Card Maker: Custom Trading Card Game Cards to Print

Pick a card type and frame color, write the name, cost, rules and flavor text, add your art or a placeholder, and get a print-ready card: 825x1125 pixels, a 2.5 x 3.5 inch poker card at 300 DPI with a 1/8 inch bleed. Add each card you make to a 3x3 print sheet and print a playtest deck at home.

Step 1 of 3: Card type
What kind of card?
Frame color
Live preview

How to use it

  1. Choose Creature, Spell, Item or Location and a frame color, then press Next.
  2. Type the name, cost, type line, rules text and flavor text, tick Attack and health for units, and press Next.
  3. Press Upload art, or describe the art and press Generate art (needs a free Ziva account), set Zoom and Position, or keep the placeholder, then press Make card.
  4. Press Download PNG for the single card, or Add to print sheet to queue it.
  5. Press Change inputs to make the next card, then Download print sheet to get up to 9 cards on one page.

Poker card size, bleed and safe area at 300 DPI

This tool uses poker size, the usual size for playing cards and custom card games: 2.5 x 3.5 inches, or 63.5 x 88.9 mm. At 300 DPI, the resolution print shops ask for, that is 750 x 1050 pixels at the cut line. Printers cut whole stacks at once, so the art has to run past the cut: a 1/8 inch bleed on every side adds 37.5 pixels per edge and gives the 825 x 1125 pixel file this tool exports. The Game Crafter lists its poker deck at exactly 825x1125.

Bleed is not the same everywhere. MakePlayingCards asks for at least 822 x 1122 pixels for its poker cards and trims 36 pixels from each side, so check your printer's template before you order. Keep names, numbers and rules text at least another 1/8 inch inside the cut line; this tool keeps every text box inside that safe area, and the frame color runs to the edge of the bleed so a slightly off cut never shows white.

Printing a playtest deck at home

The print sheet is 2400 x 3300 pixels: 8 x 11 inches at 300 DPI with nine cards in a 3x3 grid and corner marks on every cut line. That fits both US Letter (8.5 x 11 in) and A4 (210 x 297 mm), as long as you print at 100% or Actual size; Fit to page shrinks the cards. Cards on the sheet are placed edge to edge at their trimmed size, so one straight cut separates two cards.

For early playtests, plain paper slid into a card sleeve in front of an old card handles and shuffles almost like a real card, and you can reprint a single card after every balance change. Save card stock and print shops for when the numbers stop moving.

Writing cards players read at a glance

Put what changes a decision in the biggest type: cost in the top corner, attack and health in the bottom corners, and the name across the top. The rules box shrinks its font to fit, from about 9 points down to about 5 points at print size, so if your text reaches the smallest size, cut words rather than squeezing it in.

Use one name per mechanic and write it the same way on every card, for example a single keyword like Swift that the rulebook explains once, instead of a sentence repeated on twenty cards. Flavor text is optional; when the rules text is long, drop the flavor first.

Frequently asked questions

What size is a trading card in pixels?
A poker-size card is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, which is 750 x 1050 pixels at 300 DPI. With a 1/8 inch bleed on each side it becomes 825 x 1125 pixels, the size this card maker exports.
Is the card maker free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no account, uploaded art never leaves your computer, and you can print and use the cards however you like. The optional Generate art with AI sends your art description to Ziva to make the image, needs a free Ziva account, and each image counts toward that account's plan.
Can I make cards that look like Magic, Pokemon or Hearthstone cards?
No. The frames here are original designs for your own game, and copying another game's card frame and layout can raise trade dress problems. Use these templates to prototype your own mechanics instead.
Can I send these files to a print shop?
Yes, the PNGs are 300 DPI with a 1/8 inch bleed, which matches poker-size templates such as The Game Crafter's 825x1125. Some printers use a slightly different bleed, for example MakePlayingCards wants 822x1122, so compare with your printer's template first.
How many cards can I put on the print sheet?
Nine, in a 3x3 grid. Remove a card with the X on its thumbnail, or press Clear sheet to start a new page.

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