Introduction

So for those of you that already watched the video above and are just looking for a little more information, or some more pictures of my custom playmat from Inked Gaming go ahead and scroll on down to the first photo. For those of you that didn’t watch the video, and don’t want to you are in the right spot!

Welcome to my review of an Inked Gaming Custom Playmat!

What is a Playmat?

A playmat is a mat that is used in most TCG’s (Trading Card Games) to protect your cards and/or your playing surface, as well as a way for you to show off to the world just who you are. Usually rubber on one side and cloth on the other, playmats come in several different sizes and designs. For my review I have a 24″ x 14″ playmat with a design that I made in Photoshop!

My Review

I ordered my first ever playmat from Inked Gaming about a month ago. I was very excited to have my first playmat, even more-so that it was customized to fit my interests! However, an issue with shipping (to no fault of Inked Gaming) set me back about a week. During this time I was in constant contact with Inked Gaming’s customer service department, who were extremely helpful and did a great job reassuring me that one way or another I would get my custom playmat. Albeit late, my mat finally showed up and when I opened it up I was floored at the quality of the product. I never in my life imagined a print on fabric could have such intricate detail. I knew right away that I wanted to review their product. However, I did not feel comfortable posting the custom playmat I ordered, so I had to get my hands on a second one.

After coming up with a design in Photoshop, I was able to submit my image to Inked Gaming and with in a couple days that had my new custom playmat printed and on it’s way.

The playmat arrives in a hard cardboard tube. The tube is easily thick enough to protect the product from any damage during shipping. It can also be saved and used as a carrying device if you don’t want to fork out the $7.00 for a plastic one. I was actually pleased with the packaging, I could easily see a box being punctured or crushed.

Over-all the quality of this playmat is outstanding. Just like my first one, I was floored upon opening it up. The colors are vivid, the images and fonts are sharp, even down to the smallest details. My custom playmat includes font that is just shy of nine-point size. You can see in the video, and in my images, that the font is crisp and sharp. I found this to be incredibly impressive for being printed on fabric.

The mat it’self is 1/16″ thick. This may seem small; however, I found this to be the perfect thickness for it’s purpose. It is just heavy enough to stay flat and not roll up on it’self. That playmat is also just thin enough that it can easily be rolled up for storage in a tube. If you do not care to keep it in a tube, the thinness of the playmat allows it to be easily folded as well (try that with a thicker mouse-pad).

I urge you to watch the video above to hear more of my thoughts on the quality of my Inked Gaming custom playmat, but here are some more images you can look at before we move onto the process of making your own.

Price

Prices on these playmats (and other products) vary by size, the 14″ x 24″ mat that I reviewed costs $24.99 with out editing help, and $39.99 if help is needed.

The Process

The process is simple, and Inked Gaming gives you step by step directions on how to do it. You don’t need to be a Photoshop wizard either, as they provide you with a template to help get your design done in Photoshop or GIMP. They even include a “how to” video!

If you still have trouble with your design you can request help from their team. For an extra fee they will help with some editing of your design. Once you have finished, you simply submit your image, pay, and the rest is up to them. Over all I cannot suggest Inked Gaming for your custom playmats enough! From the excellent customer service I received to the quality of the product to the ease of the process, everything was absolutely outstanding.

Who is Inked Gaming?

Inked Gaming is a company that specialized in printing gaming related products. Not only does Inked Gaming print custom playmats, but they also provide mouse pads, dice bags, and custom card sleeves.

What makes Inked Gamings products stand out above the rest is their process of dye-sublimation. There is a lot of fancy lingo and process that goes into describing dye-sublimation, I touch on it a little in the video. What you need to know is that this process creates a permanent image on your product, and image that will not build up, or bleed. An image that will be high quality, and vibrant. And lastly a product that can be machine washed. YES Inked Gaming custom playmats can be machine washed! I have not had the gall to do so yet, but maybe I will toss it in and update this review with my findings later.

For now, I suggest you make your own so you can see what I’m talking about!