NOTE: I’ve added new information within regarding using full-sheet photo sticker paper rather than photo paper and spray adhesive. Each has their advantages. Read on for more info.
After posting about my Kingsburg Poker Chip Soldier Tokens and my poker chip tokens for Jaipur, there’s a lot of interest in how to make these chips. The process is actually pretty easy, so I figured I’d throw together a short tutorial.
Here’s the materials you’ll need:
• Blank Poker Chips (Links below)
• Color Photo Printer (or any color printer, depending on quality)
• Photo Paper (I use Canon Photo Paper Pro Semi-Gloss -OR- LD Glossy Photo Inkjet Sticker Paper (See updated information))
• Spray Adhesive (I use 3M Super 77)
• Circle Punch (I use this EK Tools Punch for chips with a 1.25″ sticker well, and this Little B Punch for chips with a 1.125″ sticker well.)
• Large Tweezers
As requested, here are the links to sticker images I’ve created so far:
Jaipur Scoring Token Stickers (1.25″)
Kingsburg Soldier Token Stickers (1.25″)
Capital Lux Gold Coin Stickers (1.125″)
Ethnos Control Token Stickers (1.125″)
For Sale Money Stickers (1.125″)
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POKER CHIPS
First, you’ll need to acquire some blank poker chips. When I first started this project, I was actually searching for the same chips used in Splendor, but it turns out they’re rather hard to get and kind of expensive, at least for the average consumer.
So, if you want a 1.25″ sticker well (more visible artwork, less chip rim) the two chips I recommend using are either these 5 Spot blank chips (which I used for Kingsburg) or these 8 Stripe blank chips (which I used for Jaipur). If you want a smaller sticker, like the one I used for my Capital Lux and Ethnos chips, use these 6-spot blank poker chips, which have a 1.125″ sticker well.
The chips you use are purely an aesthetic choice, but be warned: the Kingsburg and Jaipur chip images linked above are 1.25″ in diameter, and the Capital Lux and Ethnos chip images are 1.125″ in diameter, designed for different chips.
The links above are for Discount Casino Gear and Discount Poker Shop, but you can also get the chips on Amazon. The caveat being that you have to order them in much larger quantities (usually) on Amazon – 25-50 chips per color – which is way more than you’ll need.
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PRINTING
For my money, the best looking chips are printed on a photo printer that can print at very high resolution. You can print these stickers on nearly any color inkjet or laser printer, though, so feel free to do whatever is most convenient for you. This demonstration will be using primarily photo paper, but I’ve recently discovered full-sheet photo sticker paper that also works very well. Each has it’s advantages, which I’ll detail later.
You can also buy round labels specifically designed for poker chips, like these. I tend not to use labels like these because I can’t print on them at high enough resolution to make them look good. Plus, designing the actual print file to line up with the stickers is kind of a bitch, so I just use photo paper and punch the stickers individually.
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DIFFERENT PAPERS
The original version of this tutorial included only information about printing on photo paper (or other inkjet-compatible paper) and using spray adhesive to create the stickers. Recently, I’ve found a this great photo sticker paper, and have used it on a couple of projects.
Using spray adhesive on normal paper definitely has its advantages. Although it can be a tad messier, it is, in general, quite a bit faster than using sticker paper. You can spray 20+ stickers at once, and once you’re adept at using tweezers to apply them, the stickering process can actually go quite quickly. You also have quite a bit more flexibility regarding the paper you use, so if you want to add some texture or have a preferred sheen (I use semi-gloss instead of glossy photo paper), you can do that.
The advantage of the sticker paper is that you don’t need to use spray adhesive. The glue doesn’t get on your fingers, and it eliminates one whole step from the process outlined below. Also, the sticker paper is significantly thinner than regular photo paper, so for chips with a very shallow sticker well (like the 6-spot chips linked above with the 1.125″ sticker well), your sticker won’t have the potential to rise above the face of the chip, impeding stacking. The problem with sticker paper is that peeling the backing off each sticker can be a real pain, so the stickering process actually takes quite a bit longer. The other disadvantage is that sticker paper tends to show punch defects around the edges much more readily than photo paper. So, if your circle punch blade isn’t perfectly sharp and ding free, you might end up with some visible blemishes around the edges of your stickers.
The process detailed here will work with either method. Rather than re-write the whole post, though, I’ve simply inserted notes below where they apply to the sticker paper rather than spray adhesive.
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CUTTING
Alright. Once you’ve acquired your chips and printed your stickers, you’ll need to punch them out. This is where the circle punch comes in.
The first step is to cut up the printed sticker sheet.
The punch won’t be able to reach the stickers in the center of the sheet, so you’ll need to cut it into two-sticker wide strips. You could also do one-sticker-wide strips, but I think two give you a little more paper to grip while you’re punching them out.
This is what my circle punch looks like:
EK Tools circle punches are designed for use with craft paper for scrapbooking. Usually, you’ll set them flat on a desk, insert paper, and punch blindly to make colored circles. That’s not what we’re going to do here. Flip the circle punch over so you can see the opening on the bottom.
This will allow you to line up your stickers with the hole on the bottom to ensure you’re punching them out properly. There’s also a secondary benefit: Because of the shape of their “blade”, most circle punches tend to leave marks on the front side of the paper they punch. Flipping the punch over ensures those marks are on the back of the stickers, and not visible on the final chips.
Simply insert the sticker sheet and line up your sticker…
…then squeeze to punch it out.
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APPLYING SPRAY ADHESIVE
Once all your stickers are punched out, you’re going to apply spray adhesive to the backs. This is as simple as laying out the stickers face down and spraying them with adhesive, but I have three specific bits of advice:
First, add a slight bend to each of your stickers before putting them down, like this:
The reason for this bend is to make the stickers easier to pick up off the paper where you sprayed them.
If they’re lying perfectly flat, they’re almost impossible to pick up once sprayed, and you’ll end up pushing them around in the adhesive and making a big mess. The bend allows you to pick them up by their edge without having to touch any of the actual adhesive.
Second, use tweezers to manipulate them, like this:
Using your fingers will be clunky and unwieldy, and you’ll eventually end up with adhesive all over your fingers. Which is generally bad, because you need to press the stickers into the chips, and you’ll just smear glue all over the face of the chips when you’re doing it.
Lastly, don’t spray more than about ten chips worth of stickers (twenty stickers) at once. If you do more than that, in the time it takes you to sticker a bunch of chips, the adhesive on the backs of the remaining stickers will dry out and become useless.
NOTE: If you’re using sticker paper, obviously this step is omitted. You’ll simply print the stickers and punch them out from the sticker paper, which will already have adhesive and a backing.
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APPLYING THE STICKERS
Once you’ve grabbed the sticker with tweezers, it’s as simple as lining up the sticker on the face of the chip and laying it down.
I tend to use the spots/stripes on the edge of the chip as a guide for placing the stickers. Once the sticker is laid down, just give it a quick press with your thumbs to set it.
Then, flip the chip over and apply the back.
Just be sure to orient the chip correctly so the back and front match up. With Jaipur, specifically, be sure to pay close attention to the values of the back you’re applying, so they properly match up.
NOTE: The application process for sticker paper is mostly identical, except you just peel the backing off the sticker and apply it to the chip. You can still use tweezers if you’re more comfortable with them, but I’ve found that the sticker paper adhesive doesn’t stick to skin much, so you can also just use your fingers.
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And that’s it!
It really is a pretty straightforward process. Actually, the most time-intensive part of the process is just creating the images for the stickers, which – at least for a few games – I’ve already done for you (links above).
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to see the results of your chips, if you decide to make some. Happy gaming!
