Trading Card

2.5 x 3.5 in CMYK 1.40:1 portrait

A 2.5 by 3.5 in trading card. The standard size for collectible card games and sports cards, shared by Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, baseball cards, and most CCGs.

about the size of a wallet photo

About this size

The 2.5 by 3.5 dimensions are the universal trading-card size. The format predates collectible card games, going back to early 20th century cigarette cards and baseball cards, and the dimensions have stayed standard because the entire sleeve and storage ecosystem is built around them.

That ecosystem is part of the constraint. Cards live in sleeves, in binders, in storage boxes, all of which assume the 2.5 by 3.5 dimensions to the millimetre. Custom sizes break the entire collector workflow.

Game cards
Character art
Collectibles

Pro tips

1 Add 0.125 in bleed for commercial print. Cards are cut from sheets and edge precision varies; full-bleed designs need the safety margin.
2 Use 300 DPI for clean type at small print sizes. Card type lives in a small absolute area, and any softness shows.
3 Symmetrical layouts work well. Cards are held, rotated, and inspected from multiple angles, not just viewed flat.

Export notes

Export as CMYK PDF at 300 DPI with the 0.125 in bleed extended on all four sides (final file is 2.75 by 3.75 in). Embed all fonts or outline them; CCG print houses rarely have access to designer font libraries. Trim, bleed, and safe-area guides should sit on a non-printing layer in the PDF so the printer can verify alignment without re-cutting the file.