My son has collection of trading cards, and I’m looking to make dividers for them. The dividers will be used to separate the cards into groups; similar size with a tab sticking a bit higher at the top.
I’d like to make the dividers rigid, ideally made out of something perhaps similar to a typical playing card. Using the 1/8 material I have seems like overkill, but I can’t really think of anything thinner that would hold up and could easily be cut with the glowforge.
(I also have a cricut, but I feel like cardstock might be too flimsy?)
It seems that a super heavy card stock would accomplish what you need. Common card stock is 65 or 80 lb. and may indeed be too flimsy. For your project, I’d look for 110 or 130 lb.
Another possibility is mat board, like they use to mat photographs and such. It’s about 1/16th of an inch and works great for dividers. Here’s an example:
Polypropylene sheets. Report covers from the office supply store are a cheap and easy source. Also some of those thin cutting boards and some art stores carry sheets. (avoid PVC)
I’ve been using heavy-duty posterboard from Walmart to make boxes to put my tiered tray items in to sell, and it’s durable enough to hold everything and not fall apart. You want to be sure to get the heavy-duty though, as the “regular” posterboard, although it cuts nicely, just isn’t as nice looking and is just enough thinner that it won’t hold up as well. I paid $4.88 for a pack of 5. The heavy-duty also engraves nicely, whereas the regular posterboard is so light I couldn’t read it, using the same settings. One side has a more glossy look to it, which is the side I engrave on.
This is a really good point, and an argument for using the Cricut. If they are collectable/ valuable, maybe it’s best to not risk the burnt smell permeating the cards.
