Launch Tabletop creates print-on-demand board games and accessories, and provides mass production services to the tabletop gaming industry.
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Print on demand

What is Print-on-demand manufacturing?

Print-on-demand (POD) is the process of manufacturing printed products individually or in small quantities. This removes the need to print in bulk, which saves you from some of the problems of mass manufacturing, like paying large upfront costs, buying more stock than you need due to minimum order quantities, and storing inventory. With POD, your product is only manufactured when a customer places an order.

Traditional materials, non-traditional technology

POD uses digital printing technology, which saves money on overhead costs associated with traditional printing methods, including long calibration times, creation of offset printing plates, and high wastage of ink and paper. POD also eliminates the need for warehousing and inventory storage, as products aren’t printed until a confirmed demand exists for them in the form of an order.

POD for Game Designers

Game designers also stand to benefit from the high flexibility and scalability of POD. You can print as few or as many copies of your game as you need. This allows you to create and sell your work without first finding a traditional publisher or a physical store to stock your products. Conveniently, you can update and revise your game at any time, and experiment with new ideas and designs, all without worrying about making costly mistakes or ending up stuck with a pile of out-of-date games. POD gives you the power to change your approach at any time, risk-free.

No minimum order quantity

For game creators starting out, or those catering to small niche markets, using POD can save you money in the short term. Traditional game manufacturing methods require large print runs of thousands of units, which is a substantial upfront cost, and risky if you’re not sure how much demand exists for your product. With POD, you only need to pay for the production of each item, which can be far more cost effective for small orders. These savings give you the freedom to test the market and gauge customer response without investing a huge amount of money up-front.

Make and ship only what you need

Reduced shipping costs are another benefit of the POD approach. Because products are printed only as ordered, and shipped directly to the customer, you’ll save money on storage, transportation, and handling costs associated with traditional inventory management. These reduced costs are especially helpful for anyone who lacks the resources to manage a large inventory.

In all these ways, POD breaks down barriers to entry for new designers, ensuring everyone gets a place at the table.

With POD, your product is only manufactured when a customer places an order.

Frequently asked questions

Our print-on-demand service allows game designers to quickly produce custom board games in small quantities, from 1 to under 1,000 copies. The process starts with designing and managing the game project using Launch Lab online, which offers over 50 customisable components. Once the design is finalised and ordered, the game is manufactured on demand and shipped worldwide.

We are delighted to hear that you’re happy with your game. As a custom board game manufacturer and maker, we can mass-produce your game for you. Whether you want to show your board game to the whole world or start small, we are here to help.

Read more about our mass production services.

Certainly! We offer additional services upon request, including product safety testing, to ensure that your games meet legislated requirements for toys and board games in jurisdictions worldwide. This is common feature of our board game manufacturing process, where we ensure the quality and safety of your game before it is shipped to you.

As the manufacturer producing your custom board game, we know your ideas might change as the project moves ahead. Whether you can change your order after you've submitted it depends on how far along your game is in the manufacturing process. If we're still in the planning stages or haven't started making your game yet, it's often possible to make changes. But once we've started production, it might be too late to change things because of how specific the game-making process is. If you want to change something, it's best to talk to your project manager. They can give you the best advice based on where we are in the process of making your game.

You can use the unit cost estimator on Launch Lab to calculate the unit cost of your custom board game as you design it. Simply add, remove, and edit your game's components, and the tool will update in real-time, showing price break points and quantities at which the unit cost will change. Depending on the size of the order and the number of components, your board game’s manufacturing cost or card game's printing costs will change accordingly. For larger orders beyond 1,000 units, we recommend using mass manufacturing. Learn more about custom board game printing.

The main difference between Launch Lab's print-on-demand service and mass manufacturing is the production quantity. Print-on-demand is ideal for smaller production runs of 1 to 1,000 copies, while mass manufacturing is best for larger quantities of 1,000 copies or more. Additionally, mass manufacturing has a minimum order quantity of 1,000 units, while print-on-demand does not. It should be noted that both board and card game production costs will change accordingly depending on the number of components as well as how many are ordered. Production times will also vary due to the differences in quantity. Learn more about the difference between mass production and print-on-demand.

Have any questions that aren’t covered above? You may find the answer over in our Knowledge Base.

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