- Trading card makers compared
- Ten trading card makers to consider
- Which card maker fits what you're making
- There's no safe amount of someone else's card art
- Card designer, card printer or fan app?
- Six things to decide before you design a card
- Signs you're ready to order a printed set
- My plain advice on making custom trading cards
- Frequently asked questions
A trading card maker lets you put your own photo, stats and artwork onto a card, then print it or share it. Some are online designers for sports cards, some are printers for your own card game and some are phone apps for fan-made cards. Ten options follow in no particular order.
A rookie card of your daughter after her first season. A deck for the card game you've been sketching for months. A set of fan cards for a birthday party. People reach for a trading card maker for very different reasons.
The ten tools below cover online sports card designers, specialist card printers and iPhone and Android apps. They're listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the vendor's own website or store listing, read this week. If you're turning cards into a side income, read my honest look at selling printables first.
Trading card makers compared
I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website or store listing, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the page says the tool, or a plan, account or version of it, is free. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| BoardGamesMaker | Custom card and game printer | Printing cards for your own game | Not stated |
| MakePlayingCards | Custom card printing company | Printed decks on a choice of stocks | Not stated |
| MyTradingCards | Online trading card maker and printer | Sports cards in vintage styles | Yes |
| Nations Photo Lab | Photo lab with custom sports cards | Team photos printed as cards | Not stated |
| PokeArt | iPhone and iPad fan card app | Fan-made monster battle cards | Yes |
| PrinterStudio | Personalised printing service | Trader cards alongside other photo gifts | Not stated |
| Rookies | iPhone baseball card app | Front and back baseball cards on a phone | Yes |
| Simple Trading Card Maker | Android trading card app | Making cards on an Android phone | Not stated |
| Snapshot | Custom sports card creator and printer | Rookie-style cards from one photo | Yes |
| Yu-Gi-Oh Card Maker | Community fan card maker | Fan cards in a community forum | Not stated |
Ten trading card makers to consider
BoardGamesMaker
Best for: Game designers who want their own trading card game printed in custom sizes and shapes, with plastic or tin options.
MakePlayingCards
Best for: Indie game makers who want custom printed decks and a choice of 13 card stocks, including plastic.
MyTradingCards
Best for: Coaches and parents who want baseball, football or soccer cards in classic and vintage styles, designed online.
Nations Photo Lab
Best for: Teams and parents who want a lab to print custom baseball and sports trading cards from their photos.
PokeArt
Best for: Collectors who want to make fan-made, Pokemon-style cards on an iPhone or iPad from hundreds of card backgrounds.
PrinterStudio
Best for: Gift buyers who want trader cards printed alongside other personalised photo gifts from the same order.
Rookies
Best for: Baseball parents who want an iPhone app with front and back card templates they can create and then have printed.
Simple Trading Card Maker
Best for: Kids and hobbyists who want to add text, a background and a picture to make a card on an Android device.
Snapshot
Best for: Families who want to upload a photo, preview the design and order printed sports cards in a magnetic case.
Yu-Gi-Oh Card Maker
Best for: Fans who want to make fan-style cards and share them in a community with forums and a leaderboard.
Which card maker fits what you're making
- Sports cards for a team or a child: MyTradingCards, Nations Photo Lab or Snapshot.
- A baseball card app on an iPhone: Rookies.
- Printing your own card game: BoardGamesMaker or MakePlayingCards.
- Fan-made monster battle cards: PokeArt or Yu-Gi-Oh Card Maker.
- Cards on an Android phone: Simple Trading Card Maker.
- Trader cards with other photo gifts: PrinterStudio.
There's no safe amount of someone else's card art
The U.S. Copyright Office says there is no specific number of words, musical notes or percentage of a work that you can use safely without permission. Whether a use counts as fair use depends on all the circumstances.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
That matters for fan cards. Lots of people assume that changing the stats or using a small piece of official artwork keeps them safe, and there's no such rule. Fan cards you keep at home are one thing. If you plan to sell cards or a whole game, use your own photos and original art, and keep other companies' characters, logos and card frames off them.
Card designer, card printer or fan app?
An online card designer gives you templates for sports and collectible cards, and usually sells you the printed version at the end.
A card printer is for people who already have artwork, such as game designers testing a new deck, and it focuses on stock, size and finish.
A fan app is the quickest route to a card that looks like a famous game's, and it's for fun rather than for anything you'll sell.
Six things to decide before you design a card
- Is this a one-off gift or a full set?
- Will you print it at home or order it?
- What size and shape do you need?
- What goes on the back?
- Do you own every photo and piece of art on it?
- Will you sell or give away the cards?
Signs you're ready to order a printed set
- The proof reads well at full size. Check small text.
- Every image is yours. Or you have permission.
- The backs match. Same layout on every card.
- You've ordered one sample. Colours change in print.
Do you make trading card tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on making custom trading cards
Decide whether you're making a keepsake or a product before you pick a tool. A keepsake can be as playful as you like. A product needs original art, a clear back design and a printer that can repeat the job when you need another batch.
If your cards are for a family game rather than collecting, my list of card games for two players has rules you can borrow and adapt.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make my own trading cards for free?
Yes. Several online makers let you design a card for free and only charge if you order printed copies.
Can I make my own Pokemon-style cards?
You can make fan cards for fun. Selling cards that use another company's characters or artwork is a copyright risk.
What size is a trading card?
Most sports and collectible cards use one standard size, but printers offer others, so check the template before you design.
Can I print trading cards at home?
Yes, on thick card stock, though a specialist printer gives a sturdier finish and rounded corners.
What should go on the back of a trading card?
Usually stats, a short bio or game rules, plus a number if the card is part of a set.
Can I make cards for my own card game?
Yes. Specialist printers will print a full deck from your own artwork in a choice of stocks.
