Creating a Custom Size in Canva

Here at Printology we love using the website Canva. It is an amazing design resource with many free graphics and templates. In fact, we recommend using Canva to our customers no matter how much design experience they have. 

Because Canva is an Australian based company, many of their designs and templates on their home screen are not designed for typical U.S. printing sizes. Discovering that your design is not the size you need can be a frustrating realization after you have already spent so much time designing. If you have Canva Pro you can resize your design, but you may have to reposition all of the elements in your design. Starting with a custom size for your custom project is key to having a hassle-free experience. 

Below we have provided a step by step guide to help you create a custom size in Canva. You can also watch our 3 minute step by step reel on Instagram!

Click “Create a Design”

To start, click on the “create a design button” This should be on the left hand side of the screen when you are on the home page. Then click on the “custom size” icon with dimension arrows. 

If you are using the app on a mobile device, from the homescreen you can click on the purple circle with the “+”  icon on the bottom. Then you will select the icon “custom size” icon dimension arrow.

Put in your Dimensions

Canva’s custom sizing feature defaults to pixels. Change your measurements to inches before plugging in your dimensions. Once you’ve done this, go ahead and click “create new design.” It should open to a new screen with a blank white canvas.

Go to the Design Tab

If you need some inspiration and help to get your design starting, go to the Design tab and search for templates to fit your needs. For example, if you were planning a truck-theme birthday party for your son, you could type in “truck birthday invite” and several templates that will fit your custom size will be available to choose from.

Edit and personalize your chosen template

You can now change the text, graphics, fonts, etc of the chosen template you have selected. You can even upload and use your own images. 

Download your design with confidence

Now that you have successfully created your design to your liking you can download it. 

• Click the “Share” button with the up arrow icon. This is found on the top right corner of your screen.

• Then select the download option and choose .pdf print 

Canva suggests saving your print as a .png; however, if you do not have a Canva Pro account you will be unable to scale up the quality of your png and your design will not download at 300 dpi (the recommended resolution for quality printing), but don’t worry! If you save your file with the .pdf print option it will save your file at 300 dpi and with the correct dimensions. If you do not have a pro account you will select the .pdf print RGB option. 

• If you are downloading a .pdf print, make sure to flatten it first. This will help the elements in your design to stay where you put them! 

• Your file should save to the downloads folder of your computer or to your files app if you are using a mobile device. 

You can then upload your files to Printology’s website with confidence that your design will be the right size with quality resolution. 

 Voilà! There you have it! 

 

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