DnD Cards, Separated From the Myths: What You're Actually Getting

You can use fan art as long as you have permission from the artist, since commissioned or gifted artwork typically comes with usage rights for personal projects like this. Many players commission a piece specifically for their character and already have the rights sorted out before they come to us. If you're using art you found online without knowing the source, that's a riskier situation, and we'd encourage tracking down the original creator first. A lot of TTRPG artists are happy to grant personal-use permission if you ask directly, especially for something as low-stakes as a keepsake card for your own table. We're not able to verify licensing on every submission, so the responsibility sits with you as the person ordering. If in doubt, commissioning original art or using your own sketches avoids the question entirely. Either way, a clear, well-lit image file gets you the best print result regardless of who drew it.

Most orders print and ship within 2-3 days from the point you approve your design, and that timeline has stayed consistent regardless of order volume. Shipping time on top of that depends on your location within the USA, but it's typically a matter of a few additional days through standard delivery. So realistically, you're looking at under a week from order to unboxing for most addresses. If you're ordering for a specific date — a birthday, a campaign milestone session, a holiday gift — we'd suggest ordering at least ten days out to build in a buffer. Rush situations happen, and while we move fast, we can't guarantee overnight delivery on standard orders. The 2-3 day production window is genuinely one of our differentiators against other custom card shops, some of which quote two to three weeks before anything even prints. We built our process around speed because campaigns and gift deadlines don't wait.

Higher resolution always prints cleaner, so aim for the largest, clearest version of your image that you have access to. A phone photo taken in good lighting works fine, but a screenshot pulled from a small chat window or a heavily compressed social media download will show pixelation once it's scaled up to card size. If your character art comes from a commissioned artist, ask them for the original file rather than a watermarked preview or a downsized web version. For hand-drawn sketches, photographing them in natural daylight without heavy shadows gives us the cleanest base to work with. We can often work with imperfect images, but sharp edges and accurate color start with what you send us. If you're unsure whether your file will hold up, a good rule of thumb is checking if it looks sharp at full size on a computer screen before you upload it.

Yes, most of our templates include customizable text fields originally designed for stat lines and player names on sports cards, and those adapt naturally to character names, classes, levels, or a signature quote. You're not limited to just an image with no context — the whole point of the template system is layering information around the art the way a real trading card does. Some players go simple with just a name and class, while others pack in HP, alignment, or a favorite one-liner from a memorable session. There's flexibility in how much text you include, so it's really about your own preference and how cluttered or clean you want the final look. If you're ordering a set for a whole party, keeping a consistent format across cards — same placement for name and class, for example — tends to look more cohesive than varying it card to card.

You can order just one single card for $17.99, with no minimum quantity required, which is actually one of the more common order types we see. Not everyone wants a whole party set or a stack of NPCs — plenty of players just want their own main character immortalized on a single card. That said, packs exist for good reason if you're covering a full party, a rotating cast of NPCs, or gifting cards to everyone at your table at once. Pack pricing runs up to $49.99 depending on quantity, which works out to real savings per card compared to ordering singles repeatedly. If you're not sure whether you'll want more later, starting with one card is a low-commitment way to see the quality before committing to a bigger order. There's no subscription, no recurring charge, and no pressure to order more than you actually want.

The MEGA card is an 11"×15" poster-sized print, priced at $49.99, and it's built for moments that deserve more visual real estate than a standard card size allows. Think a full-party group portrait after a big campaign arc, a detailed rendering of a legendary item, or a sprawling battle map moment your group wants framed. Because it's significantly larger than a standard card, detail that would get lost at trading-card size actually reads clearly — faces, background elements, and text all have room to breathe. Groups often split the cost when it's a party piece rather than an individual character card, which brings the per-person cost down close to what a single standard card would run anyway. It's not the right call for a quick individual character keepsake, but for a campaign-ending centerpiece or a gift to the whole table, it's genuinely the better format. We ship it the same 2-3 day window as standard cards, with free shipping included.

Yes, you'll see your layout with your uploaded image and text before we send anything to print, so you're not ordering blind. This step exists specifically because custom orders are personal — a misspelled character name or a cropped-out sword hilt is the kind of mistake that's frustrating to catch after the fact. Take the extra minute to zoom in on the proof and check spelling, alignment, and how the image sits within the template borders. If something looks off, you can typically adjust before finalizing rather than after printing has started. Once you approve and production begins, changes aren't possible, since the print run starts almost immediately to keep our 2-3 day turnaround intact. That speed is part of the tradeoff — fast production means less window for after-the-fact edits, so the proof stage is where your attention actually matters most.

Not under normal use. The professional card stock we use resists fading, edge wear, and the kind of everyday handling that comes with being passed around a gaming table, tucked into a backpack, or stored in a binder sleeve. Combine that with the free magnetic case included with every order, and you've got a level of protection well beyond what a laminated printout or a card left loose in a drawer would get. That said, no card stock is indestructible — leaving it in direct sunlight for months or exposing it to liquid spills will still cause damage over time, the same as any printed product. For a card that's actively used during sessions rather than kept purely as a display piece, the magnetic case is worth using consistently, since it's the main line of defense against scuffs and bent corners. Most players report their cards holding up well after a year or more of regular use.

Absolutely, and pack pricing is built for exactly that scenario, covering multiple cards up to $49.99 depending on how many you need. Groups often order one card per player, using each person's character art or portrait, and sometimes add an extra card or two for key NPCs or the campaign's central villain. Coordinating one bulk order rather than everyone ordering separately tends to be simpler logistically and often works out cheaper per card. If your group is spread across different cities, we can only ship to one address per order, so you'd want to designate one person to receive and distribute the full set, or place separate orders per address if that's more practical. Either way, there's no cap that prevents ordering a large set, and turnaround stays the same 2-3 day window regardless of order size.

Definitely — the templates aren't locked to any single game system, so anything with a character, a name, and some stats or flavor text translates well to card format. Pathfinder players, homebrew system fans, and even one-shot convention characters have all used the same templates originally built with sports card layouts in mind. The stat-box structure that works for a batting average adapts just as easily to armor class or a custom homebrew resource meter. Really, if you can describe your character in a sentence and you've got an image to go with it, the format works regardless of which rulebook you're using at the table. We've seen everything from classic fantasy parties to sci-fi homebrew campaigns show up as custom cards, and the process doesn't change based on genre or system.

Changes are possible up until you approve the final proof, since that's the point where production actually begins. Once printing starts, we can't make edits, reprint for free, or pause the run, because the fast 2-3 day turnaround depends on moving straight from approval to press. If you catch a mistake within minutes of approving, reach out immediately and we'll do what we can, but there's no guarantee once a print job has started. This is why we'd genuinely recommend taking your time at the proof stage rather than rushing through it — a careful look before approving saves the hassle of reordering later. If you do need a second version after the fact, whether it's a typo fix or a completely different design, you'd place that as a new order at standard pricing.

Yes, and it often lands better than people expect, mainly because most gift recipients have never seen their own character turned into a physical, professional-quality card before. It reads as personal and specific in a way that generic hobby merchandise doesn't, since it requires knowing enough about their character to actually put it together. Pairing it with a short note about why you chose that particular moment or image adds another layer — did you pick the art from their big boss-fight victory, or their character's original design? Timing matters too; birthdays, campaign milestones, or the end of a long-running story arc all work well as reasons to give one. Since production and shipping combined usually land under a week, you've got reasonable flexibility for planning around a specific date without ordering months in advance.