Can I order a custom card as a gift without the recipient knowing?

Absolutely. At checkout, you can enter any US shipping address as the destination, so the card ships directly to the recipient. The magnetic case that comes with every order makes the card feel like a finished, gift-ready product even without additional wrapping. Many customers ordering for parents, grandparents, or coaches ship directly to those addresses and include a note in the order comments. Because the turnaround is two to three business days, you can plan a last-minute gift without the anxiety of not knowing whether it'll arrive on time. Check current delivery estimates at checkout based on your recipient's location.

What if I'm not happy with how my card looks when it arrives?

Snapshot stands behind the quality of what it ships. If your card arrives damaged, misprinted, or materially different from what the preview showed, contact the Snapshot team directly through the website. Because production happens in-house in Des Moines, resolving quality issues is faster and more straightforward than it would be with a company using third-party printers. The best way to avoid disappointment is to review the digital preview carefully before confirming your order and to make sure your uploaded image meets the resolution recommendations for the size you're ordering. The preview is an accurate representation of the final printed product.

Sports Photography by Dave Madsen, Printed as Custom Cards

Name: sports photography by dave madsen
Brand: Snapshot
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (850 reviews)

Dave Madsen's photos stop you mid-scroll. Now they can stop someone mid-hand as a custom trading card.

View Templates

60 sec

Design Time

3-5 days

Shipping

2-3

Day Shipping

Custom trading card made from sports photography by Dave Madsen printed on premium card stock

Great sports photography deserves more than a folder on a hard drive or a social media post that disappears in 48 hours. If you've been following sports photography by Dave Madsen — or you're the athlete or family member in those frames — you know how much those images capture. The expression after a big play, the motion blur of a full sprint, the raw emotion of a championship moment. Keeping that image locked in a phone gallery doesn't do it justice. Printing it on flimsy photo paper isn't much better. The photo deserves a format built for permanence and pride.

Snapshot turns any high-resolution photo — including sports photography by Dave Madsen — into a professionally printed custom trading card, shipped to your door in two to three business days. You upload the image, choose from a library of pro-style sports card templates, and we handle everything else. Cards arrive printed on premium card stock, packaged in a protective magnetic case at no extra charge. Free shipping anywhere in the USA. It's the most satisfying way to hold a great sports photo in your hands.

Here's exactly how the process works, what it costs, and how to get the most out of your order.

Snapshot by the Numbers

Single Card Price: $17.99
Pack Price Range: Up to $49.99
MEGA Poster Card: $49.99 — 11" × 15"
Production Turnaround: 2–3 business days
Shipping Cost: Free to all US addresses
Included With Every Order: Magnetic protective case
Made In: Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Your Card's Journey From Upload to Your Hands

Day 0 — Order Placed

You upload your sports photo, customize the template, and complete checkout. Your file enters the production queue immediately after payment confirmation.

Day 1 — Production Begins

The Snapshot team in Des Moines reviews your file, confirms print-readiness, and runs your card on professional printing equipment. Your magnetic case is pulled and prepped at the same time.

Day 2 — Card Printed and Packaged

Your finished card is inspected, inserted into its magnetic case, and sealed in protective packaging. Orders placed early in the day are often ready to ship the same afternoon.

Day 2–3 — Shipped Free

Your order ships from Des Moines with free domestic shipping. Depending on your location, most US customers receive their card within one to two days of the ship date.

Why Custom Cards Are the Right Format for This Photography

A trading card is a purpose-built display format for a single, powerful image. It's a format people instinctively know how to handle, share, and keep.

A Format Built for Longevity

Trading cards are meant to last decades. Printed on premium card stock and stored in a magnetic case, your card won't yellow, curl, or fade the way standard photo prints do. This is the format collectors trust, and it works just as well for a personal keepsake as it does for a collector's binder.

Instant Recognition and Emotional Impact

Hand someone a trading card of themselves and the reaction is immediate. It's a format they've seen their whole lives on the cards of professional athletes. Holding one with their own face on it — captured by a skilled sports photographer — creates a reaction that a framed photo or a phone screensaver simply can't match.

Flexible Sizing for Every Budget

Standard cards fit in a wallet, a card sleeve, or a display case. The MEGA 11-by-15-inch poster card turns a single standout photo into a wall-worthy display piece. Both sizes start from the same upload, so you can order multiple formats from one great image without re-uploading or re-customizing anything.

Made in the USA, Shipped Fast

Snapshot produces every card in Des Moines, Iowa. There's no overseas manufacturing delay or mystery about where your card is coming from. The two-to-three-day turnaround is real, and free shipping applies to every domestic order regardless of order size or how many cards you include.

How to Turn Sports Photography by Dave Madsen Into a Custom Trading Card

The ordering process is straightforward — three steps from photo to finished card. Most customers complete their order in under ten minutes.

Upload Your Photo

Go to Snapshot's website and upload the sports photo you want to use. High-resolution images produce the sharpest results, so pull the best-quality file you have. Sports photography by Dave Madsen is typically shot in high resolution, which means you're already starting with excellent raw material. The uploader accepts all standard image formats and gives you an instant preview.

Choose Your Card Template

Pick from Snapshot's library of pro-style trading card templates. Templates are designed to mirror the look of professional sports cards — bold borders, stat panels, jersey number placeholders, and clean typography. You can customize the name field, position, number, and other text elements right in the builder. The template does the design heavy lifting so you don't need any graphic design experience.

Place Your Order and Wait Two to Three Days

Once your card looks right, add it to your cart and check out. Every order ships free within the USA. Cards are printed on professional card stock at Snapshot's production facility in Des Moines, Iowa, and each card arrives protected inside a complimentary magnetic case. Standard turnaround is two to three business days from the time your order is confirmed.

That's it. No design software, no minimum quantities, no waiting weeks for a print run to finish.

Why Customers Keep Coming Back to Snapshot

Snapshot ships custom cards to customers in all 50 states every week. The combination of fast turnaround, professional print quality, and the included magnetic case has made it the go-to option for families, athletes, and photography enthusiasts who want something more substantial than a standard photo print. Repeat orders — often from families ordering for multiple relatives or athletes ordering several cards from the same session — are among the most common order patterns in the catalog.

Who's Ordering Cards From Sports Photography by Dave Madsen?

The range of people ordering custom cards is broader than you might expect. Here are the three most common personal use scenarios we see.

Athletes Keeping a Record of Their Career

A student athlete who had their game photographed by a professional photographer doesn't get that kind of documentation often. A custom card made from one of those shots becomes a milestone marker — something to keep in a memory box, give to grandparents, or frame alongside a jersey. Years from now, that card is going to carry more meaning than any Instagram post from the same day. It's a personal archive in a format that holds up.

Parents and Families Celebrating a Big Moment

Parents who were at the game when the photo was taken feel the moment differently than anyone else. Ordering a custom card from that shot — and giving it to the athlete, a coach, or a grandparent — is a thoughtful, specific gift. It says you paid attention. The magnetic case that ships with every Snapshot card means the recipient can display it the same day it arrives without buying anything extra.

Photography Fans Celebrating the Work Itself

Some people ordering cards aren't the subject of the photo at all — they're fans of the photographer's work. If sports photography by Dave Madsen has produced an image that genuinely moves you, turning it into a card format is a way to honor that craft. It's a collector's instinct applied to photography rather than the sport itself, and it produces something genuinely displayable and shareable.

Snapshot Card Pricing: What You'll Pay and What You'll Get

Snapshot keeps pricing simple. There are no design fees, no setup charges, and no surprise costs at checkout.

A single custom card starts at $17.99. Card packs are available up to $49.99 depending on quantity. The MEGA 11-by-15-inch oversized poster card is $49.99 and turns any standout photo into a large-format display piece. Every order includes a free magnetic protective case and ships free to any address in the continental United States.

For under $20, you get a professionally printed card on premium card stock, a protective magnetic case, and free shipping — all produced and shipped from Des Moines, Iowa, in two to three business days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use sports photography by Dave Madsen if I don't own the image rights?

This is the most important question to answer before you order. In most cases, a photographer retains copyright to their images unless they've explicitly transferred those rights in writing. If you're the athlete or a family member who purchased a license or received the image directly from Dave Madsen, you're likely clear to use it. If you downloaded it from social media or a website without purchasing a license, you should reach out to the photographer first and ask for permission or a personal use license. Snapshot recommends that customers confirm they have the right to print any image they upload before placing an order.

What image resolution do I need for a sharp custom card?

For a standard trading card size, you'll want an image that's at least 1000 pixels on the shortest side, though higher is always better. Professional sports photography is typically shot at resolutions well above that threshold, so images from a professional session should print cleanly without any quality loss. If you're unsure, Snapshot's uploader provides a preview that will flag images that are too low-resolution to print well at your selected size. The MEGA poster card requires a higher-resolution file than the standard card, so check the preview carefully if you're ordering the larger format.

How long does it actually take to receive my card after ordering?

Snapshot's standard production and shipping timeline is two to three business days from order confirmation. That clock starts once your payment is processed and your file is confirmed ready for print. Business days means Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays. If you place your order on a Friday afternoon, production typically begins the following Monday. Shipping is included at no additional cost for all US addresses, and most customers receive their cards within three to four calendar days of ordering. Expedited options may be available — check the site at checkout for current availability.

What's included with every Snapshot order?

Every single Snapshot order — regardless of card size or quantity — includes a free magnetic protective case. This is a rigid, two-piece case that snaps shut around the card and protects it from bending, scratching, and humidity. It's the same style of case collectors use for high-value sports cards. You don't need to add it to your cart or pay extra for it. Cards also ship with protective packaging to ensure they arrive flat and undamaged. Free shipping to any US address is included on every order with no minimum purchase required.

Can I order multiple cards from the same photo or different photos in one order?

Yes, and many customers do exactly that. You can build a cart that includes multiple cards from the same image — useful if you want to give them as gifts to several people — or mix and match cards made from different photos. The card builder lets you save your work so you can create several designs in one session before checking out. Packs are available and priced up to $49.99, which makes multi-card orders more economical than buying individual cards one at a time. There's no limit on how many cards you can include in a single order.

Does Snapshot offer the MEGA poster card for any sport or photo type?

The MEGA 11-by-15-inch poster card is available for any photo you upload — it's not limited to a specific sport or subject type. It works especially well for action shots where you want to see the detail in the athlete's expression or the motion in the image. Because of the larger print area, image quality matters more at this size than it does for a standard card. A high-resolution sports photo taken by a professional photographer is an ideal candidate for the MEGA format. At $49.99, it's the flagship product in the Snapshot lineup and makes an impressive display piece.

What card templates are available, and can I customize the text on them?

Snapshot's template library is designed to mirror the look and feel of professional sports cards across multiple styles — from clean modern layouts to bold, vintage-inspired designs with textured borders. Most templates allow you to customize the name field, number, position, and sometimes additional stat or team fields directly in the card builder. You don't need to know anything about graphic design to use the builder — the customization options are point-and-click. If you have a specific look in mind, browse the template library before uploading your photo so you can choose the layout that frames your image best.

Is Snapshot's printing actually done in the USA?

Yes. Every card is printed at Snapshot's production facility in Des Moines, Iowa. This isn't a fulfillment situation where orders are routed overseas or to a third-party print lab in another country. The domestic production model is one of the reasons Snapshot can reliably hit a two-to-three-day turnaround — there's no international shipping delay in the production chain. It also means quality control happens in-house. If something goes wrong with your order, you're dealing with the same team that printed the card, not a middleman trying to coordinate with a facility they don't directly manage.

Example Card Designs

See what's possible with our templates

View All Templates →

Snapshot custom sports card in magnetic protective case showing athlete action photo detail

Who's Ordering Cards From Sports Photography by Dave Madsen?

Ready to Print Sports Photography by Dave Madsen as a Custom Card?

Upload your photo right now and see your custom card take shape in the builder. Standard cards start at $17.99, every order ships free in the USA, and your card arrives in two to three business days with a magnetic case included. The photo deserves better than a phone gallery.

No credit card required | Instant preview | Pro-quality designs

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