Print Tips
Everything you need to get clean, durable results from a standard home printer. No specialty equipment required.
The Three Things That Matter Most
Print at 100%
Always set your print scale to 100% or “Actual Size.” Never use “Fit to Page” or “Shrink to Fit.” Our files are sized precisely for standard dimensions and scaling will break the layout.
Use Card Stock
Standard copy paper works in a pinch, but 65 lb card stock makes a real difference. Cards hold their shape, resist bending, and feel like a finished product rather than a printout.
Print Grayscale
Our designs are built to work in black and white. Switching your printer to grayscale mode before printing saves your color cartridge without losing any information on the card.
Choosing Paper
Paper weight affects how the finished product feels and how long it lasts. Here is how the common options compare.
| Paper Type | Weight | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Copy Paper | 20 lb / 75 gsm | Drafts, playtesting | Flimsy for cards; fine for character sheets |
| Card Stock | 65 lb / 176 gsm | Spell cards, monster cards | Widely available; feeds reliably in most printers |
| Heavy Card Stock | 80 lb / 216 gsm | Cards you handle every session | Check your printer’s max paper weight before using |
| Photo Paper (Matte) | Varies | Display copies | Not recommended for write-on use; ink can smear |
65 lb card stock is the sweet spot for most home printers. Brands like Neenah, Astrobrights (white), or generic store-brand card stock all work well.
Printer Settings
Set to 100% or “Actual Size.” Disable any automatic scaling, shrinking, or borderless printing options.
Use the highest quality or “Best” setting. Draft mode leaves visible banding on text-heavy cards.
Select Grayscale or Black and White. This routes all output through the black cartridge and produces sharper text than printing in color mode with black ink.
Match the paper type setting to what you loaded. Setting it to “Card Stock” or “Heavy Paper” adjusts feed speed and ink distribution.
Accept orientation from the file rather than overriding it in the printer dialog to avoid cropped margins.
If printing double-sided, do a test run on copy paper first. Alignment shifts between passes vary by printer model.
Cutting Your Cards
All card files include crop marks. Cut along the outer edge of the mark for a clean border, or just inside it for a borderless look.
A guillotine or rotary paper trimmer gives straight, consistent cuts on every card. Fiskars and Dahle make reliable trimmers in the $25 to $50 range.
Faster than scissors for cutting sheets into strips. Pair with a self-healing cutting mat and a metal ruler. Common in quilting supplies.
Sharp scissors work for occasional printing. Edge consistency suffers over a full deck. Use a ruler and light pencil marks to keep cuts straight.
Finishing and Protection
Card Sleeves
Standard card game sleeves (63.5 mm x 88 mm) fit our card designs. Dragon Shield, Ultra Pro, and KMC all make sleeves in this size. Opaque-back sleeves hide any print-through on thinner stock.
Laminating
Use matte laminate pouches rather than glossy. Glossy surfaces create glare under table lighting and are harder to read. A basic Scotch or AmazonBasics pouch laminator handles standard card stock without bubbling.
Self-Laminating Sheets
Peel-and-stick laminating sheets are a no-heat option for character sheets you want to write on repeatedly with dry-erase markers. Apply after cutting, not before.
Storage
Printed cards stored loose in a bag will curl and scuff. Use standard deck boxes, binder pages, or small zip pouches. BCW and Ultra Pro make inexpensive deck boxes sized for standard cards.
Ready to print? Browse the full collection and find something worth putting on card stock.