1. Standard Varnish (Matte & Glossy)

Standard varnish is the most basic and cost-effective surface treatment for everyday standard playing cards. It is a surface coating that adds a thin protective layer without lamination film. This finish is ideal for general-use card projects that do not require heavy durability or waterproof performance.

Standard Matte Varnish

Standard matte varnish delivers a plain non-reflective surface with a simple

clean look. However, its shuffle smoothness and hand feel are relatively average to poor. This finish offers no water resistance and only standard durability, making minor wear after frequent use. For edge customization, only spray color edges are available, gilded edges cannot be applied on standard varnish decks.

Best for: Bulk standard tarot cards.

Standard Glossy Varnish

Standard glossy varnish creates a standard shiny, bright surface that makes artwork colors pop and appear more vivid. Compared to matte varnish, it offers slightly better shuffle smoothness with a more fluent hand feel. Still, it is non-waterproof and maintains only average durability. Like standard matte varnish, it only supports spray color edge treatment and does not work with gilding edges.

Best for: Entry-level custom tarot decks, promotional tarot cards, and artwork-focused tarot projects that prioritize vivid color presentation.

2. UV Varnish (Matte & Glossy)

UV varnish is an upgraded version of traditional varnish, cured by UV light for stronger surface hardness and better abrasion resistance. It improves overall deck durability compared to standard varnish while still retaining the flexibility to support premium edge gilding. This makes UV varnish the most popular choice for mid-level custom tarot decks and designer playing cards.

UV Matte Varnish

UV matte varnish provides a premium anti-glare matte surface with significantly better durability than standard varnish. Although its shuffle smoothness is still slightly stiff, the surface resists minor scratches better and holds its texture longer. The biggest advantage of UV matte finish is its compatibility with high-end edge treatments. It supports both spray color edges and gilded edges, making it perfect for creators who want an elegant matte deck with luxurious metallic gilded borders.

Best for: Premium matte tarot cards, oracle decks, and collector decks requiring gilded edges.

UV Glossy Varnish

UV glossy varnish is our smoothest varnish option. It delivers exceptional shuffle fluency, ultra-smooth hand feel, and vibrant color performance. With upgraded durability compared to standard glossy varnish, it effectively resists daily abrasion. Most importantly, it is fully compatible with customization, supporting both spray color edges and gilded edges. If you want shiny, vivid, high-end glossy cards with metallic edge finishing, UV glossy varnish is the ideal solution.

Best for: High-shine designer tarot decks, premium gilded tarot decks, and artwork-focused custom tarot collections.

3. Standard Lamination (Matte & Glossy Film)

Unlike varnish, lamination applies a full plastic film layer on the card surface, delivering true waterproof performance and maximum durability. Laminated cards are stiffer, more rigid, and completely water-resistant. The tradeoff is a slightly stiffer shuffle feel and zero compatibility with gilded edge treatment — only spray color edges are available for all laminated finishes.

Standard Matte Lamination

Standard matte lamination creates a solid, non-reflective waterproof matte surface with outstanding wear resistance. It is extremely durable, waterproof, dust-proof, and scratch-resistant for da

ily use. Because of the thick film texture, the shuffle slide feel is relatively slow and stiff. This finish is strongly recommended for decks that need long-term repeated use and strong protection. However, due to film thickness and surface characteristics, gilded edges are not supported.

Best for: Durable daily-use tarot decks, practice tarot cards, and long-term collection tarot projects.

Standard Glossy Lamination

Standard glossy lamination features a crystal-clear waterproof glossy surface with superior durability. It enhances artwork sharpness and color saturation while providing full water protection. Similar to matte lamination, the laminated film reduces shuffle smoothness, resulting in a firmer hand feel. This finish is perfect for waterproof glossy card projects but cannot be used with gilded edges.

Best for: Waterproof game cards, outdoor-use cards, high-clearness artwork tarot decks.

4. Advanced Functional Lamination

For creators looking for special textures and stronger protection, we offer two upgraded functional lamination options: scratch-resistant matte lamination and soft silk lamination. Both maintain full waterproof performance and ultra-high durability while adding unique tactile features.

Scratch-Resistance Matte Lamination

This upgraded matte lamination is engineered with anti-scratch coating technology. It retains a clean matte appearance while effectively resisting surface scratches, abrasion, and daily friction damage. Fully waterproof and extremely durable, it is one of our toughest matte finishes. The shuffle feel is steady and firm, which is suitable for heavy-use scenarios. Note that gilded edge finishing is not compatible, only spray color edges are available.

Best for: High-frequency practice tarot decks, scratch-resistant premium tarot collections, and long-term daily-use tarot cards.

Silk Lamination (Soft Touch)

Silk lamination, also known as soft-touch lamination, delivers a luxurious velvety texture that feels smooth, subtle, and high-end in hand. It provides full waterproof protection and excellent durability while offering a unique tactile experience that standard matte finishes cannot match. Although the shuffle smoothness is moderate, the premium soft-touch feeling greatly improves deck quality. This finish does not support gilded edges, only spray color edges are available.

Best for: Luxury tarot decks, premium gift decks, high-end collectible card projects.

5. Custom Exclusive Lamination (Holographic, Glitter & Special Film)

For creators who want completely unique, eye-catching decks that stand out from the market, our custom specialty lamination series is the ultimate upgrade. This line includes custom colored holographic lamination, glitter lamination, and our exclusive in-house developed special film finishes that cannot be found in ordinary card printing.

Custom lamination delivers stunning visual effects, including rainbow reflection, sparkling glitter texture, and custom tonal surface layers. It creates a strong visual impact and upgrades your deck to a luxury collectible level. In terms of performance, it is fully waterproof and highly durable. Due to the special film structure, the shuffle feel is steady. For edge finishing, only spray color edges are available, and gilding is not applicable.

Best for: Artistic tarot decks, classic-style tarot collections, Kickstarter premium deck releases, and any custom tarot project that requires enhanced texture, advanced grade, and professional reading experience.

6. Linen Texture Surface Finish (Universal Overlay)

Linen texture is a popular premium embossed overlay finish that can be applied to all tarot card base coatings, including standard varnish, UV varnish, and all lamination styles. Designed with a delicate, subtle woven crosshatch pattern, this treatment adds professional, high-end texture to plain flat card surfaces, eliminating the cheap, overly smooth plastic look common with basic finishes and bringing layered, artistic depth to tarot artwork.

While linen texture is compatible with every coating type,it delivers the best visual and tactile results when paired with varnish finishes (standard varnish and UV varnish). Varnish surfaces are thin, smooth, and rigid, allowing the embossed linen pattern to stand out clearly, form a uniform delicate texture, and maintain stable anti-slip shuffling performance. The texture is crisp, three-dimensional, and consistent, perfectly matching the elegant, artistic positioning of custom tarot decks.

In contrast, applying linen overlay on lamination yields a far less ideal effect. Lamination features a thick, soft film surface that cushions the embossing process. This weakens the linen texture’s stereoscopic feel, making the pattern blurry, flat, and less defined. For this reason, we strongly recommend pairing linen texture with varnish finishes for tarot card projects, which is the industry’s most mature and high-quality matching solution.

Practically, the linen overlay retains all core properties of your base coating. Varnish-based linen decks keep their original durability and gilding edge compatibility, while still gaining anti-glare, anti-stick, and premium tactile advantages. It optimizes the reading experience with moderate card grip and smooth shuffling, making it ideal for formal tarot reading decks and premium collector editions.

Best for: Artistic custom tarot decks, premium collector decks, Kickstarter boutique releases, and all tarot projects that require upgraded texture and a high-end professional look. Recommended matching: Standard Varnish / UV Varnish