Printing, Packaging, Warehousing and Fulfillment.
Game Design and Physical Specifications
First things first. About the time your game design is finalized, you should start talking with a printer/manufacturer about your game. Why now? Manufacturing cost. Before you spend a single penny on art, make sure that you've got a set of physical specifications that are going to work for your game and are cost effective to manufacture.
Sometimes, the difference in cost between 102 cards and 100 cards is more than the cost of two cards - it could mean a whole new set of color plates, extra setup time on the press and extra collating costs. Switching from a long Monopoly-style box to a square box can sometimes save as much as 80 cents per game. Thus, it pays to make sure that your design is going to work economically before you start spending money for art.
Also, now is the time to think about non-printed components in your game. What color are the pawns? Does the game use a standard white die, or do you want want something a little different? Put this information in your specs, as well as information about any special packing information. For example, if the case pack is different than is normal for that type of game.
Producing Your Artwork
If you're lucky enough to have an artist on your company staff, then you're all set. Otherwise, you'll need to find an artist. First off you must identify the basic premise; is this artist Designing or are they Illustrating. These are two very different things. The design of game art requires at least a basic understanding of what goes into a game and how they are generally played. An Illustrator is no less important but you can use an illustrator when you already know what your game should look like and can give them guidance. Designing a game is a much more labor intensive process than illustrating a game.
What sort of game are you creating and what is the target audience age range? All illustrators are not created equal. Some specialize in cartoons and characters while others use a more photorealistic approach. Both have their place but you need to know what you want your game to look like in the end so you don’t contract with someone who is not going to be able to give you what you ultimately want.
Does your illustrator have experience in preparing their files for print? If they do not, it can get expensive when your printer’s pre-press department has to spend days modifying the files. Keep in mind that the majority of games have a box, board, rules and perhaps scores of cards. All of those may need to be altered because they were not assembled in an “industry standard” fashion.
Finally, does your artist know what information must LEGALLY be included in the game? Any game designed to be played by “children 12 and under” falls under the watchful eyes of the Consumer Safety Protection Agency and there are very specific rules which must be followed.
Preparing Your Artwork
Once you have settled on a final set of specs and selected a printer, you'll want to make sure your art is ready to go. Most printers should have a set of guidelines available to help you prepare your artwork. This should include general advice such as what graphics formats they can accept as well as more specific advice such as how they expect card art to be submitted.
You should also be able to get a set of dielines for your art. These files are black and white line drawings of your box, board, cards, etc. that show where the edges and fold lines are. These files can be inserted into most graphics programs to overlay your existing art so your artist can make sure that everything is laid out correctly.
If you have a UPC code, remember to have your artist leave a space for it, usually on the lower right of the box bottom (or back for card games).
Common Artwork Gotchas!
Your artwork needs to be in CMYK Color format, not RGB. Artwork converted from RGB to CMYK often has blacks that aren't really black. Check your artwork to make sure.
Rules are artwork, too! Most printers can't print from a Word doc. Have your artist lay out the rules using the same graphic program as your other art.
Remember to include any special fonts your artwork uses when you submit the artwork. Most art programs will put up a warning box when the required font is not present, but if your printer misses it, the only chance to catch the problem is in the printed proofs.
Bitmapped text, especially small text, can get fuzzy when going from computer screen to printed page. It is best to do text in a vector-based art program like Adobe Illustrator instead of Adobe Photoshop. The result is a much cleaner printing, easier to read, better looking printed product.
Using PMS Colors? Make sure to let your printer know this before they quote you a price. Using PMS inks can sometimes affect the price, usually upwards, so it's good to know before production.
Onscreen color and printed color can be two very different things unless the monitor is correctly calibrated. If you have only seen your artwork on your home computer screen or on a non-calibrated inkjet printer, do not be surprised if the color proof you get from the printer looks significantly different. You can still change the colors at that point, but it may involve additional expense and time to do so.
Finally, make sure your artwork is in a format and on a media that your printer can read. For instance, most printers use Macs in their art department. CorelDraw, a common art progam for PCs, was discontinued for Macs after version 10. Thus, art created in CorelDraw 11 or higher needs to be downsaved to version 10 for someone using the Mac version to read.
Reviewing Your Artwork
Having dodged all the above pitfalls, you've sent the artwork to the printer. They will lay it out for their press and usually ask you to review a color proof of the artwork as it will appear on the press sheets. Keep in mind that every time the artwork is changed, there is the possibility for introducing an error. Even if you've seen all the artwork 1000 times, you need to go back over it one last time.
Are the colors correct? Except when proofing PMS colors, what you are seeing on the proof is *the* final color set for your game (PMS colors are the exception. Since proofs are generated using CMYK colors, the special pre-mixed PMS ink is not used). While your printer can sometimes catch mistakes in colors and typography, they won't know your game as well as you do. When you sign off on the proof, you are assuming responsibility for the final appearance of your game.
The printer will use your proof to quality check the printed sheets coming off of the press. If you spot an error, however small, deal with it now. Contact your printer and/or artist to get the artwork fixed and a new proof created.
Common Proofing Gotchas!
Some colors are notoroiously difficult to get exactly right. Many oranges, for example, look too brown. Check for variations.
Does the box top and box side artwork fit together correctly. Most proofs will have the die lines overlaid so that you can tell.
If printing a rules booklet, make sure that the page numbering is correct and that the pages are correctly ordered.
With cards, make sure that the card front and card back are correctly matched. If all your cards have a common back, this may not be an issue. If you are doing a trivia game with 500 cards, it is extremely important.
As mentioned previously: if you have only seen your artwork on your home computer screen or on a non-calibrated inkjet printer, do not be surprised if the color proof you get from the printer looks significantly different.
Make sure all the fonts are correct. Occasionally, artwork will get sent to the printer without the correct font and it will slip through the pre-flight process. In some cases, the difference won't matter. In others, it can affect the game's playability.
Speaking of playability, check your rules -and the entire game - for typos. Artists are usually not also English majors and most art programs don't have a spellcheck, so it's up to you!
Don't forget to sign the proof or accompanying paperwork when you return it to the printer.
Manufacturing the Game
If you are using a turnkey printer/manufacturer who is handling the entire process then now is the one time when you don't have to worry about the game itself. You can take this time to put finishing touches on your web site, possibly start taking pre-orders, and issuing press releases. Keep in mind that production glitches can sometimes change shipdates, so allow yourself a cushion when announcing release dates!
Most printers will make extra boxes and order extra parts to make sure they have enough to ship the number of games you ordered. If everything goes well, there are extra games. If a roof leak damages boxes, or a supplier "shortships" game parts, then there are still enough to complete your game run. If you are sourcing any of the game components yourself, remember to allow for mishaps and mistakes.
Whereever or however your game is made, make sure that the parts all comply with new U.S. regulations regarding consumer products. Many retailers will want more than assurances, they'll want to see the certification paperwork.
Warehousing and Shipping the Finished Game
Now that that game is done you need to store it. A fairly standard 10 x 10 x 3 game box fits 240 or so on a pallet. Each pallet is 48" x 40" at the base and stacked 65-80" tall. Thus, even a small run of games is going to take enough pallets to fill up your garage! Most warehouses also offer fulfillment services, and some manufacturers also offer warehousing and fulfillment, so you'll want to look into all of this prior to printing the game.
Keep in mind that warehousing and fulfillment is not the same as distribution. A distributor will buy the games from you and then actively sell those games to retailers. A warehouse/fulfillment service will store games that you own and ship them only when you tell them to. The warehouse will charge you a monthly fee based on how many pallets you are storing with them.
It's important to know, too, how you will be shipping your game. If you plan on shipping most games individuallly, then you'll want to pay close attention to the rates for "Pick and Pack" fulfillment. If you are shipping mostly case pack or pallet quantities, then compare those rates. Generally, it is always cheaper to ship large quantities of games than to ship them individually.
If you are shipping your game to a warehouse/fulfillment company seperate from the manufacturer, make sure that the manufacturer knows the shipping reqiurements for the warehouse. Many fulfillment operations want the shipment labelled with a special code or number so that they can track who owns the shipment.
Finally, when you recieve an order, make sure to pass along all the appropriate information to the fulfillment service. Make sure that your communication to them includes such information as the customer address, any special shipping instructions, the exact quanitty of games to be shipped and any customer specific information. Some of your customers will insist that you include their Purchase Order number on any shipping manifest, while others will ask that you provide an Advance Shipping Notice.
Peace of Mind
Every game is unique. Every one has many operations to consider. Take all of them into account when you choose your partners. At Benthonic Group, we can help you with every step of the process from graphic design, to manufacturing, to warehousing and fulfillment. Whether you're a first time publisher or an industry titan, we can make your life easier. You can call us at 1-269-903-9340.