Card Knowledge1 min read

What is the size of a trading card in pixels?

The Snapshot TeamCustom trading card specialistsLast reviewed:

Quick answer

A standard 2.5" x 3.5" trading card is 750 x 1050 pixels at 300 DPI, or 1500 x 2100 at 600 DPI, in a 5:7 ratio. Snapshot prints from a 2.625" x 3.625" bleed area, which is 1181 x 1631 pixels at 450 DPI. For an uploaded design, 1500 x 2100 is ideal and 750 x 1050 the minimum.

Key takeaways

  1. Cut size 2.5" x 3.5" = 750 x 1050 px at 300 DPI, 1500 x 2100 px at 600 DPI.
  2. The aspect ratio is 5:7 (about 0.714) at any resolution.
  3. The print file spans the bleed box: 2.625" x 3.625", 1181 x 1631 px at 450 DPI.
  4. Uploads: 1500 x 2100 px ideal, 750 x 1050 px minimum.

Pixels come from inches times DPI

A trading card is 2.5 inches wide and 3.5 inches tall. Multiply by the print resolution to get pixels: at 300 DPI that is 750 x 1050; at 450 DPI, 1125 x 1575; at 600 DPI, 1500 x 2100. Whatever the resolution, the ratio is 5:7.

The bleed box

Cards are printed slightly larger than the finished size and then trimmed. Snapshot's print area adds 1/16 inch on every side, making a 2.625" x 3.625" bleed box. At its print resolution of 450 DPI, that is a 1181 x 1631 pixel raster.

You do not need to produce that file; the builder renders it. It matters only as the reason to keep important content away from the edges of anything you upload.

What to upload

For a finished design of your own, supply a 5:7 image at 1500 x 2100 pixels for the best result, and no smaller than 750 x 1050. An image at another ratio is stretched to fit the card rather than cropped, so crop to 5:7 first. JPG, PNG, HEIC, and WebP are accepted.

For a photo going into a template, there is no fixed pixel requirement because the builder crops and scales it, but at least 1000 pixels on the short side leaves room to crop without softness.

The MEGA Card

A MEGA Card is 11" x 15.4" in the same 5:7 proportions. Its design is rendered from the same card you built rather than from a separate file, so nothing changes about what you upload.

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Questions

More questions

What resolution is a trading card at 300 DPI?

750 x 1050 pixels for the 2.5" x 3.5" cut size.

What is the aspect ratio of a trading card?

5:7, the same as 2.5 to 3.5. Width divided by height is about 0.714.

What size file should I upload for my own design?

1500 x 2100 pixels at 5:7 is ideal; 750 x 1050 is the minimum. Off-ratio images are stretched, so crop to 5:7 before uploading.

What is the print file size with bleed?

2.625" x 3.625", which at Snapshot's 450 DPI print resolution is 1181 x 1631 pixels. The builder produces this; you do not upload it.