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Size Standards - Board and Box

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Oskar
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Of course there are many different sizes of game boards, some even scalable, but my question is more regarding if there are any kind of standard sizes of game boards. It also seem as the most common folding standard is the board with two pieces folded once, but coming strong is the board with four pieces folded three times. Does anyone have any thought or comment regarding the best way, considering production cost, distribution, durability etc?
The same goes for the size of the box. What should be considered regarding production, distribution, display in retail store, etc?

Dralius
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Different companies have

Different companies have different standard box and board sizes. There is of course overlap, you’ll see allot of 18 inch quad fold boards on the market in 9- 7/16 inch boxes for example. Some of these boxes will be taller than others so I don’t think you can plan on making a game that universally fits all companies packaging. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t keep the packaging in mind when you submit to a publisher. I had a game turned down because the particular company had standard box sizes. The game was too large for size "A" but much too small for size "B" so even though they liked the game they turned it down. Im having a different game presented to them next week. In an attempt to avoid this issue again i made a box for the game in their standard size to show that all components fit easily into it with very little air space.

If you are planning on doing the publishing yourself then speak to a board game printing company. A good one can help you get the quality you want while keeping the cost as low as possible. It will take a bit of back and forth so find one that’s willing to take the time to discuss the difference in materials.

seo
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Larger boxes are more

Larger boxes are more expensive to produce than smaller ones, and quad-fold or six-fold boards are more expensive than traditional single-fold boards, so part of what you may gain with a less complex board you will lose with the resulting box size. You need to find the best combination, but there's not one answer for all games.

As Dralius suggested, if you're going to self-produce you should get quotes for both options and see what makes more sense in your specific game. If you're submitting to a publisher, it seems to be a good idea to try to match the box sizes and board styles used by that publisher.

gameprinter
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Box and board standards

As mentioned previously, different companies have different standards...BUT...

A 20 x 20 quad fold board in a 10.125" x 10.12" x 2-3.5" box bottom is by far the most common size we quote. The quad fold board costs more than a single fold board, but there is such a huge savings going to a square box over the long thin style box that you save money overall. A square box is cheaper. The platform is cheaper. The assembly is cheaper (shorter box = more boxes down the line per hour). I've seen savings as much as 80 cents a game going from a long to a short box. A six-fold 20x30 board will fit into the same style box.

Mass market stores like Target and Wal-Mart prefer square boxes because they take up less shelf space. I have heard that the max shelf space they will give is 10.5". The FLGS-type retailers probably like them as well for the same reason.

That said, we do often do "tag along" runs of games when we do a big run of opoly-type games. If we're doing 50,000 of one style of box, we can throw another 1000 or 2 on and get the discount for those boxes, too. In that case, sometimes a long box is cheaper.

Oskar
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Thanks

Thanks for your answers guys,

I'm preparing to launch a board game publishing company and am right now play testing a couple of games. The idea is to take it nice and slow, and to focus on high quality game experience and high quality productions. As I am based in Europe I also wanted to ask if someone can recommend a printer in Europe?

gameprinter
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European printer

Ludofaq (spelling? Lutofaq?) in Germany is the premier printer of games in Europe. Carte Mundi is based in Belgium and is the world leader for cards.

Oskar
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Go East ?

Thanks Gameprinter,

As I research the matter, I get the feeling that the majority of the board games are today being produced in China and other low cost countries in the area. Am I drawing the wrong conclusions?

Of course it is clear that the unit cost would be significantly lower than to produce in Europe (and also US I guess?), but I feel that the distant (physically and culturally) could be a problem. At least if you try someone out for the first time. The horror would be to receive a container with board games of a quality nowhere near your expectations - and the bill is already paid. Comments or experiences, anyone?

gameprinter
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Where boardgames are made

Oskar-
We make many, many, many games here in the U.S. That said, a huge percentage of games are made in China or SE Asia. My best price is going to come in at 30-60% over a "landed" China price on most games. On big runs, I can get that down below 20% difference, but China is cheaper. Depending on the game, I know that we can compete with European printers in most cases - although linen paper is more expensive here in the US.

Getting your game made overseas is a daunting task, but it can be done. The trick is finding a reputable company to work with. There are some here in the US, but I don't know any European-based companies that specialize in overseas game manufacturing. I'm sure SOMEONE has a booth at Essen this weekend. :)

Nich
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Question for you gameprinter,

Question for you gameprinter, on the same topic, which company is it that you run/operate/work for? I've been meaning to ask for a while.

Outside Lime
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Game board sizes

I've done graphics and layout for a few Z-man games with a board now (1960, Pandemic, Wasabi!, Endeavor, etc), and I have never been asked to conform to any standard size. Seems like the Chinese printers he uses will run with whatever we ask for. Usually I just distill the board size from practical in-game necessity and fit-in-the-box requirements.

~Josh

gameprinter
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Nich wrote:Question for you

Nich wrote:
Question for you gameprinter, on the same topic, which company is it that you run/operate/work for? I've been meaning to ask for a while.

I work for DeLano Service. We're one of a handful of US companies that specialize in turnkey game production. One of our specialties is first time and small press companies. I'm not here just to pimp our services though, so I don't mention the name all the time. Maybe I should! :)

GamesOnTheBrain
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Outside Lime wrote:Seems like

Outside Lime wrote:
Seems like the Chinese printers he uses will run with whatever we ask for.

~Josh

And what printers are those exactly? ;-)

Outside Lime
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I actually am not totally

I actually am not totally certain who prints any given game.

I upload the print files to Z-Man's server, then the printers download from him. In the past I think he's used printers named Artical and Kaleido, but that's about the limit of my inside information.

~Josh

GamesOnTheBrain
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Outside Lime wrote:I actually

Outside Lime wrote:
I actually am not totally certain who prints any given game.

I upload the print files to Z-Man's server, then the printers download from him. In the past I think he's used printers named Artical and Kaleido, but that's about the limit of my inside information.

~Josh

Found them both. Thanks!

Nich
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A subtle hint every now and

A subtle hint every now and then works wonders for people who don't read a lot of the back posts and may have missed that information (Especially since I don't see links in profiles for neat information like that).

Thanks for the answer

twizzler3b
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9x18?

Hi Dralius, I have a game in dev that could fit on a 9x18" board. Do you think I might save a bit by doing a 9x18 with a single fold/hinge in a 9-7/16 box? Or do you expect the savings vs an 18x18 would be fairly insignificant? I guess it would be a bit lighter too for shipping to my customers.... I'm probably going to manufacture in China and then fulfill orders from the US to the US market for starters. Any input/thoughts are appreciated!

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