October 21, 2025
Design Your Own Card Sleeves: File Setup Made Simple
Bleed, resolution and where the print actually lands. A five-minute guide to getting sleeve artwork right the first time.
Sleeve printing is unforgiving because the panel is small and the cut has tolerance. Getting the file right takes minutes and saves a reprint.
Add bleed
Extend the artwork past the trim on every side. If your design stops exactly at the edge, a normal cut tolerance leaves a thin unprinted line.
Mind the orientation
Sleeves are tall and narrow. Wide artwork built for a playmat almost always needs a fresh crop rather than a resize.
Keep it readable at actual size
- Print your design at real size on paper before ordering. Fine text usually disappears.
- High contrast survives the matte finish better than subtle tonal work.
- Busy backs can look marked in a shuffled deck. Symmetry helps.
Custom gear printed for Illinois players
Playmats, sleeves, deck boxes, binders and slab labels, all printed from your own artwork with a human resolution check before it goes to press.
