Look it up
Glossary & FAQ.
Every little world has its own vocabulary. Here are the ACEO terms you'll meet, plus straight answers to the questions newcomers ask most.
The vocabulary
ACEO glossary.
The terms that come up when you make, buy, sell, or store ACEOs.
ACEO
Art Cards, Editions & Originals — any artwork made at the 2.5×3.5-inch trading-card size, created to be sold and collected.
ATC
Artist Trading Card — the same 2.5×3.5 size, but traded hand-to-hand, never sold. The 1990s movement ACEOs grew from.
Original
A one-of-a-kind, hand-made card. There is exactly one in existence.
Edition
A limited run of prints of an artwork, usually numbered (e.g. 3/25). The "E" in ACEO.
Giclée
A high-quality archival inkjet fine-art print; the common format for ACEO print editions.
Edition number
The fraction on a print, e.g. 3/25 — the lower number is its place in the run, the higher is the total run size.
Substrate
The surface you make the card on — watercolour paper, bristol board, mixed-media cardstock, or illustration board.
Cold-press
Watercolour paper with a textured surface; great for loose, atmospheric washes.
Hot-press
Smooth watercolour paper; better for fine detail and crisp line.
Bristol board
Smooth, rigid card stock favoured for pen & ink, marker, and colored pencil.
Fixative
A spray that seals delicate media (pastel, charcoal, pencil) so it doesn't smudge.
Sleeve
A thin "penny sleeve" that protects a card's surface — the first layer of protection.
Toploader
A rigid plastic holder sized for trading cards; stops a card bending in transit.
Team bag
A resealable sleeve that holds a card-in-toploader closed for shipping.
9-pocket page
An archival binder page that holds nine cards — instant storage and display.
Lightfast
A pigment's resistance to fading over time; look for it in paints, inks, and pencils.
Acid-free
Archival materials that won't yellow or degrade the artwork over the years.
WIP
Work In Progress — an unfinished piece shared for process and feedback.
Common questions
ACEO FAQ.
Art Cards, Editions & Originals. It covers any artwork made at the 2.5×3.5-inch trading-card size and created to be sold and collected — whether a unique original or a numbered print edition.
Always 2.5 × 3.5 inches (63.5 × 88.9 mm) — the exact size of a standard sports or trading card. That fixed size is the defining rule, which is why ACEOs fit standard sleeves, toploaders, and 9-pocket binder pages.
Same size, different intent. ATCs are traded, never sold, in the spirit of the 1990s swap movement. ACEOs are made to be sold and collected — the "EO" stands for Editions & Originals.
Follow the sequence sleeve → toploader → rigid mailer. Sleeve the card, slide it into a rigid toploader so it can't bend, then place that in a rigid cardboard mailer marked "Do Not Bend." Add tracking for higher-value cards.
There's no set rate. Price originals higher than editions since each original is unique. Factor in your time, materials, and experience, and account for marketplace and payment fees plus shipping. Many new artists start modestly to build a sales history, then raise prices as demand grows.
An original is a unique, hand-made card — there's only one. An edition is a limited run of prints (usually giclée) numbered like 3/25, where 25 is the run size and 3 is that print's position in it.
On eBay (where the format took off), Etsy, artist websites and socials, and in person at art fairs, markets, and card shows.
Still curious?
Dig deeper, or just start.
Read the full explainer, or jump in and make your first 2.5×3.5 card today. Either way, the community's here to help.