How Our Playtest Printing Works
We started offering playtest cards to test decks before spending money on the real cards - no point buying a full playset of a card that might not even make the final cut. They're also handy for kitchen-table games, where running a banned or out-of-print card, or just keeping costs down for a casual playgroup, matters more than tournament legality. Along the way, designing and playing with custom cards turned into a genuine passion of ours - and we started this business to share that passion with you. We've spent countless hours testing print processes, papers, vinyls, formats and finishes to land on a design and production process that delivers genuinely professional results, card after card.
From decklist to doorstep
Paste your decklist
One card per line - plain names work, or specify an exact printing to pick that art.
Pick your art
Every card defaults to its most iconic printing - change any of them from a dropdown of every version we can find.
Choose your tier
Free digital PDF you print at home, or non-foil/foil printed and shipped by us.
Print formatting
A4 or US Letter, with optional bleed, crop marks, or a cut-guide outline for craft cutters.
The three tiers
Digital Print at Home - a free, print-ready 300 DPI PDF. Same layout and art selection as the paid tiers, you just supply the paper and the cutting.
Printed By Us - Non-Foil - High quality professional printing on matte vinyl, adhered to genuine 310gsm black-core card stock, black-core for a light-blocking edge, feel and snap like the real thing. Printed at 1200+ DPI, four times sharper than the free digital PDF, for crisp text and artwork with no visible dot pattern. Back of the cards will be printed with our custom MTG matte back design unless requested otherwise.
Printed By Us - Premium Foil - Highest quality professional printing on top-end holographic vinyl, adhered to genuine 310gsm black-core card stock, black-core for a light-blocking edge, feel and snap like the real thing. Printed at 1200+ DPI, four times sharper than the free digital PDF, for crisp text and artwork with no visible dot pattern. Back of the cards will be printed with our custom MTG matte back design unless requested otherwise.
What is black-core card stock?
Every printed card is really three layers pressed together: a printed front sheet, a solid black inner layer, and a printed back sheet. That black middle layer is what gives a proper trading card its weight and snap - and it's the reason you can't hold a card up to a light and see the other side through it.
Without it, thinner card stock lets a hint of the front's artwork or colour show through on the back (printers call this "ghosting"), and the cut edges show a papery white line instead of a clean, uniform edge. Black-core avoids both - proper opacity so nothing bleeds through, and a crisp dark edge when the sheet is cut down to card size, exactly like the genuine product on your table.
Our printed tiers (non-foil and foil) both use black-core stock for exactly this reason - it's the same construction genuine cards use, so ours feel, shuffle, and look right at the table.
Card backs
Every playtest card we print carries our own custom-designed card back on the reverse - never a copy of the official Magic: The Gathering back - so there's no chance a playtest card could be mistaken for, or passed off as, a genuine card. Want something different? We can print an alternative back to your own design on request, subject to approval.
Our custom card back design (click to enlarge)
See them in hand
Digital tier - printed at home
Non-foil tier, close up
Foil tier, catching the light
A finished playset, cut and ready
Card back and edge detail
Sleeved and ready for the table
Watch the process
Add a YouTube/Vimeo embed link to VIDEO_EMBED_URL in this page to show a video here.
Custom Playtest Cards Disclaimer
Our custom printed cards are independently produced tabletop accessories intended for casual playtesting, game design, collecting, and creative use.
They are not official trading cards, are not manufactured by or affiliated with Wizards of the Coast, Pokémon, or any other trading card game publisher, and are not intended to replace authentic cards or be used as genuine tournament-legal game pieces.
All custom printed cards feature our own distinctive card backs and design elements that clearly differentiate them from officially produced trading cards. They should not be represented as authentic, official, or manufacturer-produced products.
Customers ordering personalised products are responsible for ensuring that submitted artwork, designs, names, and other materials do not infringe third-party intellectual property rights. By submitting custom artwork, customers confirm they have the necessary rights or permissions to use those materials.
Our service focuses on creating personalised tabletop accessories and playtest materials for hobbyists, collectors, and gaming communities.
Questions?
Turnaround times, tournament legality, and more are covered on the FAQ & Shipping page. Ready to go? Start your decklist.