The Anchor
trickyOne card takes the spotlight. The artwork runs all the way round it, across the eight other pockets.
- Best for
- the card you are proudest of
- Cards
- 1
Complete guide
The Michi Method: how to design a Pokémon binder page
A binder page can do more than hold nine cards. The Michi Method mixes your cards with printed artwork that carries across several pockets. This guide covers the layouts, the dimensions, the paper and every step up to the final cut.
The Michi Method in 20 seconds
Instead of dropping a card into every pocket, you design the whole page: cards and printed artwork, with no pocket left empty. One image can run across two, four or nine pockets, so the cards stop sitting side by side and start belonging to a scene.
Your cards
Printed artwork
One page, designed as a wholeWhere does the Michi Method come from?
It grew on Instagram, where collectors started posting pages they had designed rather than filled. The name comes from @peeplop, the account that popularised it, and the community kept it.
None of it is official. Pokémon publishes no rules here, and nobody owns the method: it spread page by page, so measurements and habits differ from one collector to the next. What follows is what comes up most often, not a standard.
See the account behind the nameSix ways to build a page
None of these are rules and all of them mix. They are starting points: the hard part is deciding what the page is about, not drawing it.
Single Pokémon
mediumThe same species, set after set. The page shows a collection rather than a card.
- Best for
- species collections
- Cards
- 5–7
Artist Page
easyA page for one illustrator. The style holds it together, and a single artwork signs it.
- Best for
- illustrator collections
- Cards
- 6–7
Evolution
mediumOne line, from the first stage to the last. The artwork around the cards tells what happens between two evolutions.
- Best for
- evolution lines and stories
- Cards
- 3–4
Trainer
mediumA character and their team: their card, their Pokémon, and the artwork to set the scene.
- Best for
- characters and their Pokémon
- Cards
- 3–5
Colour Theme
mediumEverything red, everything blue. The easiest constraint to hold, and the one that pays off fastest.
- Best for
- pages by type or by colour
- Cards
- 4–6
How to make a Michi Method page
Five steps, always the same. The first three happen on screen; the last two happen on the kitchen table.
Pick a theme
On screenA Pokémon, an evolution line, a colour, an illustrator, a mood. Give the page one clear idea: every decision after this gets easier, and a page with no subject turns crowded fast.
Build the composition
On screenPlace the cards you want to show first, then build the artwork around the pockets that are left. That order matters: the cards decide, the image adapts.
Measure your binder
On screenPocket sizes shift from brand to brand. Two minutes with a ruler save a sheet of cardstock and a reprint.
Print at full size
On the table100 %, no fit-to-page, on stock heavy enough not to curl. Run one test piece on plain paper before committing the good stuff.
Cut and insert
On the tableA ruler and a craft knife give you clean edges, and clean edges are what sell the illusion once the pieces sit side by side. Then slide them in, pocket by pocket.
What you'll need
Nothing exotic. Most collectors already own three quarters of this list.
Required
- A 9-pocket binder
- A printer
- Cardstock
- A ruler
- A craft knife or paper cutter
Nice to have
- A cutting mat
- A corner rounder
- A cutting machine such as a Cricut
To plan the page
- michi binder, to lay out and measure for you
Which binder works best?
3×3 is the format behind nearly every example you'll come across. How the pockets open is what really changes your options.
Recommended
Side-loading
Cards go in from the side, which means a piece of paper can bridge the seam between two neighbouring pockets. That bridge is what lets artwork run across the page, and it is the format behind most Michi pages you'll see.
Top-loading
Each pocket opens at the top and stays closed on the other sides. Compositions still work (plenty of beautiful pages are built this way), but every pocket is its own box, so large artwork has to be cut pocket by pocket.
Best format · 3×3, nine pockets
Sizes and dimensions
Three measurements that are easy to mix up: the card, the pocket that holds it, and the insert you print. Confusing the first two is the single most expensive mistake in this hobby.
Measure before you print
Pocket dimensions vary slightly between binder brands. Measure the inside of your own pockets before producing a full page: the numbers below are common reference points, not a standard.
- Pokémon card
63 × 88 mm
The one measurement that never moves.
- Binder pocket
70 × 95 mm
Around 70 × 95 mm of usable space. Worth checking yours.
- Printed insert
68 × 93 mm
One millimetre less than the pocket on each side, so it slides in without forcing. If it still forces: 66 × 91 mm.
Insert sizes by pockets covered
| Format | Pieces to cut | Pixels at 300 DPI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 pocket | 68 × 93 mm | The basic insert: the pocket, less one millimetre on each side. | |
| 2 pockets, side by side | 139 × 93 mm | A single piece, folded under the seam: 3 mm wider to bridge it. | |
| 2 pockets, stacked | 68 × 93 mm | Two single-pocket pieces: none bridges a horizontal seam. | |
| 3 pockets, one row | 139 × 93 + 68 × 93 mm | A two-pocket piece and a single. | |
| 2 × 2 block | 139 × 93 mm | Two two-pocket pieces, one per row. | |
| Full 3 × 3 page | 139 × 93 + 68 × 93 mm | Three rows: on each, a two-pocket piece and a single. |
Why big artwork gets cut up
A single piece of paper can fold across one seam between pockets, but not two. And nothing bridges the gap between rows: each row has its own opening. So a full-page illustration works beautifully; it simply arrives as several pieces that meet up once they are in.
Where to find artwork
This is the question that stops most people, and it has a few different answers depending on what the page is about.
Official artwork
Card illustrations, promotional visuals, game artwork. The easiest place to start, and the artwork that naturally sits well next to the cards themselves.
Illustrator artwork
Many card artists post their finished pieces and their sketches. Essential if you're building a page around one illustrator.
Fan art
Often perfect for a specific mood. Always identify the artist and respect what they allow: most are happy with personal use, far fewer with anything beyond it.
Your own work
A drawing, a photo, a pattern, a texture, a flat colour. Also the only source whose rights you can be certain about.
Resolution matters
Start from the largest file you can find. An image that looks fine on a phone turns noticeably soft once it spans several printed pockets. As a rule of thumb, aim for around 2,400 pixels across for artwork covering a full page.
Paper and printing
This is where most things go wrong, and a single test print fixes nearly all of them.
Recommended
Matte cardstock, 250–300 gsm.
Works too
200–250 gsm, depending on how stiff you want it and how tight your pockets are.
Avoid
Ordinary thin printer paper: it curls inside the pocket within days.
Matte or gloss?
Matte and satin are usually easier to live with. Binder sleeves already add their own reflections, and a high-gloss finish stacks more on top of them.
Before you click Print
- Scale: 100 %
- Fit to page: off
- The right paper size
- Highest print quality
- One test insert first
Common mistakes
Mixing up card size and pocket size
63 × 88 mm is the card. The pocket is bigger, and the pocket is what your insert has to fill.
Starting from a low-resolution image
What holds up on a screen falls apart in print, especially stretched across four pockets.
Letting the printer resize the file
Fit to page shifts everything by a millimetre or two. That's all it takes for nothing to line up.
Ignoring how the pockets open
What can physically go in depends on which side opens. Decide before you design, not after.
Printing the whole page untested
One test piece costs three seconds and saves a full sheet.
Or skip the measuring and build it in michi binder
Everything above works fine with a drawing app, a ruler and some patience. michi binder just removes the steps where sheets get wasted.
By hand
- Build a template at the right dimensions
- Track down card images
- Measure the pockets
- Crop every illustration
- Work out where the seams fall
- Position each piece on the sheet
- Export and double-check the sizes
In michi binder
- Pick your binder
- Drop in cards from the catalogue
- Add the artwork and frame it
- Preview the finished page
- Export and print
Design it on screen. michi binder handles the rest.
Pockets merge, artwork frames at real scale, and the cutting follows the way your binder opens.
The full card catalogue
Every Pokémon card, in English and French. Drop in the card that will go in the pocket: it shows on screen and never prints.
Cutting worked out for you
The editor knows which way your binder opens. It cuts the composition row by row, arranges the pieces on your sheets and adds the crop marks.
See the page before you print it
A 3D preview you can leaf through and open. The best possible moment to change your mind.
Print cleanly from your phone
Export a print-ready PDF at the correct paper size, without browser headers or accidental scaling.
Start from a template
Each one tells you which pockets to merge and what sizes to print. Rebuild it by hand, or open it straight in the editor.
The Anchor
- Grid
- 3 × 3
- Cards
- 1
- Difficulty
- tricky
Single Pokémon
- Grid
- 3 × 3
- Cards
- 5–7
- Difficulty
- medium
Artist Page
- Grid
- 3 × 3
- Cards
- 6–7
- Difficulty
- easy
Evolution
- Grid
- 3 × 3
- Cards
- 3–4
- Difficulty
- medium
Trainer
- Grid
- 3 × 3
- Cards
- 3–5
- Difficulty
- medium
Colour Theme
- Grid
- 3 × 3
- Cards
- 4–6
- Difficulty
- medium
Made by collectors
Different cards, different styles, same idea.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Michi Method?
A way of designing a binder page rather than filling it: cards and printed artwork cut to pocket size, with no empty pocket. One image can cover several pockets, so the page reads as a single picture.
Who created the Michi Method?
It spread on Instagram and takes its name from @peeplop, the account that popularised it. It isn't an official method: the community named it and keeps shaping it.
Do I need to know how to draw?
No. Most pages start from artwork that already exists. The work is composition: deciding which card and which artwork goes where.
What binder should I use?
A 9-pocket side-loading binder is the easiest, because artwork can bridge the seam between neighbouring pockets. It's also the format behind most of the examples you'll find.
Can I use a top-loading binder?
Yes, with slightly different compositions. Each pocket stays its own box, so large artwork has to be cut pocket by pocket, which shows a little more.
What size should Michi Method inserts be?
Around 68 × 93 mm for a single pocket, a touch under the pocket itself. Two pockets side by side make one piece of roughly 139 × 93 mm: three millimetres more than two inserts, to pass under the seam. Measure yours: the differences between brands are millimetres, and millimetres are enough.
Should inserts be card size or pocket size?
Pocket size, minus two to four millimetres. An insert cut at 63 × 88 mm (exact card size) leaves a visible sliver of empty pocket around the edges.
What paper should I use?
Matte cardstock around 250–300 gsm suits most pages. 200–250 gsm also works and slides in more easily. Ordinary printer paper curls.
Can I make a page without a printer?
Yes, an online print service or a local copy shop will do it. Ask for 100 % scale, no resizing, on the stock of your choice.
Where can I find high-resolution artwork?
Official card artwork, pieces posted by the illustrators themselves, or your own images. Always take the largest file available: what looks sharp on screen can go soft across four pockets.
Can artwork span several pockets?
Yes, and that's the whole point. It gets cut: one piece of paper bridges one seam between pockets, never two, and never between rows.
Can artwork span two binder pages?
Visually yes, and it looks superb across a spread. Each page is still printed and cut on its own: the continuity comes from how you frame the image.
Do I need Canva or Photoshop?
Any tool that works in millimetres will do. What michi binder really saves you is building the template and working out the cuts.
Does the Michi Method damage cards?
No more than an ordinary binder: cards stay in their pockets and inserts take the neighbouring ones. Just don't slide an insert and a card into the same pocket.
Is michi binder free?
Yes, with three binders and twenty pages each. Nothing to install, and no watermark on anything you print.
Can I sell the pages I create?
No. The artwork belongs to its illustrators and publishers, so a composed page stays personal use.
