These PDFs are designed to be printed double-sided, but alignment can vary depending on your printer, paper type, and cardstock thickness.
When I tested the Data Cards, I found that the back side sometimes printed slightly off-center. This was most noticeable on cardstock and became a problem when cutting the cards out. Best case, the cards looked a little rough. Worst case, important text got trimmed off.
Why the Alignment Problem Happens
Most home printers do not feed paper perfectly consistently, especially when printing double-sided. Thicker cardstock can make this worse because it is stiffer and harder for the printer rollers to handle.
To help reduce the problem, I removed the border from the back side of the cards. That way, if the back shifts slightly during printing, the misalignment is less obvious. When trimming the cards, use the front side as your cutting guide.
Recommended Printing Method
If you have issues with double-sided printing misaligning the cards or are a perfectionist, the most reliable workaround I found is to print the front and back separately:
- Print the front side first.
- Reinsert the printed sheet into the paper tray.
- Print the back side separately.
- Test the orientation on regular paper before using cardstock.
Most of the time, the sheet goes back into the tray printed side up, but the exact direction depends on your printer and whether the file is portrait or landscape. Do a few test prints on plain paper first, unless you enjoy sacrificing cardstock to the printer gods.
Printing Tips
Choose the correct orientation:
Landscape
Use for Army Data Cards and Spell Cards.
Portrait
Use for regular cheat sheets.
If using automatic double-sided printing:
- For landscape pages, select Flip on Short Edge.
- For portrait pages, select Flip on Long Edge.
If printing manually:
- Print the front side first. Reinsert the page based on your printer’s paper-feed direction. Print the back side separately.
If printing on cardstock, select the closest available paper setting for thicker stock. Depending on your printer, this may be called Cardstock, Heavy Paper, Thick Paper, or Matte Paper. On my HP printer, the recommended cardstock setting was not available in the software menu, so I used Matte Paper instead.
The goal is to give the printer enough time and support to handle thicker paper properly and allow the ink to dry.
A note about Cardstock
I print my cheat sheets on 67 lb cardstock because it feels much sturdier than plain paper, and I usually laminate them afterward for durability.
Before using cardstock, check what paper weights your printer officially supports. Even if your cardstock falls within the supported range, automatic double-sided printing may still cause alignment issues because thicker paper does not always feed evenly through the rollers.
If that happens, use the manual-printing method above. It takes a little more time, but it usually produces cleaner, better-aligned results.
Trimming
To cut your cards out, you can use either a good pair of scissors or a paper trimmer. If you decide to laminate your cards, make sure you laminate them before cutting them out.
I personally use a Fiskars 12″ Trimmer. It’s fairly compact and uses a smooth sliding blade instead of the old guillotine-style cutter. One feature I really like is the wire cutting guide, which lets you clearly see exactly where the cut line will land.
I originally used a different brand, but it was difficult to line the blade up precisely, which made clean cuts frustrating. That’s ultimately why I switched to the Fiskars trimmer. It’s reasonably priced, especially if you catch it on sale at places like Michaels.
Laminating Tips
If you want to go the extra step, laminating your Data Cards and Cheat Sheets helps protect them from wear, spills, and the general chaos of tabletop gaming.
If you do not own a laminator, ask around. There is a surprisingly good chance someone you know already has one tucked away in a craft room or scrapbook setup.
I’ve had good results laminating 67 lb paper/cardstock using 3 mil laminating sheets. So far, they’ve held up well, though I have not tested them long enough to say how they will perform over years of use.
Results with heavier cardstock, especially 110 lb cardstock, seem to vary quite a bit. Some people recommend using 5 mil laminating sheets for the thicker material, while others report issues with the laminate separating over time.
In general:
- 67 lb cardstock + 3 mil pouches → worked well in my testing.
- 110 lb cardstock → may require thicker pouches or additional testing
- Thicker materials can sometimes increase the risk of poor sealing or delamination
As with printing, your results may vary depending on the laminator, pouch brand, cardstock thickness, and the dark powers currently inhabiting your printer area.
If you’re in the U.S. and interested in laminating your cards, you can pick up a reasonably priced Scotch laminator at places like OfficeMax, Staples, or most craft stores. I used 3mm laminating sheets, and OfficeMax especially seems to run sales on them pretty often.
The Lazy Warlord 