the illustrations on an old/blank deck of the same size and then use spray varnish to fix and protect them. Art/Hobby stores sell cans of spray matt or gloss and it doesn't cost much. This might work better than lamination, because some laminaters give the cards a very thick plastic coating and you might end up with a deck thats half a meter tall !

The at the risk of asking a silly question thread was originally posted on 01 Sep 2001 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.