6 min read · 25 April 2026
What is card whitening, and how much does it actually hurt your grade?
Whitening is the white paper interior of the card showing through the print layer at the edges or corners. It's the single most common reason raw-looking cards come back PSA 7 or 8 instead of 9 or 10.
What causes it
- Handling. Sliding the card in and out of sleeves rubs the edge.
- Mishandling at the printer. Rare, but happens - particularly on mass-print modern Pokemon sets.
- Sleeves themselves. Cheap sleeves with rough seams cause edge wear over months.
Where to look
Run your finger along each edge under raking light. Whitening typically shows first at the corners, then along the long edges. The back edges are usually worse than the front because they have less tolerance in the print layer.
Severity bands and how PSA penalises
- None visible: no penalty.
- Minor pinpoint: caps you at PSA 9. Most modern cards have some pinpoint whitening at one corner.
- Noticeable along an edge: drops you to PSA 7 or 8.
- Heavy whitening: drops you to PSA 5 or 6.
How CPG handles whitening
Whitening is part of the guided defect review. We show zoom views of each corner and edge, and you indicate the severity you can see. We then apply the penalty to your predicted grade ceiling in the same way PSA sub-graders do.
Avoiding whitening in the first place
- Use top-loaders or magnetic cases for high-value cards.
- Use perfect-fit inner sleeves before outer sleeves.
- Avoid handling raw cards by the edges.
- Keep cards in temperature-controlled storage (humidity affects card layers).