Process
Here's how each card is actually made, and what it's made of.
01
Every card starts with a message. We talk through what you want — the card, the art, the details — before anything gets made.
02
Whether it's an existing card image or fully custom, the image gets adjusted for print — brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness — so what comes out of the printer matches what's on screen. Custom art gets built through ProxyLair's own rendering setup, then goes through the same adjustments.
03
You see a proof and approve it before anything prints. Nothing gets made until you've okayed it.
04
Everything's printed on an Epson ET-8550 with pigment inks. Standard cards print on Epson Premium Presentation Matte, which resists fading for decades. Foil cards print on holographic vinyl — waterproof and durable. Card backs print on anti-reflective semi-gloss photo stock, so they're sharp and don't glare.
05
Every print sits for a full 24 hours to dry and cure completely before it's assembled. Skipping this is where a lot of quality problems come from, so I don't.
06
Backs are laminated and sealed. Foil fronts get mounted to a 199gsm black or white core so the card has real weight and stiffness, then the back goes on.
07
Cards are trimmed, then each one is cut by hand with a die cutter. Then they're sleeved right away.
08
You get photos or video of the finished cards to approve, then they're packaged and shipped, usually by UPS.