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MADE BY A PERSON. AI IS IN THE TOOLBOX.

Six checks stand between your photos and the print. Each one makes something you can look at, and each one can say no. Here is every check, and the real thing it makes.

SIX CHECKSYOU SEE IT FIRST

Every piece is designed by me from the photos you send. AI imaging tools are part of my creative process, and every composition, likeness, spelling, color and detail is reviewed and finished by hand before delivery. Nothing is released as final until you approve the proof.

A grinning basketball player holding up his own custom trading card in a school hallway by the lockers — Stadium Night finish — example artwork, fictional roster athlete; photo generated
Example — fictional athlete · photo and artwork generated

SIX CHECKS, AND WHAT EACH ONE MAKES.

  1. PHOTO CHECK
  2. KIT BUILD
  3. REFERENCE SET
  4. THE SHOTS
  5. VERIFICATION
  6. FINISH
01PHOTO CHECKthe verdict, as the parent reads itNOTE

Before a cent is spent we look at every photo you sent and tell you, in plain words, which ones can carry the likeness and what would fix the rest. The reasons are things you can act on — never “validation failed”.

If your photos can’t carry the likeness and you have no stronger ones, you get every cent back — before any art is made.

What to send

PHOTO CHECK · VERDICT
FAIL
Photo 3 — 4 people in this photo and no clear subject — send one where the athlete is the closest person to the camera.
FAIL
Photo 5 — the eyes are hidden — sunglasses, a visor or a shadow across them; send one where both eyes are visible.
NOTE
Every photo faces the camera square on — send two more, the head turned about 45° to one side in one and to the other side in the other.
PASS
Photos 1, 2, 4, 6 — usable. Anchor: photo 2.
Photo-check verdict as the parent reads it — example order
02KIT BUILDthe kit referencePASS

The kit belongs to the sport, not to the person: shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and your crest, copied from your photos exactly as they are. Nothing on the kit is invented — a mark the photos don’t show is a mark that doesn’t exist.

We never reproduce league or governing-body marks (NFL, FIFA, NCAA, Olympic). Your school or club's own crest — yes, exactly as you send it.

NOTE

A regenerated kit reference once came back with a league shield where the club crest had been. It never left the studio — that is what this check is for.

KIT REFERENCE · FRONT / BACK
The uniform, front: the fictional athlete's jersey, shorts and crest copied from their photosThe uniform, back: the fictional athlete's jersey from behind, number and crest as photographed
Kit reference: the athlete's real kit, front and back, built once and reused for every shotExample — fictional athlete · photo and artwork generated
03REFERENCE SETthree views of your athletePASS

From your photos we build one reference of your athlete — front and both sides — and settle it before a single pose is made. You see it first and answer by email: “that’s them”, or what’s off — jaw, hair, build. That reference is the anchor; every later shot is measured against it.

REFERENCE PHOTOS · THREE VIEWS
Three views of a fictional athlete, built from their photosThe reference from behind: the fictional athlete's back view built from their photos
Reference photos: three views of a fictional athlete built from their photosExample — fictional athlete · photo and artwork generated
04THE SHOTSfour shotsPASS

Four shots from the approved reference — a hero, two action shots and a back or celebration shot. Hands are asked for, not fixed afterwards: every pose asks for five separated fingers doing something real. When a shot is right except for one detail, that one detail is changed and nothing else moves.

THE SHOTS · 1–4
  1. Shot 1 of 4: the main shot of a fictional basketball player, built from the approved reference1 / 4
  2. Shot 2 of 4: an action shot of the same fictional basketball player2 / 4
  3. Shot 3 of 4: a second action shot of the same fictional basketball player3 / 4
  4. Shot 4 of 4: the same fictional basketball player from behind — the frame the card back is built from4 / 4
Four shots of one fictional athlete — hero, two action shots, backExample — fictional athlete · photo and artwork generated
05VERIFICATIONthe shot beside its referencePASS

Every shot goes next to the reference in one picture. Every crest, number and mark on the shot must have a twin on the reference, and the face must measure as the same person. No scores are shown to anyone — a shot passes or it doesn’t, and one that doesn’t never reaches the finish.

SHOT BESIDE ITS REFERENCEA shot beside the approved reference — verification sheet, fictional athlete
Verification sheet: a shot beside its reference — every mark must have a twinExample — fictional athlete · photo and artwork generated
06FINISHthe watermarked proofPASS

The finish is built around the shots — the type, the material, your team colors — and a watermarked proof comes to you. Approving your proof means you checked the name, number, spelling and colors. One revision is included. Approve, and the files are released; for printed packages, printing starts that moment.

PROOF — NOT FINALWatermarked proof of a custom baseball card — Senior Night finish — example, fictional athlete
Watermarked proof of a custom card — what you approveExample — fictional athlete · photo and artwork generated

ONE THAT DIDN'T SHIP.

A real rejection from our own roster, not a staged one.

A rejection is never fixed by lowering the bar. We fix what went in, or we ask you for a better photo.

FAIL
Rejected take from the ice-hockey pilot — the jersey changed between shots: solid navy with a red hem — fictional athlete

REJECTED — the kit changed between shots.

Solid navy with a red hem in one shot, red shoulders and sleeves in the next. All three front shots go on the same card, so this one never ships.

PASS
Approved take from the ice-hockey pilot — the same athlete in the kit-plate jersey, red shoulders and sleeves — fictional athlete

APPROVED — same athlete, same kit in every shot.

Example — fictional athlete · photo and artwork generated

ABOUT FIFTY SHOTS ARE MADE FOR ONE ATHLETE. FOUR SHIP.

WHAT YOU APPROVE, AND WHEN.

  1. PAID
  2. PHOTOS RECEIVED
  3. PHOTO CHECKpassed · needs more photos · declined and refunded
  4. REFERENCE SETyour approval, by email
  5. THE SHOTS
  6. PROOFyour approval, on your order page
  7. FILES READY
  8. PRINTINGper package
  9. SHIPPEDper package, tracked
  10. DELIVERED

Approving your proof means you checked the name, number, spelling and colors. One revision is included; a second small text fix is usually free — ask.

Digital files within 1–2 business days of your order; printed items ship within 5–7 business days of your order. Both clocks start on the day you order — printing begins the moment you approve the proof, so a proof left waiting moves the ship date by the same amount.

When an order needs something from you, we send up to three reminders over 14 days, then pause it. A paused order can be resumed any time within 12 months.

WHO PRINTS IT.

Professional photo print lab, Santa Cruz CA
the 12- and 24-card sets, with the printed certificate
Print-on-demand poster printing partner, Charlotte NC
18 × 24 and 24 × 36 posters, with the printed certificate

Labs receive only the finished artwork and a shipping address — never your photos. Color correction is switched off at the lab: what you approved is what prints.

Game Day Edition is an independent custom design studio. We are not affiliated with any professional league, team, school or trading-card company, and we do not reproduce protected professional league or governing-body marks.

QUESTIONS, ANSWERED.

Is this a template with my photo dropped in?

No. Every piece is composed around your athlete — their photos, kit, colors and sport. AI imaging tools are part of the creative process, and every composition, likeness, spelling, color and detail is reviewed and finished by a person before you see the proof.

Will it look like my athlete?

Recognizable likeness is the point. We build a reference of your athlete from your photos first and check every shot against it. If it does not look like them, it does not ship.

Do I approve it before it prints?

Yes. You receive a proof and approve it before anything is finalized or printed. One revision is included.

What happens to the reference you build of my athlete?

It exists only to check likeness for your order, is never shared, and is destroyed when the order closes. The written policy is at /privacy/biometric.

How long does it take?

Digital files within 1–2 business days of your order; printed items ship within 5–7 business days of your order. Both clocks start on the day you order — printing begins the moment you approve the proof, so a proof left waiting moves the ship date by the same amount. Ordering for a senior night date? Add the date — we schedule proofs against real deadlines.

Do you show my athlete on this page?

Never without written permission. Every example here is a fictional athlete from our own roster — the label "Example — fictional athlete · photo and artwork generated" marks each one.

Order on Etsy →Look up a card
  • DIGITAL IN 1–2 DAYS
  • PRINTS SHIP IN 5–7
  • Never posted without your OK
  • Deleted after delivery, on a schedule you can see
  • Parent/guardian consent required