TLDR
- Standard MTG cards are commonly specified as 63 by 88 mm, while the broader poker-card format is often listed as 2.5 by 3.5 inches, or 63.5 by 88.9 mm.
- Use the exact template supplied by the printer. Do not casually switch between the two measurements after designing the card.
- A normal print file should be at least 300 PPI at final size. The nominal 2.5 by 3.5-inch trim area equals 750 by 1,050 pixels at 300 PPI.
- A typical professional card uses approximately 300 to 310 GSM playing-card stock, often around 11 to 12 points thick. Black-core stock improves opacity.
- Standard outer sleeves are commonly 66 by 91 mm. Perfect-fit inner sleeves are generally around 64 by 89 mm.
- Bleed, safe zones, cutting tolerance, and consistent corners matter just as much as nominal card dimensions. Printers remain stubbornly unable to trim every sheet at the exact atomic center.
The Numbers Are Simple Until Everyone Starts Rounding Them
MTG proxy card size sounds like a straightforward technical question. A Magic card is a rectangle. We have successfully measured rectangles for some time.
Then one source says 63 by 88 mm. Another says 63.5 by 88.9 mm. A template requests 822 by 1,122 pixels. Someone else insists on 750 by 1,050. Soon a person who merely wanted to print a Goblin token is reading about metric conversion and commercial die tolerances.
The practical answer is that Magic cards use the standard Western trading-card or poker-card format, but different printers describe and trim that format slightly differently. The safest specification is always the exact template provided by the company producing the cards.
MTG Proxy Card Size at a Glance
| Specification | Recommended Target |
|---|---|
| Common finished MTG size | 63 × 88 mm |
| Nominal poker-card size | 2.5 × 3.5 in |
| Exact inch conversion | 63.5 × 88.9 mm |
| Common corner radius | 3 to 3.5 mm |
| Minimum print resolution | 300 PPI |
| Pixel size at 2.5 × 3.5 in | 750 × 1,050 px |
| Common bleed | 0.125 in, or about 3 mm, per side |
| Common safe margin | 0.125 in, or about 3 mm, inside trim |
| Typical playing-card stock | 300 to 310 GSM |
| Approximate card caliper | 11 to 12 pt, about 0.28 to 0.30 mm |
| Standard outer sleeve | 66 × 91 mm |
| Typical perfect-fit inner sleeve | 64 × 89 mm |
These are practical production targets, not a substitute for a printer’s own downloadable template.
Is an MTG Card 63 by 88 mm or 63.5 by 88.9 mm?
Both measurements appear because people are describing nearly the same card format from different directions.
The standard imperial poker-card measurement is 2.5 by 3.5 inches. Converting those dimensions directly produces 63.5 by 88.9 mm.
However, Magic cards and many TCG-oriented card products are commonly described as 63 by 88 mm. Dragon Shield identifies 63 by 88 mm as the standard size for Magic, Pokémon, Flesh and Blood, and other Western trading card games. ProxyKing’s existing Magic card size guide also uses 63 by 88 mm.
Commercial card printers may offer both:
- Standard poker or TCG size: 63 × 88 mm
- Traditional poker size: 63.5 × 88.9 mm
MakePlayingCards, for example, lists separate products for those two finished dimensions.
The difference is small, but it is not meaningless. A card that is half a millimeter wider and nearly a millimeter taller can fit more tightly in perfect-fit sleeves and may sit slightly proud of other cards in a mixed deck.
The Practical Rule
Use 63 by 88 mm when the printer calls for a standard TCG or MTG-size card.
Use 63.5 by 88.9 mm when the printer specifically calls for traditional poker size.
Do not design at one size and silently rescale to the other during export. That changes border widths, safe margins, and the final crop.
What Pixel Dimensions Should an MTG Proxy Use?
Pixel dimensions depend on physical size and print resolution.
For a nominal 2.5 by 3.5-inch card:
| Resolution | Trim-Size Pixels |
|---|---|
| 150 PPI | 375 × 525 px |
| 300 PPI | 750 × 1,050 px |
| 600 PPI | 1,500 × 2,100 px |
| 1,200 PPI | 3,000 × 4,200 px |
Three hundred PPI is the normal minimum for professional card printing. MakePlayingCards specifies a minimum of 300 DPI, while PrintNinja also recommends 300 DPI at final print size for sharp text and line art.
A 750 by 1,050-pixel image covers the nominal trim area only. Most professional printers require additional pixels for bleed.
With 0.125 inches of bleed on every side, the full design area becomes approximately 2.75 by 3.75 inches. At 300 PPI, that works out to roughly 825 by 1,125 pixels.
Some printer templates use slightly different values. MakePlayingCards lists 822 by 1,122 pixels for its traditional poker card upload because its production template accounts for the exact dimensions and trimming area used by that product.
Do not “correct” a supplied template because an online calculator produced a slightly different number. The printer knows where its own cutting die is supposed to go. One hopes.
What Is Bleed?
Bleed is extra artwork that extends beyond the finished edge of the card.
During production, cards are printed on larger sheets and cut down to final size. The cut can move slightly in any direction. Without bleed, a tiny shift may expose a white line along an edge.
A common professional setup adds 0.125 inches, or about 3 mm, of bleed on every side. MakePlayingCards and PrintNinja both use that general recommendation.
Background artwork, textures, full-art illustrations, and border colors should continue through the bleed area.
Do not stretch the entire card layout outward to fill the bleed. Extend the background while leaving the title, rules text, mana cost, and other functional elements in their intended positions.
What Is the Safe Zone?
The safe zone is the area inside the trim line where critical information should remain.
A common recommendation is to keep important content at least 0.125 inches, or approximately 3 mm, inside the finished edge.
Keep these elements safely inside:
- Card name
- Mana cost
- Type line
- Rules text
- Power and toughness
- Loyalty values
- Artist credit
- Proxy or playtest disclosure
- Any frame element that must remain visually even
Thin decorative borders are particularly unforgiving. A tiny cutting shift that nobody would notice on a full-bleed card becomes obvious when one border edge is thicker than the other three.
This is why borderless cards are often easier to print cleanly than cards surrounded by a 1 mm frame designed by someone feeling optimistic about machinery.
What Corner Radius Do MTG Cards Use?
A standard trading card generally uses a corner radius of approximately 3 to 3.5 mm, close to 1/8 inch. PrintNinja identifies 1/8 inch as the common industry standard for playing cards.
The radius affects:
- How the card enters a sleeve
- Edge and corner wear
- Shuffle feel
- Whether the card visually matches the rest of the deck
- How easily corners catch or split
Do Not Add Rounded Corners to the Artwork
Submit a rectangular image that extends through the bleed area unless the printer’s template says otherwise.
The printer’s die creates the physical rounded corner. Adding transparent or white rounded corners to the image can produce pale wedges or uneven edges if the cut shifts.
The design should survive the full cutting tolerance. The die handles the geometry.
How Thick Is an MTG Card?
A standard nonfoil trading card is usually around 0.30 mm thick, although the exact caliper can vary by stock, coating, production facility, print run, humidity, and finish.
Commercial playing-card stock is commonly described as approximately 300 to 310 GSM and 11 to 12 points thick. PrintNinja uses that range for standard playing cards.
Twelve-point stock is approximately 0.012 inches, or 0.305 mm, thick. Eleven-point stock is approximately 0.279 mm.
A useful target for a professionally printed MTG proxy is therefore:
- Approximately 0.28 to 0.31 mm finished thickness
- Consistent thickness across the entire batch
- Enough stiffness to avoid feeling flimsy
- Enough flexibility to shuffle normally
- No obvious difference once sleeved
Exact duplication of one authentic card is less important than consistency across the deck. Authentic Magic cards themselves can vary slightly between printers, sets, finishes, and foil constructions.
GSM and Thickness Are Not the Same Measurement
GSM means grams per square meter. It measures the mass of the paper, not its thickness.
Two stocks can both be rated at 310 GSM while having different calipers because their fibers, coatings, compression, and core materials differ.
This means:
- 310 GSM does not automatically equal 0.31 mm.
- A heavier stock is not always thicker.
- A thicker stock is not always stiffer.
- Coating can change surface feel without greatly changing GSM.
- Linen and smooth stocks can shuffle differently at similar weights.
Ask a printer for both stock weight and finished caliper when exact physical consistency matters.
Why Black-Core Cardstock Matters
Professional playing cards are commonly made from layered stock with an opaque core between the printed face and back.
A black core reduces light transmission and helps prevent the opposite side from showing through. MakePlayingCards describes its S33 stock as two paper layers surrounding a black opaque adhesive core.
Black-core stock can improve:
- Opacity
- Stiffness and snap
- Perceived durability
- Two-sided printing
- Consistency in opaque and lightly colored sleeves
Both ProxyMTG and PrintMTG state that they use S33 German black-core playing-card stock for their MTG proxy printing. ProxyMTG also applies a UV-coated finish and precision die-cuts the cards.
Black core does not make a proxy authentic, nor should that be the objective. It simply makes a better playing card.
What Finish Should MTG Proxies Have?
Common finishes include:
- Smooth matte
- Satin
- Gloss
- UV coating
- Linen texture
- Aqueous or varnished coatings
- Foil laminates
For sleeved Commander play, a smooth matte, satin, or light UV-coated finish is generally practical. These finishes protect the print while avoiding excessive texture.
A very glossy card may produce glare under overhead lights or a SpellTable camera. An aggressively textured linen stock can feel good as a standalone playing card but noticeably different when mixed with smooth authentic cards.
The sleeve does most of the handling work. The card finish still matters, but consistency matters more.
ProxyKing’s high-quality MTG proxy checklist recommends judging cards by print clarity, surface feel, size consistency, clean cutting, and shuffle performance rather than by how closely they might fool someone.
That is the correct standard. A proxy should play well and remain clearly identifiable as a proxy on inspection.
What Sleeve Size Fits MTG Proxy Cards?
Standard MTG cards use standard-size trading card sleeves.
Ultra PRO lists its standard sleeves at 66 by 91 mm and identifies them as suitable for Magic: The Gathering and other standard trading card games.
A typical sleeve setup is:
| Sleeve Type | Common Size |
|---|---|
| Perfect-fit inner sleeve | About 64 × 89 mm |
| Standard outer sleeve | About 66 × 91 mm |
| Japanese-size sleeve | About 62 × 89 mm |
Do not use Japanese-size sleeves for MTG cards. Those are intended for smaller games such as Yu-Gi-Oh.
Perfect-fit sleeves leave very little tolerance. A card trimmed to 63.5 by 88.9 mm may fit more tightly than one trimmed to 63 by 88 mm. Test the printer’s card size with the intended inner sleeve before ordering hundreds of cards.
Outer sleeves are more forgiving, but the full deck should still use one sleeve brand, style, and color.
Mixing Proxies With Authentic Cards
A mixed deck creates an additional requirement: no card should be identifiable while hidden.
Use opaque sleeves and check that proxy cards do not differ noticeably in:
- Height
- Width
- Thickness
- Corner radius
- Surface texture
- Curl
- Edge color
- Sleeve fit
ProxyKing’s guide to MTG proxies for Cube recommends identical opaque outer sleeves and consistent card thickness whenever proxies and authentic cards share a hidden library.
The same principle applies to Commander. Accidental marked cards are still marked cards, even when nobody intended anything sinister.
Printing MTG Proxies at Home
Home-printed proxy inserts do not need to imitate full playing-card stock.
The simplest method is:
- Print the card face on ordinary paper.
- Cut it slightly smaller than the backing card.
- Place it in front of a basic land or bulk common.
- Use an opaque sleeve.
- Repeat the same method for every proxy in the deck.
The backing card supplies the thickness and stiffness. The paper supplies the readable face.
Printing a paper image on thick 300 GSM cardstock and then placing it in front of another card usually creates an unnecessarily bulky result. The deck begins to resemble a small upholstered object.
For temporary testing, uniform paper inserts are often more practical than trying to manufacture finished cards with a home printer and hand cutter.
RGB or CMYK?
Follow the printer’s requested color workflow.
MakePlayingCards accepts both RGB and CMYK image files. PrintNinja recommends CMYK because RGB artwork will otherwise be converted during production, which can shift saturated colors.
The correct approach is not to convert every image to CMYK automatically. A careless conversion can damage dark areas, flatten bright colors, or produce unexpected blacks.
Instead:
- Download the printer’s color profile when available.
- Use the requested file mode.
- Keep a high-resolution master copy.
- Avoid repeatedly saving JPEG files.
- Order a sample before a large color-sensitive project.
- Expect screens and printed cards to differ slightly.
Monitors emit light. Printed cards reflect it. They were never going to look perfectly identical, despite everyone’s best efforts and several stern calibration menus.
Recommended MTG Proxy Print File
For a generic 2.5 by 3.5-inch card using 0.125-inch bleed, a practical starting file is:
- Document size: 2.75 × 3.75 inches
- Resolution: 300 PPI minimum
- Pixel size: Approximately 825 × 1,125 pixels
- Trim area: 2.5 × 3.5 inches
- Bleed: 0.125 inches on every side
- Safe zone: At least 0.125 inches inside trim
- Corner radius: Applied by the printer, approximately 3 to 3.5 mm
- Color mode: Whatever the printer requests
- Export: High-quality PNG, TIFF, PDF, or maximum-quality JPEG
Use this only when a printer has not supplied a dedicated template. A service-specific template takes priority.
Final MTG Proxy Printing Checklist
Before submitting a custom card file, confirm:
- The document uses the printer’s exact finished dimensions.
- The artwork extends through the full bleed area.
- No important text enters the safe zone.
- The file is at least 300 PPI at final size.
- Small text remains readable at normal card size.
- Thin borders can tolerate slight cutting movement.
- Rounded corners have not been added as white or transparent artwork.
- The selected cardstock is appropriate for playing cards.
- Finished thickness will remain consistent across the deck.
- The cards fit the intended inner and outer sleeves.
- The back or disclosure makes it clear that the card is a proxy.
- The printer’s template has not been resized during export.
Technical perfection is useful. Technical consistency is essential.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the exact size of an MTG card?
MTG cards are commonly measured at approximately 63 by 88 mm. The broader traditional poker-card measurement is 2.5 by 3.5 inches, or 63.5 by 88.9 mm. Use the exact dimensions required by the printer.
What resolution should an MTG proxy be?
Use at least 300 PPI at the final physical size. A nominal 2.5 by 3.5-inch trim area equals 750 by 1,050 pixels at 300 PPI.
What size should an MTG proxy file be with bleed?
With 0.125 inches of bleed on all four sides, a common file size is approximately 2.75 by 3.75 inches, or 825 by 1,125 pixels at 300 PPI. Printer templates may differ slightly.
What GSM is closest to an MTG card?
Professional trading cards commonly use approximately 300 to 310 GSM stock. Stock construction and finished caliper matter as much as GSM, so do not select material by weight alone.
How thick should an MTG proxy be?
A useful target is approximately 0.28 to 0.31 mm, or around 11 to 12 points. Foils, coatings, and different stocks can vary.
What corner radius should an MTG proxy use?
Approximately 3 to 3.5 mm is a normal target. The printing company should apply the radius during die cutting.
Will MTG proxies fit normal card sleeves?
Properly trimmed MTG proxies fit standard-size sleeves, commonly 66 by 91 mm. Perfect-fit inner sleeves are usually around 64 by 89 mm and provide less tolerance for oversized cards.
Is 72 DPI good enough for MTG proxy printing?
No. A 72 DPI image will normally produce soft artwork and difficult-to-read text at card size. Use at least 300 PPI at the final printed dimensions.