DPI and Image Sizes for Printing Cards: What Resolution Do You Actually Need?
Blurry cards, enormous files and art that doesn't fit all come from getting pixels and millimetres mixed up. Here's how DPI works, what size your card images should be, and when 150, 300 or 600 DPI makes sense.
· 4 min read
In this post
You've got a lovely illustration for your card. It looks sharp on screen. You print it and it's soft and fuzzy. Or the opposite: the file is so big your export takes minutes, and the print looks no better.
Both come down to one idea: DPI, and how it turns pixels into millimetres.
What DPI means
DPI (dots per inch) is how many pixels are printed in each inch of paper. An image has a fixed number of pixels; DPI decides how big it prints.
- An image 750 pixels wide, printed at 300 DPI, is 2.5 inches wide (750 ÷ 300).
- The same image at 150 DPI prints 5 inches wide, but each inch has half the detail.
So "is this image good enough?" has no answer on its own. It depends on how big you'll print it.
The formula
To find the pixels you need:
pixels = millimetres ÷ 25.4 × DPI
A poker card is 63.5 mm wide: 63.5 ÷ 25.4 = 2.5 inches, × 300 = 750 pixels.
Don't want to do maths? The print size calculator converts millimetres, inches and pixels at any DPI, shows the image size a card needs with its bleed, and how many cards fit a sheet:
Print size calculator
Convert millimetres, inches and pixels at any DPI, see the image size a card needs with its bleed, and how many cards fit a sheet of Letter, A4 or A3. Free, in your browser, with no sign-up.
Which DPI should you use?
| DPI | Use it for |
|---|---|
| 72–96 | Screens only. Never for print. |
| 150–200 | Quick home prototypes, and Tabletop Simulator. Fine at arm's length. |
| 300 | The standard for print. What most print-on-demand services ask for. |
| 600 | Very fine line art or small text in images. Big files. |
For card games, 300 DPI is the right default. It's sharp at the distance cards are held, and files stay manageable.
Card image sizes at 300 DPI
With the standard 3 mm bleed on every side:
| Card | Trim size | Image with bleed |
|---|---|---|
| Poker (63.5 × 88.9 mm) | 750 × 1050 px | 821 × 1121 px |
| Tarot (70 × 120 mm) | 827 × 1417 px | 898 × 1488 px |
| Square (70 × 70 mm) | 827 × 827 px | 898 × 898 px |
The card size guide lists every common card, token and board size this way, in millimetres, inches and pixels, with a blank template at the right size:
Card size guide and blank templates
Poker, bridge, tarot, mini, square and more card sizes, with tokens, hex tiles and game boards: trim, bleed and safe zone in mm, inches and pixels at 300 DPI, and a free blank template for each, as a PNG with guides or a printable PDF sheet.
The art is too small. Now what?
Enlarging an image doesn't add detail; it spreads the same pixels further, which is why it looks soft. Options, from best to worst:
- Get the original at a higher resolution, or redraw/re-export it at the right size.
- Use the art smaller on the card, in a frame rather than full bleed.
- Use a vector version (SVG) if there is one, which prints sharp at any size. Icons especially: the free icon browser downloads SVGs.
Game icon browser
Search over 4,000 free game icons from game-icons.net, recolour them, put them on a background and download an SVG or a PNG up to 2048 px, with the credit the license asks for ready to copy. Free, in your browser, with no sign-up.
- Accept it for a prototype. Slightly soft art is fine for a playtest. Fix it before anything goes to a manufacturer.
Art the wrong shape
If an image's shape doesn't match the card, something has to give: it's cropped, stretched or letterboxed. Never stretch. Crop to the card's shape (including bleed), and keep the important part of the image away from the edges, where the safe zone is.
How DPI works in your tools
In Decklab AI, cards are laid out in real millimetres, so you don't think in pixels while designing. You choose resolution when you export: PNG images at up to 600 DPI, and print-and-play PDFs for home printing. Text, shapes and icons are drawn at the export resolution, so only photos and illustrations depend on the size of the image you supply.
The short version
- Print at 300 DPI.
- A poker card's art is 821 × 1121 px with bleed.
- Bigger isn't better past 300–600 DPI, just slower.
- Never enlarge to fix small art; replace it or use it smaller.