I’ve used (and seen people use) both kinds of “proxy workflows,” and the difference comes down to one question:
Do you want to print and cut at home… or do you want cards that show up ready to sleeve?
That’s the real MTGPrint vs PrintMTG debate. MTGPrint is a free tool that gives you a clean printable PDF you handle yourself. PrintMTG is a print-on-demand service that produces proxies on black-core playing-card stock, finishes them, cuts them consistently, and ships them to you.
For most use cases, PrintMTG is the better option—unless you specifically want (or need) to print at home.
What MTGPrint is (and why people love it)
MTGPrint (mtgprint.net) is a free service from CardTrader. You paste a decklist (in Magic Arena format), hit print, and it generates a PDF with cards laid out in a 3×3 grid. Then you print it, cut it, and sleeve it. It’s simple, fast, and costs basically nothing beyond paper/ink and your time.
MTGPrint also includes a bunch of small quality-of-life options that matter more than you’d think:
- Paper size switching (A4 vs Letter) so your bottom row doesn’t get chopped off
- Crop marks so cutting is less of a guessing game
- Skip basic lands so you’re not printing 28 Mountains you already own
- Gap control (including a larger gap if you want space for bleed or easier cutting)
- A playtest watermark option if you want it
- Support for tokens, emblems, double-faced cards, and even printing a page of card backs
- A decklist page option so your PDF includes a reference list
If you want something tonight, and you already have access to a printer, MTGPrint is hard to beat.
But it’s still a home-print workflow. Which means you’re “the print shop” now.
What PrintMTG is (and why it usually wins)
PrintMTG (printmtg.com) is built for the opposite goal: get you from “deck idea” to “cards in sleeves” with as little friction as possible.
Instead of giving you a PDF, PrintMTG’s flow is basically:
- Upload/paste a decklist
- Pick versions/printings
- Checkout
- They print on demand, apply a finish, die-cut, and ship
PrintMTG’s own positioning is pretty clear: premium black-core stock, standard TCG sizing, and a finish that shuffles cleanly. They also explicitly say they’re going for high-quality “close match” proxies for casual play and playtesting, not exact replicas (they even call out things they don’t do, like holo stamps). That’s a good line to draw—and it tells you what the product is meant to be.
In short: MTGPrint is “print a deck.” PrintMTG is “receive a deck.”
The biggest difference: DIY time vs ready-to-sleeve convenience
Most people underestimate the hidden cost of paper proxies. Not money—time.
MTGPrint is fast to generate, but then you still have to:
- Print (and hope your printer behaves)
- Make sure scaling is correct (or the cards come out tiny)
- Cut 60–100 rectangles cleanly
- Sleeve them (usually in front of a bulk card)
That’s fine if you’re doing a quick test run.
It gets old fast when you’re:
- updating multiple Commander decks
- trying a new Cube package
- printing a whole stack of staples
- doing “deckbuilding season” where you’re changing lists every week
PrintMTG cuts all of that out. You’re paying to skip the chores and get a consistent result.
Print quality and “feel” (this is where PrintMTG pulls away)
Let’s be honest: paper proxies feel like paper.
Even if you sleeve them, you can usually tell:
- edges aren’t perfectly consistent
- thickness varies depending on the paper you used
- colors and contrast depend on your printer settings
- your cuts are… human
PrintMTG is built around the things paper proxies struggle with:
- Black-core playing-card stock (for that “actual card” stiffness)
- A UV-coated finish (for handling and shuffle feel)
- Precision die-cutting (for consistent sizing)
That combo is the difference between “this is fine for testing” and “this plays like a real deck night after night.”
If you’re building something you want to shuffle a lot—Commander, Cube, or any list you’ll keep around—PrintMTG’s format is simply more table-friendly.
Options and customization: MTGPrint has toggles, PrintMTG has “ordering tools”
MTGPrint customization is mostly about making the PDF easier to print and cut.
PrintMTG customization is about choosing what you want your cards to be.
Here’s the practical way to think about it:
MTGPrint customization feels like printer settings
- crop marks
- gap size
- paper size
- skip basics
- watermark
- black corners
PrintMTG customization feels like building an order
- choose set versions and printings
- match quantities to your decklist
- print from a list or browse sets
- use a Card Maker to upload your own art and create custom designs
So if your goal is “get readable cards on paper,” MTGPrint is perfect.
If your goal is “build a deck that looks and handles consistently,” PrintMTG is the better tool.
Speed: “I need it today” vs “I need it to feel like cards”
This is the only area where MTGPrint has an easy win.
MTGPrint is instant
If your printer is 10 feet away, you can have a paper proxy deck in your hands today.
PrintMTG is fast, but it’s still shipping
PrintMTG typically produces orders in about 2 business days, and then shipping time depends on the method you choose. They list standard shipping windows that land many U.S. orders around 5–9 business days total (production + transit), with faster UPS options available.
So if you’re jamming games tonight, MTGPrint makes sense.
If you’re building something you’ll keep, PrintMTG makes more sense.
Cost: the real comparison most people forget
This isn’t just “free vs paid.” It’s:
free + supplies + time vs paid + done-for-you
MTGPrint costs
- paper
- ink/toner (usually the sneaky expensive part)
- cutter (optional, but your wrists will thank you)
- sleeves (you’ll likely sleeve anyway)
- your time
PrintMTG costs
PrintMTG uses tiered per-card pricing, and the price drops as quantity goes up. Their published tiers include:
| Cards in order | Price per card |
|---|---|
| 2–9 | $2.00 |
| 10–49 | $1.50 |
| 50–99 | $1.00 |
| 100–199 | $0.85 |
| 200–499 | $0.75 |
| 500–999 | $0.60 |
| 1000–4999 | $0.40 |
They also advertise free shipping over $75, which matters a lot once you’re doing full decks or bulk updates.
So which is “cheaper”?
- If you’re printing 9–27 cards for a quick test: MTGPrint is cheaper.
- If you’re printing 100–600 cards across multiple decks and you care about consistency: PrintMTG starts to look like the cheaper option in terms of effort per usable deck.
And yes, “effort” counts. If you’ve ever spent an hour cutting paper, you already know why.
Best use cases (when each one makes sense)
Here’s the no-drama breakdown.
MTGPrint is best when…
- you want to playtest immediately
- you’re printing a small batch
- you already have a decent printer and don’t mind cutting
- you’re iterating fast (change 10 cards, print 10 cards, repeat)
PrintMTG is best when…
- you want ready-to-sleeve proxies that handle like cards
- you’re building a Commander deck you’ll keep
- you’re doing Cube updates (or building a Cube stack)
- you want consistent sizing, finish, and cutting
- you don’t want home printing to become a side quest
- you want to use custom art without wrestling with layout tools and printer quirks
A simple decision checklist
If you answer “yes” to any of these, you probably want PrintMTG:
- “Do I hate cutting paper?”
- “Do I want this deck to feel the same every time I shuffle it?”
- “Am I ordering/building more than one deck?”
- “Do I want a clean, consistent finish?”
- “Would I rather spend my time playing than doing DIY print work?”
If you answer “yes” to these, MTGPrint is the move:
- “Do I need the deck tonight?”
- “Am I only printing a handful of cards?”
- “Do I already have a printer, paper, and patience?”
- “Is this just a quick test run before I commit?”
Conclusion: why PrintMTG wins most of the time
MTGPrint is awesome at one thing: turning a decklist into a printable PDF with smart options that make cutting easier. If you like home printing (or need it right now), it’s a great tool.
But for most real-world Magic use cases—Commander decks you keep, Cube lists you update, piles of staples you want to shuffle—PrintMTG is the better option because it removes the DIY friction and gives you a consistent, table-ready result on black-core stock with a proper finish and accurate cutting.
MTGPrint is “I want to print at home.”
PrintMTG is “I want to play.”
