TLDR
- If you want altered art, custom frames, or themed decks, printing proxies is the lowest-stress path. You get the look without permanently modifying a real card.
- 90% of “my alters look janky” comes down to three boring things: correct size, bleed, and printing at 100% scale.
- For crisp results, build files at 300–600 DPI at final size, export PDF, and keep important text inside a safe zone.
- Sanctioned tournaments are different. Your printed proxies are not allowed. “Proxy” in that context means a judge-issued replacement for a card that becomes unusable during the event.
- If your goal is “looks cool and plays smooth,” optimize for readability first, art second.
The hook: don’t paint on your wallet
At some point every Magic player has the same thought: “What if my commander was full-art, but like… aggressively cooler?”
And then you realize your options are:
- paint a real card (brave, expensive, occasionally tragic), or
- do the smart thing and print an altered proxy you can reprint anytime you mess up.
I have watched more than one person turn a perfectly good card into a sticky acrylic memorial. Printing proxies is how you get the fun part of alters (personalization) without the part where you stare at a ruined foil and whisper, “I have made choices.”
What “altered” means now
“Altered” used to mean hand-painting the border. Now it’s basically any of these:
- Art extensions: the art bleeds into the frame.
- Borderless or full-art: the frame disappears, the vibe increases.
- Alternate frames: retro, sci-fi, anime, meme, “my deck is all cats,” etc.
- Themed renames: same card rules, different title treatment (use carefully).
- Custom tokens and helpers: treasure, emblems, dungeon trackers, reminder cards.
- Digital “alts”: you edit the card in software and print it as a proxy.
Printing proxies is especially good for the last category because you can iterate quickly and keep your deck consistent.
Why altered MTG proxy printing is the easiest lane
Here’s the honest list of why printing proxies makes altered cards feel easy.
You can iterate without consequences
Digital alters are editable. If your mana cost is too small, you fix it. If your rules text is unreadable, you bump contrast. If your border is uneven, you redesign the border.
No solvents. No scraping. No “I guess this is abstract now.”
Your whole deck can match
A single gorgeous altered commander is fun. A full deck where everything shares the same layout rules and visual style feels intentional.
Proxies let you build a consistent “design system” for your deck:
- same font sizes
- same text contrast
- same frame treatment
- same token style
You can print backups
If your favorite altered card gets scuffed, you print another. If your friend borrows the deck and returns it with a suspicious soda smell, you print another.
Real alters are one-of-one. Proxies are “one-of-many, because life happens.”
You protect the real stuff
If you own the real card and want it safe in a binder, proxies let you play without risking expensive cardboard. This is especially nice for commanders and staple packages you move between decks.
A quick decision framework: which “alter” path should you take?
Ask yourself what you actually want.
If you want a collectible art object
Commission a hand alter on a real card. You’re buying art, not convenience.
If you want a playable deck that looks amazing in sleeves
Print altered proxies. You’re buying consistency and repeatability.
If you want fast testing with zero fuss
Paper printouts in sleeves (over a basic land) are ugly, but effective. Nobody wins style points, but the game starts on time.
Good, Better, Best (with real tradeoffs)
Good (fastest): print on normal paper, sleeve over a card
- Best for: quick playtests, new brew reps
- You give up: “finished” look, long-term durability
Better (home quality): matte photo paper or premium matte, careful cutting
- Best for: regular casual play, themed decks on a budget
- You give up: time, ink, and the will to do “just one more” test page
Best (most consistent): pro printing or pro-style workflow (print-ready files, consistent cutting)
- Best for: cubes, multiple decks, or anyone who hates fiddling
- You give up: cost or control, depending on how you do it
The print-nerd rules that make altered proxies look intentional
We’re about to talk about bleed. This is thrilling if you work in print. Translation: it prevents sad white slivers on the edge of your card.
Rule 1: build at the right size
Magic cards are commonly described as about 2.5 × 3.5 inches, and many proxy workflows use that shorthand. In practice, you’ll also see 63 × 88 mm as a “real-world target.” Either can work in sleeves, but what matters most is that you:
- pick a target size
- print at 100%
- test one card against a real card in a sleeve
“Almost the right size” is the most annoying size.
Rule 2: add bleed if you’re cutting
Bleed is extra artwork beyond the final trim. Standard bleed is commonly 0.125 inches (3 mm) per side.
If you don’t add bleed, tiny cutting drift turns into visible white edges. Printers and cutters are accurate, but not psychic.
Rule 3: keep text inside a safe zone
Safe zone means your name line, mana cost, and rules text are not living on the edge. Cutting varies a little. Your text should not.
If you’re doing full-art or heavy art extensions, this is the #1 way people accidentally ruin readability.
Rule 4: resolution is not optional on small cards
Small text needs pixels.
- 300 DPI at final size is usually the minimum for clean printing.
- 600 DPI often looks noticeably sharper for fine text and symbols.
If you upscale a tiny image, you don’t get detail. You get larger blur. That’s not a printer problem. That’s physics, and physics does not care about your deck theme.
Rule 5: export like you want it to print, not like you want it to email
For consistent sizing, PDF is your friend.
- It preserves layout.
- It reduces “helpful” scaling surprises.
- It prints more predictably than browser printing or random image viewers.
Also: if your export preset says “smallest file size,” it is about to do crimes to your image quality.
Rule 6: print at 100% scale
The most common proxy failure mode is a single checkbox:
- “Fit to page”
- “Shrink to printable area”
- “Scale to fit”
Turn those off. Print at Actual Size / 100%. Test one page before you print 99 cards.
I have printed an entire batch with the wrong scaling before. The cards came out perfectly sized for a different game. Print one test page.
Altered proxy file checklist (steal this)
Before you print altered proxies, check:
- Size: built at the correct final size (not stretched)
- Scale: exports will print at 100% (no auto-scaling)
- Bleed: background extends past trim (no edge slivers)
- Safe zone: name, mana cost, and rules text are comfortably inside
- Resolution: 300–600 DPI at final size (not upscaled from tiny art)
- Contrast: rules text is readable at arm’s length in a sleeve
- Consistency: nothing looks like a “marked card” once sleeved (same backs, same thickness, same cut feel)
Make altered proxies table-friendly (this is the part people forget)
An altered deck should be fun for everyone, not a constant “wait, what card is that?”
Keep the important parts readable
You can go wild on art, but do not hide:
- card name
- mana cost
- rules text (or at least make it easy to reference)
If your pod has to ask what your cards are every turn, the alter is costing everyone time.
Use sleeves that help, not sleeves that fight you
Glare is real. Cameras are worse. If you play webcam games, matte and high-contrast layouts make your life easier.
Tournaments: altered cards and printed proxies are not the same thing
This matters, because people mix it up.
- Printed proxies you bring from home are not allowed in sanctioned events.
- In sanctioned play, “proxy” means a judge-issued replacement for a card that becomes unusable during the event, under specific conditions.
- Artistic modifications to real cards can be allowed in sanctioned tournaments, but they come with restrictions (for example, you cannot cover or change the card name or mana cost). The Head Judge has final say.
So if you’re building altered proxies for Commander night, awesome. If you’re going to a sanctioned event, assume “real cards only” unless the organizer and judge tell you otherwise.