Printing your BanterBox

Your normal printer is all you need.

Your BanterBox is designed to print at home on the paper you already have. You do not need special card, professional equipment or a trip to the print shop to get the full game.

Print the PDFs, cut along the guides and you have everything you need to play.

If you are putting a bit more effort into the event and want the cards to feel a little more substantial, we will also show you a few simple ways to give the finished pack a more polished feel.

A printed BanterBox party game laid out with cards, score sheets and cutting guides ready to play

What you actually need

If you can print a document, you can print BanterBox.

There is no special setup hiding behind the download. For most people, everything you need is already at home.

  • A normal printer

    Your home or office printer is fine. You do not need a photo printer or anything made for card crafting.

  • The paper already in your printer

    Normal printer paper works for the entire pack, including the cards.

  • Something to cut with

    The pages that need cutting already have guides, so there is nothing to measure.

  • Something to write with

    You will need these for score sheets, answers and drawing games.

That is basically it. No laminator, no craft cupboard and no emergency trip to an office-supply store.

Before you hit print

Check these four settings and you are ready.

Your PDF is already laid out for you, so there is very little to change. The main thing is making sure your printer does not quietly resize the pages.

  • Check: Paper size
    What to choose: Use the size shown on your PDF

    Your PDF will already be set up as A4 or US Letter. Use whichever size is shown in the file.

  • Check: Scale
    What to choose: 100% / Actual size

    This keeps the cards and cut guides at the size they were designed.

  • Check: Sides
    What to choose: Single-sided

    BanterBox does not rely on front-and-back alignment.

  • Check: Colour
    What to choose: Colour looks best, but black and white works too

    Colour is part of the look, not part of the rules. The games still work in black and white.

Watch out for “Fit to page”.

Many printers try to be helpful by shrinking a document slightly so it fits inside their printable area. For BanterBox, that can make the cards smaller and move the cut guides.

Choose 100% or Actual size instead. Your PDF also includes a 50 mm print check. If that line measures 50 mm on your first test page, your scale is right.

100% / Actual size

Not this: Fit to page

BanterBox cards printed on heavier matte paper beside normal write-on game sheets

Want the cards to feel a little more special?

Normal paper works. Heavier paper is an optional finishing touch.

You can print the entire BanterBox pack on ordinary paper and get the full game. Nothing is missing and nothing plays differently.

For an event where you want the finished pack to feel a little more polished, you can use heavier paper for the cards people pick up and pass around.

Keep it simple

Pages you read and write on stay normal. Only the handled pieces change.

Normal printer paper

Best for anything you read, write or draw on.

  • Rules and instructions

  • Score sheets

  • Answer and drawing sheets

Normal paper works

Thicker matte paper feels nicer

Worth considering for the pieces people pick up and pass around.

  • Mission cards

  • Question cards

  • Small cut-out pieces

If you do not want to think about any of this, print everything on normal paper. Seriously. Cut it out and play.

If you want a more polished finish

Thicker printer paper, not industrial cardboard.

Think of a nice invitation or a restaurant menu insert. Firmer than a normal sheet of paper, still easy to print on. Here is the whole range, from lightest to heaviest.

  1. Normal printer paper

    Use this for the whole pack if you want. It works perfectly well.

  2. Thicker paper at home

    Nice for the cards if your printer can handle it.

    If the packet lists paper weight, around 160-220gsm is a useful range for many home printers.

  3. Heavier card at a print shop

    Best if you want the handled pieces to feel closer to commercial game cards.

    Ask for white matte card around 250-300gsm.

Whichever you choose, skip glossy photo paper. Matte is easier to read, easier to handle and much less interested in collecting fingerprints.

Rather let someone else print it?

Any good document or copy shop should be able to handle BanterBox.

Useful if you do not have a printer, you are low on ink, or you want the cards on heavier card than your own printer will take. You do not need a specialist board-game printer. This is still a normal PDF print job.

The places below are examples, not BanterBox partners. If you already have a local printer you trust, use them.

These are examples, not paid partners. Options vary by location.

You do not need to explain BanterBox to the person behind the counter.

Show them this on your phone or copy it into an email. They only need the PDF and the printing instructions.

BANTERBOX PRINT BRIEF

  • I have a printable party-game PDF.
  • Please print the PDF at the page size already set in the file - A4 or US Letter.
  • Print at 100% / Actual size. Do not use Fit to page or Shrink to fit.
  • Print single-sided.
  • Full colour is preferred, but black and white is completely fine.
  • For pages containing cards, please use white matte card around 250-300gsm if available.
  • Rules, score sheets and pages people write or draw on can stay on normal white uncoated paper.
  • Please leave the pages loose and keep the printed cut guides visible. No binding is needed.

Last bit

The cutting looks like more work than it is.

Every page that needs cutting already has guides printed on it. You do not need to measure the cards or line anything up yourself.

  1. Step 1

    Start with the full sheet

    Keep everything together while you make the first long cuts.

  2. Step 2

    Cut the long lines first

    Work across the page in rows or columns while the remaining guides are still lined up.

  3. Step 3

    Separate the individual cards

    Finish the shorter cuts and the printed guides disappear with the offcuts.

Scissors are completely fine. A paper trimmer is quicker and gives straighter cuts if you already own one. Some print shops can also trim the pages for you, so ask if you would rather skip this part entirely.

If something looks odd

Most printing problems have a very boring fix.

  • What happened?: The cards look smaller than expected
    What to do: Check that the PDF is printing at 100% / Actual size and that Fit to page is switched off.
  • What happened?: The 50 mm print check is not 50 mm
    What to do: Something has scaled the PDF. Fix the scale before printing the rest of the pack.
  • What happened?: Thicker paper keeps jamming
    What to do: Your printer probably does not support that thickness. Use normal paper, try something lighter or send the card pages to a print shop.
  • What happened?: The colours look different from the screen
    What to do: That is normal. Screens, printers, ink and paper all reproduce colour slightly differently.
  • What happened?: I only have a black-and-white printer
    What to do: Use it. Colour makes the pack look nicer, but the games do not depend on it.
  • What happened?: I printed everything on normal paper
    What to do: Perfect. Cut it out and play.
  • What happened?: I do not want to cut everything myself
    What to do: Ask your local printer whether they offer trimming or guillotine cutting.

Still fighting with the printer?

Printers have a remarkable talent for making something simple feel personal. If yours is winning, check the FAQ or get in touch and tell us what is happening.

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