ACEO

In 1997, the Swiss artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann painted a 1,200 cards for an exhibition. The cards measured 2.5x3.5 inches, based on the size of sport trading cards. He called his cards ATCs—Artist Trading Cards—and at the end of the exhibition he invited the community to create their own ATCs to trade with him.

The exhibition was so popular that many swaps were subsequently organized around the world and continue to this day.

While ATCs are strictly for trading, ACEOs—Art Card Editions and Originals—are saleable. You can find many ACEOs for sale on eBay and Etsy.

The only rule for ATCs and ACEOs is that they must measure 2.5x3.5 inches so they may fit in a standard trading card sleeve. Typically, the artist writes their name and data on the back of the card, but more information can be included (e.g., title, medium, website URL or QR code, notes, etc.).

If you are an artist and want to make your own art cards, you can buy pre-cut cards or cut them out yourself. If you cut them yourself, make sure to use thick, acid-free paper.