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What Are Booster Packs & How Can You Sell Them with Print-On-Demand?

two well designed booster packs

Table of Contents

Do you remember the thrill of opening your very first Magic: The Gathering booster pack? The crinkle of the foil wrapper, the rush of anticipation, and the joy of discovering a rare holographic card—moments like these are what make trading card games unforgettable.

Now, imagine being the creator behind that experience.

Whether you're a game designer, indie publisher, or entrepreneur entering the TCG market, creating your own custom booster packs is more than just combining random cards—it's about crafting an experience. And with QPMN’s print-on-demand solutions, turning your vision into a professional, market-ready product has never been easier.

two different booster packs with different designs

What is a Booster Pack?

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “What is a booster pack?”, you're not alone—especially if you're exploring the world of trading card games (TCGs) or looking to launch your own.

A booster pack is far more than just a sealed packet of random cards. It’s a strategic tool, a collector’s delight, and one of the most powerful engagement mechanics in the TCG ecosystem.

At its core, a booster pack is a curated collection of cards, typically sealed in a custom wrapper, designed to expand a player's deck, fuel trading, and deliver that irresistible thrill of discovery. And thanks to modern solutions like QPMN’s print-on-demand booster pack printing, crafting your own has never been easier or more accessible.

What Makes a Great TCG Booster Pack?

A booster pack isn’t just a collection of cards—it's a miniature treasure chest. To succeed in today’s competitive TCG space, understanding the anatomy of a booster pack is key:
  • Card Distribution Strategy Balance is everything. Most booster packs contain a mix of common, uncommon, rare, and sometimes ultra-rare or holographic cards. The right distribution keeps players engaged and collectors coming back for more.

  • Pack Size & Layout Will your packs contain 10, 15, or even 20 cards? What’s the ratio of playable cards to collectible ones? At QPMN, we help you customize every detail—from card size to corners (square or rounded).

  • Packaging Design First impressions matter. With our Custom TCG Booster Pack printing, you can design eye-catching wrappers that reflect your brand and excite your audience.

  • Pricing & Value Perception Successful TCG creators know how to price booster packs to reflect both value and rarity. We'll help you align your production costs with smart pricing strategies for maximum ROI.

What Is Inside a Booster Pack? Breaking Down the Structure

Understanding what a booster pack is begins with knowing what’s inside. Most traditional booster packs contain 12 to 15 cards, arranged using a tried-and-tested rarity distribution. This structure isn’t random—it’s intentionally designed to balance gameplay, excitement, and collectability. Here’s a common breakdown:
  • 6–8 Common Cards

  • 3–4 Uncommon Cards

  • 1 Rare or Mythic Rare Card

  • 1 Foil or Special Card (optional/chance-based)
The Magic: The Gathering (MTG) booster pack format has become the gold standard, typically including:
  • 1 Rare or Mythic Rare

  • 3 Uncommons

  • 10 Commons

  • 1 Basic Land

  • A chance for 1 Foil Card (any rarity)
This formula has influenced countless other TCGs—and it's a great starting point for your own. Curious about how Magic: The Gathering proxy cards work, when they’re allowed, and how to make your own? Check out our full guide: MTG Proxy Card Guide: Rules, Printing, and Budget Deckbuilding.

Booster Pack vs Booster Box: What’s the Difference?

Now that you understand what a booster pack is, it's important to distinguish it from another common format in the trading card game (TCG) world: the booster box.

While a booster pack is a single, sealed packet of cards—typically containing 12 to 15 cards—a booster box is a larger unit that includes multiple booster packs, bundled together for bulk purchase or organized gameplay.

So, How Many Packs Are in a Booster Box?

The number of packs in a booster box depends on the TCG, but here are the examples from some of the most popular trading card games on the market now;

  • Magic: The Gathering booster box – 36 packs
  • Pokémon booster box – 36 packs
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! booster box – 24 packs

Each box is designed to offer players a substantial number of cards for deck building, drafting events, or collector hunts. It’s a format commonly used by retailers, tournament organizers, and serious collectors.

Why Booster Packs Are a Game-Changer for Indie TCG Creators

For indie TCG creators, booster packs are one of the most powerful tools you can use to drive player engagement, foster collectability, and build a community around your world.

Imagine this:

Your booster pack could be someone’s very first step into the universe you’ve created. The first card they pull. The first rare they hold. The beginning of a journey that started with your imagination.

That’s the kind of emotional connection booster packs create—and that’s what makes them a game-changer.

What else do they offer?

  • Collectability Drives Engagement
    Introducing rarity, themed sets, and limited-edition cards gives players and collectors a reason to keep coming back.
  • Randomization Builds Excitement
    The thrill of the unknown—the “pack crack” moment—is a proven psychological hook that turns casual players into lifelong fans.
  • Community Grows Organically
    Trading, deckbuilding, and collecting all foster communication and connection. Booster packs give your audience something to talk about, share, and rally around.
  • Low Barrier to Entry
    With QPMN’s print-on-demand model, you don’t need massive budgets or inventory. You can launch and iterate quickly, testing new concepts with real players.

Start Creating Booster Packs

Booster packs are more than just a product—they're an experience, a story hook, and a community-building powerhouse. As an indie creator, you have the freedom to build something truly original—and QPMN gives you the tools to bring it to life.

Your world is waiting to be discovered—one booster pack at a time.

TCG booster box with dollar sign

How Much Is a Booster Pack of Magic: The Gathering?

Before potentially considering creating your own booster pack for selling, its important to know the current market pricing.

Let’s take a look at how much a Magic: The Gathering booster pack cost in 2025? On average:
  • Standard Set Booster Pack: $4.00 – $5.50 USD
  • Draft Booster Pack: $3.99 – $4.49 USD
  • Collector Booster Pack: $19.99 – $27.99 USD
These prices vary depending on the product line, rarity distribution, and whether the pack includes foils, alt-art, or exclusive content. For example:
  • TCGPlayer lists recent Outlaws of Thunder Junction Set Boosters at around $4.29–$4.99 each.
  • Amazon and local game shops typically price Set Boosters between $4.50–$6.00, depending on demand and availability.
  • Collector Boosters, targeted at collectors and whales, often retail for $24–$27.99 per pack due to premium contents.
tools and stationary for creating booster pack

How to Create Your Own Booster Pack with QPMN (Step-by-Step)

If not, you’ll first need to design your cards using a tool like Adobe Illustrator, Canva, or Procreate—and export each card as a high-resolution image (JPG, PNG, or PDF).

Need help designing? QPMN can and offer free templates to get started.

Step 1: Upload Your Card Designs Using the POD Design Tool

Start by logging into your QPMN account and launching the POD Design Tool. This is your all-in-one workspace to upload:

  • Card fronts and backs
  • Variant artwork (e.g. foil, alt-art, token cards)
  • Rarity tags (optional for randomization)

You can design your booster pack to mimic traditional formats like an MTG booster pack, or invent your own unique structure—it’s entirely up to you.

 Step 2: Choose Your Card Stock, Finish, and Corners

Next, select the materials and finishes that will bring your cards to life:
  • Card Stock: Standard, premium, or ultra-premium

  • Finish: Smooth, linen texture, or holographic

  • Corners: Rounded (most common) or square (for stylized decks)
These choices help define the tactile quality and visual appeal of your booster packs—two key elements that influence collectability and perceived value.

 Step 3: Customize Your Tuck Box or Pack Wrapper

A great booster pack isn’t just about what’s inside—it’s also about how it’s presented. With QPMN, you can:
  • Design a themed tuck box or foil booster wrapper
  • Add your logo, branding, and artwork
  • Choose between standard or collector-style packaging
Whether you’re creating a starter pack, a limited-run collector edition, or a full set release, your packaging can elevate the entire experience.

 Step 4: Publish and Sell on Shopify, Etsy, or Snapshop Lite

Once your booster pack is ready, it’s time to share it with the world. QPMN integrates directly with:

You can list your print-on-demand booster pack for sale instantly—no inventory, no upfront costs, and we handle the fulfillment.

New to Print on Demand or want to learn how it can power your custom product business? Dive into our full guide to discover how POD works, why it's booming in 2025, and how QPMN helps you turn ideas into real products—without inventory or risk.  Explore Print on Demand with QPMN

Whether you’re building a fantasy-based card game, an educational deck, or something totally new, QPMN gives you the tools to design, print, and sell custom booster packs with the same polish and quality as an MTG booster pack—but entirely on your terms.

Why Choose QPMN for Print-on-Demand Booster Packs?

By now, you’ve seen how easy it is to design and publish your own booster packs using QPMN. But what truly sets us apart? We’ve built our platform specifically for indie creators, TCG designers, and small-batch sellers who want professional results—without the traditional headaches.

Here’s why QPMN is the smart choice for creating and selling print-on-demand booster packs:

No Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs)

With QPMN, you're free to print and sell exactly what you need—even if that’s just one booster pack.

  • Perfect for launching test runs, prototype decks, or limited editions
  • Great for creators running Kickstarters, preorders, or market testing
  • Scale up or down without being locked into bulk commitments

Save More with FlexiBulk Saving

QPMN’s unique FlexiBulk Saing pricing model lets you access bulk savings—without traditional bulk limitations.

Here’s how it works:

  • You can combine different designs across one order
  • Mix orders from multiple customers
  • Even combine orders placed on different dates

So, if 10 POD sellers each sell 10 separate booster packs, QPMN can batch those into a single production run of 100 packs—passing the bulk discount on to everyone.

This means lower costs, higher margins, and zero waste—a game-changer for creators who sell small-batch or high-variety products.

Powerful E-Commerce Integration for Etsy, Shopify & More

Ready to start selling? QPMN connects your existing store to our print-on-demand booster pack platform.
  • Etsy is one of the fastest-growing marketplaces for indie games, handmade goods, and collectibles.

  • Our integration allows you to keep your existing Etsy listings, SEO, and customer reviews intact.

  • No need to rebuild your shop—just connect and start fulfilling your custom booster packs automatically.
We also integrate with Shopify, so you can manage your inventory, print-on-demand orders, and branding all in one place.

Snapshop Lite — A Free Online Store (Coming Soon)

Don’t have a store yet? No problem. Snapshop Lite is our free e-commerce storefront solution—designed for creators who want to start selling fast, without the hassle of setting up a full website.

  • No hosting fees
  • No web development required
  • Fully functional product pages, checkout, and order tracking
  • Launch your print-on-demand booster pack store in minutes

Snapshop Lite is currently in final development—coming soon to all QPMN users.

With QPMN, you get more than a printer—you get a partner in building your brand. Whether you’re launching your first MTG-style booster pack, scaling a collectible series, or offering niche educational decks, QPMN gives you the tools, flexibility, and fulfillment power to grow with confidence.

trading cards of different rarities going into booster pack

Start Creating Your Booster Pack Today

Ready to bring your card game to life?

Whether you're prototyping your first idea or scaling a full collectible series, QPMN makes it easy to design, print, and sell professional-quality booster packs—without the hassle of inventory, minimums, or upfront costs.

  •  Upload your designs in minutes
  •  Benefit from FlexiBulk Saving
  •  Card Randomization
  •  Enjoy global fulfillment and premium card quality

Got questions or need help getting started?
Our team is here to support you at every stage of your journey.

  •  Sign up today to access the POD Design Tool and start building your custom booster pack.
  •  Or contact us directly to speak with a QPMN Growth Manager about your project.

FAQ Section

• How many packs are in a booster box MTG?

Typically 36

• How much does it cost to make a booster pack?

With QPMN, you can start with no MOQ and competitive pricing depending on material and finish.

You can find out more here

• Can I sell booster packs on Etsy or Shopify?

Yes! QPMN integrates directly with both platforms.

Contact us

Have questions or curious about starting your own Print-on-Demand business? Simply fill out the form, and our team will get back to you as soon as possible with all the details you need to get started.