5.3 Game Board | v.20210625
Your game board is the centerpiece of the tabletop gaming experience. Though laying out a flat board may seem simple, it can be troublesome if the margins and bleeds are not set properly.
5.3.1 Bleed
As with the game box, the board requires 20mm of total bleed to wrap around the edges. This covers and protects the edge of the game board which in turn extends its life.
5.3.2 Double Sided Printing game board
Printing a custom back for your game board adds minimal cost and brings an enormous opportunity. If you are designing a double-sided game board, the reverse side needs to be 3mm smaller than the front, on all four sides. This is because the back sheet is mounted on top of the edges wrapped from the front side of the game board. Remember to add a standard 3mm bleed to back side file.
E.g. : If your game board is 200mm x 400mm, then the trimmed size for the back would be 194mm x 394mm. After adding 3mm bleed, the final file size for the back would be 200mm x 400mm.
5.3.3 Examples of Size of Front side and Back side
5.3.4 Maximum Size
If you require a large game board, please note that the current maximum size for LongPack manufactured game boards is 680mm x 950mm. For playing surfaces larger than 680mm x 950mm, please consider using two game boards placed side by side. If you need a larger board, ask your project manager about a light box cloth (flex banner, PVC composite cloth) or a vinyl game board.
In addition to the main, folded game board, sometimes a game may require smaller boards. These may be used for individual player boards, token storage areas, scoring boards etc. These non-folded boards are known as cardboard mats, and they do not have wrapped edges. If your game requires a cardboard mat, designing for squared corners will be the most efficient. Special shapes will require a diecut mold which will incur additional costs.
Checklist: Game board
√ Standardized file naming
√ All files submitted as PDFs
√ All files in CMYK color format
√ Images at a resolution of 300ppi or above
√ All files have 3mm bleed and at least 3mm margin
√ Black text should be pure black C:0% M:0% Y:0% K:100%
√ Font embedded into PDF file
Key checking points for boxes
√ Avoid texts appearing at the fold line
√ Front side needs 3mm bleed + 17mm wrap.
√ If you are designing a double-sided game board, the reverse side needs to be 3mm smaller than the front on all four sides. Don’t forget to add 3mm for the file size.
√ Maximum size 680mm x 950mm