TL;DR: For most people who want to print MTG proxies, we recommend PrintMTG over MPCFill or MakePlayingCards. It’s the simplest “order → approve → play” path, with more consistent results and far less chance you’ll lose an evening to templates, bleed zones, and proofing mistakes. MPCFill and direct MakePlayingCards can be great if you want a DIY workflow (especially for huge batches or custom projects), but for the average player who just wants a clean, sleeved deck that shows up reliably, PrintMTG is the easiest and most practical choice.
If you’re comparing MPCFill vs MakePlayingCards vs PrintMTG, you’re really asking a simpler question: do you want proxies, or do you want a new hobby that involves file templates, bleed zones, and quiet resentment?
All three methods can get you playable cards for casual use. The difference is how much work you do, how much control you get, and how much “oops, cropped the rules text” risk you’re willing to live with.
MPCFill vs MakePlayingCards vs PrintMTG: the 60-second answer
If you just want the pick that matches your personality:
Choose PrintMTG if:
- You want the least friction and the most “i just want to shuffle” energy.
- You care about consistency and having someone to email when something looks off.
Choose MPCFill if:
- You’re okay with a DIY workflow, but you want guardrails.
- You like the idea of selecting card renders and having the tool handle a bunch of the tedious parts.
Choose MakePlayingCards direct if:
- You want maximum control, and you’re willing to be your own production department.
- You’re printing custom cards, custom backs, or anything that doesn’t fit a standard community workflow.
Quick reality check: none of these are “tournament legal MTG cards.” These are proxy methods for casual play, deck testing, cubes, and proxy-friendly groups. If you’re heading into a sanctioned event, assume the answer is “no” unless the organizer says otherwise.
Also, if you’re trying to make proxies that can pass as authentic product, stop. That path ends with someone getting burned, and it’s usually not the person who deserved it.
MPCFill: DIY, but with a GPS
MPCFill (also known as “MPC Autofill”) is basically a community-driven shortcut for ordering playtest-style cards through MakePlayingCards. The pitch is straightforward: pick your card list, choose the renders you like, and let the tool do a lot of the assembly and ordering work you’d otherwise do by hand.
The upside is obvious. A fully manual workflow can turn a 100-card Commander deck into a two-hour task where you start bargaining with the universe. MPCFill is trying to spare you that.
What it’s good at:
- Batching and automation. You’re not manually assigning images one-by-one if you don’t want to.
- Community-maintained art options. You can often choose between different looks depending on what your group prefers.
- Reducing dumb mistakes. Not all mistakes, but the easy ones.
What you still need to pay attention to:
- Print formatting still matters. Even with automation, you can end up with cards that look “fine on screen” and come out slightly off once printed and cut.
- Card backs and labeling choices. A clean proxy workflow is transparent. If your proxies are meant for casual play, treat that as a feature, not a loophole.
- IP and ethics don’t disappear. MPCFill doesn’t magically grant rights to images. It’s still on you to use content responsibly.
Best fit: players who want a good balance of cost and quality and are comfortable doing a little work if it means big batch savings, especially for cubes and repeat orders.
Not the best fit: anyone who wants a fully supported experience, or anyone who hates the idea of troubleshooting anything ever.
MakePlayingCards (direct): maximum control, maximum responsibility
MakePlayingCards is the underlying print shop that a lot of these workflows rely on. If you go direct, you’re using their templates, choosing a card size, picking a stock, uploading images, and placing the order yourself.
That can be great. It can also be… a lot.
Why people go direct:
- Total control over your files. You’re not limited by a community tool’s assumptions.
- Better for true custom projects. Custom backs, custom tokens, fan-made sets, and original card games fit naturally here.
- You choose size and templates. MakePlayingCards offers multiple card sizes and provides template files, which is helpful if you’re building from scratch.
Where most first-timers get burned:
- Size choice confusion. MTG-sized cards are “close to poker size,” but print shops often have multiple “poker-ish” options. The differences are tiny, but your template choice and your source images have to match, or you get the classic proxy experience: “why is the bottom line of rules text missing?”
- Bleed and safe zones. If you don’t know what those are, you will learn. Possibly at 1:00 a.m.
- You are the QC. Nobody is checking your deck for you. If you upload 99 correct fronts and one card rotated 180 degrees, you just ordered a very confident upside-down card.
Also important: MakePlayingCards’ terms put the responsibility on the user not to violate third-party intellectual property, and they reserve the right to cancel orders that violate those terms. That’s not them being mean. That’s them not wanting to host the internet’s worst ideas.
Best fit: people who want full manual control, are comfortable with templates, and are either printing original content or understand the risk and responsibility of what they upload.
Not the best fit: anyone whose primary goal is “i want a playable deck without becoming a part-time print technician.”
PrintMTG: the “i want proxies, not a project” option
PrintMTG is a print service built around the idea that most players want two things: readable cards, and a deck that arrives before the meta has shifted again.
Unlike the MPC workflows, the core value here is that you’re not assembling print files and then hoping you formatted everything correctly. You’re using a service that prints and finishes cards as a product, with a defined process and support policies.
What this method usually looks like in practice:
- You pick cards via a tool (search, list, or deck upload depending on the service).
- The service prints on a specified stock and finish.
- Orders run through production, then ship with tracking.
PrintMTG specifically describes a process built around black-core stock and a UV-coated matte-satin feel, and they separate production time from shipping time so you’re not guessing what “ships soon” means. They also state plainly that their proxies are for casual play and playtesting, not sanctioned tournament play, and not for resale as authentic cards.
The main tradeoff is control. You’re not tweaking every single image file and aligning it to your exact preferences. You’re choosing a printing lane where consistency, turnaround, and support matter more than hyper-custom workflow tinkering.
Best fit: Commander players, cube owners, and anyone who wants “good in sleeves” quality without spending their evening wrestling templates.
Not the best fit: people who want deep customization for each individual card, or people building a very specific custom aesthetic that requires manual file control.
If you’re deciding between proxy services in general, this guide is a good starting point: Where to Buy MTG Proxy Cards Online in the USA.
How to choose (cost, speed, quality, and risk)
Here’s the practical way to decide, without pretending there’s one “best” answer.
If you value speed and low effort:
Pick a print service. PrintMTG fits that lane. You trade some control for fewer failure points and a clearer support path if something goes wrong.
If you value cost-per-card and don’t mind setup:
MPCFill is usually the sweet spot. You still need to pay attention, but the workflow can be efficient for big runs.
If you value control and custom projects:
Go direct with MakePlayingCards. Just accept that you are now the production manager, and your reward is getting exactly what you wanted.
If you’re new and you want the lowest chance of a bad first experience:
Don’t start with “maximum customization.” Start with something that reduces variables. A lot of proxy frustration is self-inflicted, and i say that with love because i’ve seen the folder structures people create.
Two final notes that will save you social headaches:
- Ask before you show up. Even in casual play, store nights and pods vary. Most conflict around proxies is not “proxies exist,” it’s “you surprised someone with them.”
- Label like an adult. Not because you’re guilty, but because confusion is how cards get “accidentally” traded, sold, or argued about later.
If you want a one-sentence takeaway: MPCFill vs MakePlayingCards vs PrintMTG is a choice between automation, control, and convenience. Pick the one that matches how much time you want to spend on the process versus the game.