DIY - How to make your own scratch cards

I've just started to run out of the cool discount cards that I printed a few months back on the letterpress course I went to, so I decided it was time to design some new ones to send out to customers with their orders. 

I wanted something a bit more interesting and memorable than plain cards with a code on, so after seeing loads of different scratch card tutorials on Pinterest I decided to have a go at making some of my own. 

I started by designing some business cards in Photoshop and had them printed by Vista print. Alternatively you could print a design yourself or draw something directly onto some card. 

I have to admit my first attempt wasn't very successful and I was beginning to wish I hadn't ordered 250 cards with the words "scratch here" printed on them! However, after a bit of experimenting with different materials and techniques, I managed to perfect them. I'm going to share a few tips in this tutorial so you can get them to work perfectly first time!

To make the scratch cards you will need the following materials:

The first batch I made using a cheap own-brand washing up liquid and no sticky back plastic and they didn't scratch off, so I'd recommend using something like Fairy liquid as I know that works. The sticky back plastic also protects the card and stops it from becoming soggy once it's painted.

You can use any coloured acrylic paint that you'd like, but I'd recommend using a dark colour like black so that your message underneath doesn't show through. I chose turquoise to fit with my branding as the rest of my packaging is that colour, but it took about three coats of paint to conceal the discount code.

Here's how to make them:

1.  Measure the area of your card / design that you want to be scratch-able, and cut a piece of sticky back plastic to size using scissors or a paper cutter. 

Alternatively you can also make the strip slightly bigger if you need to line it up precisely with the edges of the card (like on my design). This gives you a bit of room for error when you stick them onto the cards later. 

2. Prepare your mixture. Two parts paint for every one part washing up liquid. Mix it well but be careful not to get too many bubbles in it. 

3. Paint all the strips of sticky-back plastic. Use thin even layers of paint and then leave them to dry before applying a second coat. 

4. Peel the sticky-back plastic off of its backing and carefully stick it into position on your design / discount cards. Start by lining up one edge and then slowly lower the plastic down onto the card until it's in position. 

5.  If you've made the sticky back plastic strips bigger than they need to be, cut off the excess using scissors or a rotary cutter, use the edge of the card as your guide to help you cut straight. 

6. Once they're stuck down if you notice that some of your message is showing through or some paint chipped off whilst peeling the plastic from it's backing, you can touch them up with another coat of paint. 

7. Woo hoo! You're finished, grab a coin and scratch one off to check its worked!

Here are my finished scratch cards ready to send to customers :)