Guide · Scanning Lab
How to use the camera scanner
Scanning Lab uses a webcam to recognise Magic: The Gathering cards and send them to your inventory or collection. This guide walks through setup, scanning a stack, and cleaning up any misreads before they’re added.
Magic: The Gathering only
Works in Seller & Collector Mode
~5 minute setup
Before you start
What you need
A webcam
Any USB or built-in camera Windows or macOS recognises will work. If you have more than one, you’ll choose which to use in Step 1.
An internet connection, once
The first time you open Scanning Lab, the app checks for a card-art index update. After that, scanning works offline until the next check.
The right mode open
Open the scanner from Seller Mode to add stock to an inventory profile, or from Collector Mode to add cards to a binder.
Step by step
Scanning a stack of cards
Open the scanner
From either Seller Mode or Collector Mode’s sidebar, choose the Camera Scanner action. It opens as a dialog on top of your current screen, not a separate page.
Pick your camera
If more than one camera is connected, choose the right one from the dropdown. Your choice is remembered for next time.
Set your scan filters
Turn on Ignore Promos if you’re not scanning promo cards, Prefer Foil if most of the stack is foil, and Set Lock if every card comes from one set (or a short list of sets). All three are optional and remembered between sessions.
Hold a card under the camera
Auto-scan detects the card’s edges, waits for it to hold still, and captures automatically — you’ll see an outline drawn over the card in the preview while it’s being tracked, and hear a chime once it’s staged.
Check the staged list
Every scanned card appears in a staging list with its art, set and printing. Click any row to see a larger preview and confirm it matched correctly.
Fix a misread
If a card matched the wrong printing or finish, use the variant picker on that row to choose the correct one before committing — this is quicker than deleting and rescanning.
Send the batch
Once the staged list looks right, commit it in one action. From Seller Mode, choose which inventory profile it goes to; from Collector Mode, it adds straight to your active binder.
Tips for a clean scan session
Good, even lighting matters more than camera quality — avoid glare across the card face.
Scan against a plain background rather than a patterned or busy surface. White gives the most reliable results; other plain colours work too, just slightly less consistently. Black and complicated backgrounds are the hardest for the camera to read against and are best avoided.
A blurry or tilted capture is rejected automatically rather than mismatched, so hold the card flat and steady for a moment.
Use Set Lock whenever you’re opening or sorting a single set — it resolves lookalike reprints correctly instead of guessing by closest visual match.
The same card won’t be re-staged twice in a row — pull it away from the camera fully before scanning the next one.
Common questions
Can I scan without an internet connection?
Yes, once the card-art index has downloaded. Scanning itself doesn’t need a live connection after that.
What happens if nothing matches?
An uncertain scan surfaces a picker of the closest candidates rather than guessing silently, so you can confirm the right one manually.
Can I send scans to more than one destination?
Each session commits to one destination — an inventory profile or a Collector binder. Start a new session to send a second batch elsewhere.
Does this work for Pokémon cards?
Not currently. Scanning Lab recognises Magic: The Gathering cards only.
Recommended setup
Getting the best scan results
A plain, well-lit background makes the single biggest difference to scan accuracy — and a dedicated scanning stand makes it effortless to get that every time.
White beats any other background
A plain white surface behind the card gives the most reliable edge detection and matching. Other plain, solid colours still work, just a little less consistently than white.
Avoid black or busy backgrounds
Black surfaces and patterned or cluttered backgrounds are the hardest for the camera to read a card’s edges against, and give the least reliable results.
Mini Mana Scanner
A card-scanning tower built around exactly this — a fixed white background, consistent lighting and a steady camera position every time. It’s a great way to set up a permanent Scanning Lab station. Shop the Mini Mana Scanner.
More guides
Keep exploring Toploader OS
See the full feature page for Scanning Lab, or browse every guide from the index.