Your printer can smell confidence. The moment you think “this will be quick,” it will feed a sheet sideways and print your commander at a tasteful 93% scale.
If you’re trying to figure out the best ways to get MTG proxies, the real answer is: it depends on what you’re optimizing for. Cost, speed, and “how much craft time am I willing to donate to the scissors gods” all pull in different directions.
This post helps MTG players decide how to get proxies by comparing home printing, local print shops, and online printing, so they can pick the fastest path to playable, readable cards without unnecessary pain.
TLDR
- Need proxies tonight and you do not mind cutting? Home printer wins.
- Need them fast but you do not own a printer? A local print shop is the quickest “hand me paper now” option, but expect rules and variability.
- Want the most consistent look and feel with the least fiddling? Online printing is easiest, especially for full decks or cubes, but shipping time is the tax.
- Sanctioned events: your own proxies are not allowed. Only judge-issued proxies exist for narrow cases like in-event damage. Casual and unsanctioned is a Rule 0 conversation.
Quick tradeoffs table
| Option | Cost | Time | Quality | Hassle | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home printer | Lowest long-term (if you already own the printer) | Fastest to start | Medium to good (varies wildly) | Highest | Testing tonight, frequent tweaks, budget brewers |
| Local print shop | Medium | Same day possible | Medium | Medium | No printer, you need it soon, you want crisp color prints |
| Online printing | Medium (often best value in bulk) | Slowest (shipping) | Highest consistency | Lowest | Full Commander decks, cubes, “I want it to feel like cards” |
A useful mental model: home printing buys speed and control by spending your time. Online printing buys consistency by spending patience and shipping days. The local print shop is the awkward middle child: fast, but you do not control the environment.
Best ways to get MTG proxies: pick your lane in 30 seconds
Choose the first statement that feels true:
- “I’m playing this weekend and I’m still brewing.”
Home printer. - “I don’t own a printer and I need something in-hand today.”
Local print shop. - “I want a whole deck or cube to look consistent and I’m done tweaking.”
Online printing. - “I care most about readability and not annoying my table.”
Any option works, but prioritize: full color, correct size, clean cuts, and sleeves.
Option 1: Home printer proxies
Home printing is the “I have a plan” option. Also the “I now own a paper trimmer and have opinions about it” option.
What you get
- Cheapest per card once you already own the printer.
- Fast iteration: change a list, reprint 5 cards, done.
- Total control over art, layout, and how loud you want your custom basics to be.
What you give up
- Time. Cutting 100 cards is not hard, but it is repetitive in the way that makes you question your life choices.
- Consistency. Home printers vary. Paper varies. Drivers vary. And the printer driver will absolutely reset itself to “Fit to page” when you least deserve it.
- True card feel. Most home proxies are paper in a sleeve with a real card behind it. That’s fine. It just won’t feel like a real black-core card stock.
The three home-print failures that ruin everything
- Wrong scale: print at 100% (not “fit to paper”).
- Low-res images: tiny rules text turns into soup.
- Bad cutting: jagged edges look worse than cheap paper.
A tiny home-print checklist (keeps you sane)
- Print at 100% scale and confirm one test card matches real size.
- Print in full color unless you enjoy explaining every card you play.
- Use opaque sleeves and put the proxy in front of a real card or token.
- Cut cleanly. A cheap paper looks fine with a clean cut. A fancy paper looks bad with a jagged cut.
If you’re debating inkjet vs laser: the community consensus is basically “it depends,” but you’ll see a lot of love for refill-tank inkjets for cost, and a lot of warnings about certain specialty papers (like vinyl sticker paper) interacting badly with laser printer heat. Translation: do a test before you feed your printer a material it did not consent to.
Option 2: Local print shop proxies (FedEx Office, Staples, local shops)
This is the “I need color prints today and I’m willing to outsource the printing part” option.
What you get
- Speed. Same-day printing is realistic.
- Crisp output. Commercial machines can do clean text and solid color.
- No printer investment.
What you give up
- Control. You are at the mercy of settings, paper options, and whether the machine is having a day.
- Paper constraints. Some self-serve setups do not allow you to bring your own paper.
- Policy roulette. Many print shops have policies about copyrighted material and may refuse jobs.
Realistic cost math (so you can sanity-check)
If a shop charges around $0.71 for a color letter page, and you’re printing 9 cards per page, the print cost alone is roughly $0.08 per card before cutting, sleeves, and any upgraded paper. That can be a great deal for “I need a deck’s worth of readable playtest cards right now.”
But remember: you still have to cut them unless you pay for finishing, and finishing is where “cheap per page” turns into “wait, why is my receipt three digits.”
The part nobody mentions: print shops can say “no”
Even if you’re printing for personal use, “personal use” is not automatically a magic wand for copyright, and print shops often avoid risk. If you get turned away, do not take it personally. They are not judging your Commander choices. They are doing risk math.
A polite script to ask a shop (and reduce awkwardness)
“Hi, I’m looking to print a personal playtest set of game cards on letter sheets. Full color, single-sided is fine. If there are restrictions on what you can print, can you tell me what formats or artwork you’re able to accept?”
Do not argue. Do not get clever. If they say no, you now know that shop’s policy.
Option 3: Online printing (best consistency, least DIY)
Online printing is the “I want it to look consistent and I’m done tinkering” option.
What you get
- Most consistent quality: color, cut, corners, alignment.
- Least hassle: no cutting, no paper experiments, no printer tantrums.
- Best for bulk: full decks, cubes, multiple decks at once.
What you give up
- Shipping time. You pay the “mail tax.”
- Less iteration. If you change 12 cards every week, shipping will punish you.
- Policies and constraints. Some services have strict rules about what they can print.
Two common online paths
- Dedicated proxy printing services
Usually easiest for full decklists and often priced per card with quantity discounts. - Custom game card printers
Great when you want specific card stock options and bulk production style ordering.
If you are comparing prices, look at:
- Per-card cost at your quantity
- Shipping
- Turnaround time
- Stock options (especially opacity and durability)
The universal “make proxies playable” rules (no matter where you print)
If you only steal one section from this article, steal this one:
- Correct size matters. Proxies should match real card dimensions, or you risk marked cards in sleeves.
- Full color matters. Your table should not have to squint, decode, or ask what every card is.
- Clean cuts matter. This is the difference between “nice proxies” and “craft project.”
- Readability beats realism. Make the card easy to identify from across the table.
- Use sleeves and be upfront. Proxies are a social contract, not a stealth mechanic.