A technical dictionary of printmaking, André Béguin.
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Card
Many different kinds of cards have been produced in the history of printing of which wish cards, playing cards, and visiting cards (both illustrated and plain) are but a few. For each one of these cards a series of specific designs, types of engraving, and colouring methods have evolved. Playing cards were certainly the most ancient type of card since they were made with woodcuts as early as the 15th century. In fact it may well be that playing cards contributed to the development of the woodcut. It seems that playing cards were originally an invention of the arabs. The wish cards, on the other hand, were an English invention of the 19th century.
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