Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you wanted to know about game production but were afraid to ask!,

Design
Manufacturing (including Safety, CPSIA)

Design

Q: Can you make the art from my prototype?
A: Yes.

Q: Can you make art from some ideas or sketches?
A: Yes.

Q: How long does it take to design my artwork?
A: It depends on the amount of work you need. Designing a card game with 50 cards is different than doing the artwork for a board game with 500 cards. Usually, it will take about 30-60 hours worth of the artist's time to produce the art for your game.

Manufacturing

Q: What will it cost?
A: Again, it depends. Game costs vary so much from one project to the next that it's next to impossible to narrow it down to a reasonable ballpark. In general, card games are cheaper than board games and all games get cheaper as you make more of them.

Q: How long will it take?
A: I'm temped to say "It depends again, but I won't! If your artwork is in good order and does not require reworking, it will usually take about 2 weeks for us to lay it out, send you proofs, have you approve them and send them back. After that it takes about 4 weeks to produce a complete game. It can take longer during the lead up to Christmas, so please allow extra time after Labor Day.

Q: I need a custom plastic game piece. Can you do that?
A: Yes. but due to the cost of molds, it is usually not cost efficient to do custom plastic on runs of less than 10,000 games.

Q: Is my game affected by the CPSIA?
A: All products intended for use by children ages 12 and under are affected.

Q: Didn't the US Government suspend the CPSIA? Why Should I worry?
A: Only the testing requirement was suspended for one year until Feb. 10, 2010 because the law was unclear and impractical. All other aspects of the law are in force, including lead and pthalate limits.

Q: What CPSIA information do I need on my game?
A: You need to label your game with the normal choking warnings (ASTM F963-96a) and indicate that your game is compliant with Heavy Metal Content and Pthalates limits (with ASTM F963-07). Under the CPSIA law you also need to state the country of origin, manufacturer, and a date or lot code. Stickers are not allowed, so this should be part of your box art.

Our staff at Imagigrafx is here to help you. Whether you'd like to talk through filling out the Quotation Request while we're on the phone with you, or if you just want to get some advice on least cost production options, please call us at: 269-345-1175. You'll find us to be friendly, easy to work with folks, who would very much like to help you bring your game from dream to reality.