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Page Revision: 2012/02/06 16:37


Design Creation Specifications

Quick Links

Before You Start


Our team at ezprints has worked hard to make the design creation process as easy as possible. However, there are many important details and specific instructions within this guide, which must be followed precisely in order to ensure that your designs import properly and function as intended. It is important that you read through this document carefully and ensure that you understand the design creation process. There are links throughout this document to help you navigate through the manual.

Even if this is your first time creating designs, with the help of this guide, you should be able to overcome any obstacles that may come your way. In the past partners were required to submit two designs for review so we could verify they were properly created. This is no longer necessary with the suite of tools at your disposal. Once you have finished creating your first design, with the aid of this guide, just follow the instructions laid out in the Design Center User Guide to upload and review your design. If you don't see any errors and everything looks good to you, feel free to continue designing and uploading.

All files should be created in Adobe Photoshop 7.0 or newer. Please note that Elements is a trimmed down version of Photoshop and this program does not support all of the necessary functions. The creation of design files can be a bit tricky, so it is recommended that this work be done by a graphic artist who is very familiar with Adobe Photoshop. If you require additional assistance with the design creation process, please for rates and other options.

Designs Explained

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Creating a design begins with the PSD Your PSD has layers for artwork, photo regions and text regions, which this guide will cover. But that is just the visual portion of your design. Using the extra information a PSD can hold, called metadata, you can tell the Upload tool the name of your design, any categories you want it to have and even the design collection you want it to show up in once processed.


What are templates and how are they created?
During processing, our Upload tool determines what products your design would work for based on its size. A template is your design applied to a product.

So if you have a design that could work for a print, totebag, photo panel and folded card then you will get four templates from the uploaded design.

And if you have multiple PSD's that have the same metadata, all the templates from those files will be part of the same design.
A template knows all about its parent design.
Designs, as mentioned above, have categories (as well as other important properties). Categories, and those other properties, are inherited by a design's templates.

So no matter what product you are viewing the EZP Builder if your design has a template for that product it will bring with it all of the categories and properties you've given to its parent design.


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Organizing designs for use in the EZP Builder To get your designs and their templates into the builder you need to create a design collection. A design collection is a group of designs in a particular order that is given a name. In the case of the design Snowflakes you see that the design collection is set as Christmas in its metadata.

When that design was processed, it was added to the end of the Christmas collection. After a design is added to a collection it can be sorted. Each design in a collection has a position that determines the order that its template will show in each product in the EZP Builder. In the case of Snowflakes, it will always appear before the templates for the #4 design and after the templates for the #1 & #2 designs.

The beauty of designs is that their sort order can be different from one collection to another. This makes it easy to offer multiple arrangements for different events or seasons throughout the year.


Creating your design

File Settings - Create a new file from the main menu (You may want to Save the Preset so that you can quickly create another template for the same product later.)
  • Select Custom size and refer to the Document Size Guide below. Enter the appropriate width and height for the product you have chosen. (Most products will support both vertical and horizontal template layouts. If you wish to offer both orientations, you will need to create (2) separate template files, using "_V" or "_H" in the filename to differentiate the two.)
  • Set the unites to pixels
  • Set your resolution to 300 pixels/inch
  • Color settings should be RGB 8 bit
  • Use a white background

Design Guides

Artwork or text near the edges of the template may be cropped during production, so design guides have been specified to assist you in the design process; you will want to ensure that any critical elements such as text boxes and copyright marks fall within the guidelines noted. Refer to the notes in the Document Size Guide to determine the correct guidelines for the product template you are designing.

  • If the product you are designing requires a mask, as indicated in the Document Size Guide, you may download them here http://db.tt/RAMWCX. Place the appropriate mask in your design file. This should remain as your top layer, and you can turn it on and off as you are designing. Turn the mask layer on to see how your design will be cropped during the production process. Be sure to delete this layer or turn it off before you upload your design file; if you do not delete this layer, it may result in quality issues in production.
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    If no mask is provided, use guidelines to keep critical artwork away from the edges of the canvas. The Document Size Guide provides the minimum recommended clearance along all the edges for all critical elements.
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Main Artwork

This layer will contain all fixed elements, such as logos, copyright marks, fixed text and other design elements. You can download the example templates shown in this guide here http://db.tt/bfwSiZs.

  • Artwork should be on a single layer; if you create the file on multiple layers, merge the artwork layers before uploading the design. If you do not merge the artwork layers, your design may not work as intended.
  • Always view your final artwork at 100% opacity, as this is the way the design will be processed.
  • If you use effects or blending options when creating your designs, merge this layer with your other artwork layers or a blank transparent layer. this is the only way that effects will be maintained in the final product.
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  • Each photo region must be solid RGB Blue (0,0,255)
  • Each photo region must sit on its own layer, with no other data. If there is other (invisible) data on the photo layer, the photo region will be expanded when the design is imported, causing a design defect.
    To ensure that there is no other data, create a new layer and lock the layer after you draw the photo region.
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  • Each layer should be named "Photo 1", "Photo 2", etc.
    There are two types of photo regions
    1. Basic photo region - simple square or rectangle photo region
    2. Special shape photo region - all other shapes
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  • To create a basic photo region, draw your shape on its own layer, on top of your artwork layer.
  • To create a special shape, you will need to create a window in your artwork layer and place your photo on its own layer below the artwork.
    1. Using the marquee tool, select the area for your photo region. Delete the artwork within the marquee. do not use clipping paths or masks.
    2. Draw a rectangular photo region that is ~3 pixels wider than your window on each side. (Do not rotate your photo region).
    3. Move your photo region behind the artwork layer
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  • Ensure that your photo regions are drawn correctly and do not unintentionally overlap. If photo regions overlap the upper most photo may cover part of another photo, resulting in a design defect.

Text Regions

This section refers to all the text that the customer would customize (for example, an event date or photo caption). All text that the customer cannot customize should be included in the main artwork.

  • Use paragraph type for text regions. Draw your text box large engough to accommodate the most extreme case and enter sample (example) text. (For example, if you are designing a greeting card and want the customer to be able to enter a poem, you could create a text box that covers most of the template area or if you are creating a text box for a person's name, make sure your box is large enough to accommodate long names
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  • Use the text tool to create the appropriate size box; do not use the transform function to stretch the text box boundaries, as this causes errors.
  • To change the size of your text, use the text settings. Do not transform (CTRL + T (or CMD + T on Mac)) or stretch your text boxes. This will create scaling problems, and your template may not import properly.
    Image
  • The sample text that you use in your psd file will be visible in the template previews; be sure to use appropriate sample text.
  • Make sure that text boxes do not contain any extra carriage returns of text that runs beyond the lower boundary of the box, as this may cause errors.
  • Designers may specify the following properties by typing sample text in the text box and formatting the sample (all text within a text box must have the same properties):
    • Alignment (left/right/center)
    • Font size
    • Font Style (refer to enclosed list of fonts)
    • Font color
  • Please note that all text effects (including special spacing, rotation, all caps, etc.) will be lost during template import.
  • By default, the instructional text which the customer sees will say "Click to add text." If you would like to offer different instructions, you can name your text layer like this:
    • Format for the layer name is "i:instruction"
    • If you would like the box to say "Personal Message" your layer name should be "i:Personal Message"
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Creating Multi-Page Templates

Here is a breakdown of all currently implemented multi-page products:

2 Pages
  • Star Ornament, 1012x975 (10137)
  • Round Ornament, 1000x1000 (10138)

2/3 Pages
  • 5 x 7 Folded Cards, 3054x2138, 2 groups (Outside, Inside) - (70200 and additional skus)
  • Eco Friendly 5 x 7 Folded Cards, 3054x2138, 2 groups (Outside, Inside) - (74004)
  • 3.5 x 5 Folded Cards, 2152x1538, 2 groups (Outside, Inside) - (70250 and additional skus)
  • 5 x 7 Folded Card with Envelope, 3054x2138, 3 groups (Outside, Inside, last group empty for envelope) - (70250 and additional skus)
  • 3.5 x 5 Folded Card with Envelope, 2152x1538, 3 groups (Outside, Inside, last group empty for envelope) - (70250 and additional skus)
  • 5.25 x 5.25 Folded Cards, 3226x1613, 3 groups (Outside, Inside, last group empty for envelope) - (70250 and additional skus)

In the above specs, portrait cards have dimensions width > height. Outside and inside are right-side-up to designer. Landscape cards have dimensions width < height. All of the inside page is right-side-up to designer.

The bottom half of the outside page is right-side-up to designer and will become the front of the folded

Adding Metadata to Your Files

As we mention in the Designs Explained section, metadata is what describes your PSD to the upload tool and allows the tool to add information and organization to the templates created from your uploaded design. We recommend using Adobe Bridge to assign the metadata as it provides quick and easy access to the available metadata fields and it allows you to add information to multiple PSD's at once. Below are the fields and what they represent to the design and templates created.
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Looking at the metadata entered above you would end up with a Design called, 'My Design'. It would be uploaded directly into the Design Collection, 'Holiday Collection'. It has the following categories assigned to it, 'Holiday, Thanksgiving and Christmas'. These represent the most common fields that are used to prepare PSD's for upload. The last one is less common. This PSD will create a Template with the name, 'Happy Holidays'. The reason the Template Name field is less common is because by default it is not shown in the builder. This can be turned on in the create call for the builder deployment on your site, however.

When all the metadata needed has been assigned to your PSD's proceed to the Final Review.

Final Review and Uploading Your Files

Final Review - These are final steps and a quick checklist of common issues to look for before uploading your files.

  • Trim your file, to eliminate any excess marks outside of the canvas area. Even one pixel outside of the canvas area can cause issues.
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  • Double check to ensure that your file is set to the correct pixel dimensions, as indicated in the Document Size Guide.
  • Make sure all artwork is merged into a single layer.
  • If your PSD has a 'EZP-MASK' layer it should be removed. (This will not be necessary after the next release of ezp Tools)

Lastly, view the Design Center User Guide for instructions on uploading your design and reviewing its templates.

Document Size Guide

* Templates for this product can be both vertical and horizontal. To create a template with both landscape and portrait orientations, two psds must be created - one for each orientation. These two psds will be named exactly the same except the landscape psd will start with "h_" and the portrait psd will start with "v_". The psds can be uploaded in any order. For each product that matches the psd size, three templates will be created, one landscape only, one portrait only, and one combined landscape and portrait. If there are no issues, the desired templates can then be approved and published.

** The Sample Template links provide ready-to-use PSD's for template creation. However, as of right now the 'EZP-MASK' layer will need to be removed prior to uploading. This will not be necessary after the next release of ezp Tools.

Photobooks

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
8x8 Photo Book24752475working space = 7.125" W x 7.25" H
8.75x11 Photo Book34262649working space = 10.125" W x 7.875" H
12x12 Photo Book36753675working space = 11.125" W x 11.25" H

Gifts & Keepsakes

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
Mouspad*28502400 Sample Template
11 oz. Mug2400975Set guides 1/8" in from edgesSample Template
15 oz. Mug24001125Set guides 1/8" in from edgesSample Template
11 oz. Black Mug2100938Set guides 1/8" in from edgesSample Template
Stainless Steel Mug1100825Set guides 1/8" in from edgesSample Template
Water Bottle21001500Set guides 1/8" in from edgesSample Template
2.5 x 3.5 Magnet*1050750 Sample Template
3.5 x 5 Single Magnet*15001050 Sample Template
3.5 x 5 Magnet Packs*15001050 Sample Template
Star Ornament1012975 Sample Template
Round Ornament10001000 Sample Template
Luggage Tag*1238863 Sample Template
Key Tag*700564 Sample Template
16" Necklace with Square Charm177177 Sample Template
3 Inch Button938938 Sample Template
4 Inch Button12381238 Sample Template
Set of Four Coasters12001200 Sample Template
Set of Four Coaster - Unique12001200 Sample Template
5.25x5.25 Photo Panel165016501/8"Sample Template
5x7 Photo Panel*210015001/8"Sample Template
8x10 Photo Panel*300024001/8"Sample Template
10x10 Photo Panel*307530751/8"Sample Template
252 Piece Puzzle*42003000 Sample Template
Tote Bag*21001500Set guides 1/8" in from edgesSample Template
Playing Cards*1088788 Sample Template
Keepsake Box or Desk Organizer13501350Set guides 1/8" in from edgesSample Template
15" Laptop Cover401727211/8"Sample Template
17" Laptop Cover427529251/8"Sample Template
iPad Cover228629251/8"Sample Template
iPhone 4 Cover69013501/8"Sample Template
iPhone 3G/3GS Cover75013501/8"Sample Template
iPod Cover 72013051/8"Sample Template
Openwork Ornament600600 Sample Template
iPhone 4 Case - Barely There96915301/8" inside mask borders Sample Template
iPhone 4 Case - Tough96915301/8" inside mask borders Sample Template
iPhone 3G/3GS Case - Barely There96915301/8" inside mask borders Sample Template
iPhone 3G/3GS Case - Tough96915301/8" inside mask borders Sample Template
Verizon iPhone 4 Case - Barely There96915301/8" inside mask borders Sample Template
iPod Touch 4G Case96915301/8" inside mask borders Sample Template
BlackBerry Bold 9700 Case96915301/8" inside mask borders Sample Template
BlackBerry Curve 8520/9300/3G Case96915301/8" inside mask borders Sample Template
Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant Case16609781/8" inside mask borders Sample Template
Tile Mural382525501/8"Sample Template
Single 6" Tile187518751/8"Sample Template
11x14 Poster Cling420033001/8"Sample Template
16x20 Poster Cling600048001/8"Sample Template
Adult Small Hoodie347139771/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Adult Medium Hoodie347139771/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Adult Large Hoodie347139771/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Adult XL Hoodie347139771/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Adult XXL Hoodie347139771/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Men's Small Tee360048001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Men's Medium Tee360048001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Men's Large Tee360048001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Men's XL Tee360048001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Men's XXL Tee360048001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Toddler Small Tee315036001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Toddler Medium Tee315036001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Toddler Large Tee315036001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Women's Small Tee360048001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Women's Medium Tee360048001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Women's Large Tee360048001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Women's XL Tee360048001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Youth Small Tee315036001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Youth Medium Tee315036001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template
Youth Large Tee315036001/8" - portrait orientation onlySample Template

Apparel

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
Apron*28502250Set guides 1/8" in from edges
T Shirt, Youth S - XL28502250Set guides 1/8" in from edges
T Shirt, Adult S - XXL28502250Set guides 1/8" in from edges
T Shirt, Adult S - XXXL 13x10 Image39003000Set guides 1/8" in from edges

Photographic Prints

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
3.5x5 Print*15001050Set guides 1/8" in from edges
4x5 Print15001200Set guides 1/8" in from edges
5x5 Print15001500Set guides 1/8" in from edges
4D Print15991200Set guides 1/8" in from edges
4x6 Print18001200Set guides 1/8" in from edges
5D Print19981500Set guides 1/8" in from edges
5x7 Print21001500Set guides 1/8" in from edges
4 Wallet Prints21001500Set guides 1/8" in from edges
4x8 Print24001200Set guides 1/8" in from edges
8x8 Print24002400Set guides 1/8" in from edges
8x10 Print30002400Set guides 1/8" in from edges
10x10 Print30003000Set guides 1/8" in from edges
8D Print31982400Set guides 1/8" in from edges
8.5x11 Print33002550Set guides 1/8" in from edges
8x12 Print36002400Set guides 1/8" in from edges
9x12 Print*36002700Set guides 1/8" in from edges
10x12 Print36003000Set guides 1/8" in from edges
12x12 Print or Mounted Print36003600Set guides 1/8" in from edges
8x14 Print42002400Set guides 1/8" in from edges
11x14 Print or Mounted Print42003300Set guides 1/8" in from edges
10x15 Print45003000Set guides 1/8" in from edges
12x18 Print54003600Set guides 1/8" in from edges
10x20 Print60003000Set guides 1/8" in from edges
16x20 Print or Mounted Print60004800Set guides 1/8" in from edges
20x20 Print or Mounted Print60006000Set guides 1/8" in from edges
13x22 Print66003900Set guides 1/8" in from edges
16x24 Print72004800Set guides 1/8" in from edges
18x24 Print72005400Set guides 1/8" in from edges
20x24 Print72006000Set guides 1/8" in from edges
20x30 Print or Mounted Print90006000Set guides 1/8" in from edges
24x36 Print108007200Set guides 1/8" in from edges
30x40 Print120009000Set guides 1/8" in from edges

Cards & Stationery

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
1.75” x 1.75” Sticker – 24 Pack*525525
1.6" x 2.25" Sticker - 20 Pack*675480
1" x 2.625" Address Label - 30 Pack*825338Set guides 1/8" in from edges
Eco Friendly Small Notepad12001200Set guides 1/8" in from edges
3.5x5 Folded Cards*15381076Set guides 1/8" in from edges
Eco Friendly 4x5 Note Cards*15001200Set guides 1/8" in from edges
Eco Friendly Notepad15001500Set guides 1/8" in from edges
4x6 Postcard*18001200Set guides 1/8" in from edges
5x7 Folded Card*21381527Set guides 1/8" in from edges
5x7 Greeting Card*21001500Set guides 1/8" in from edges
Eco Friendly 5x7 Folded Cards*21381527Set guides 1/8" in from edges
Eco Friendly Refrigerator Notepad24381088Set guides 1/8" in from edges
4x8 Greeting Cards*24001200Set guides 1/8" in from edges
12 - 18 Month Calendars33002550Set guides 1/8" in from edgesTemplate
4x9.25 Flat Cards*
Matte, Pearl and Felt paper options		28121237Set guides 1/8" in from edges
5x7 Flat Cards*
Matte, Pearl and Felt paper options		21371537Set guides 1/8" in from edges
3.5x5 Flat Cards*
Matte, Pearl and Felt paper options		15371087Set guides 1/8" in from edges
5.25x5.25 Flat Cards*
Matte, Pearl and Felt paper options		16121612Set guides 1/8" in from edges

Rolled Canvas

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
8x10 Rolled Canvas30002400
8x12 Rolled Canvas36002400
10x10 Rolled Canvas30003000
10x15 Rolled Canvas45003000
10x25 Rolled Canvas75003000
11x14 Rolled Canvas42003300
12x12 Rolled Canvas36003600
12x18 Rolled Canvas54003600
16x16 Rolled Canvas48004800
16x20 Rolled Canvas60004800
16x24 Rolled Canvas72004800
16x40 Rolled Canvas120004800
20x20 Rolled Canvas60006000
20x30 Rolled Canvas90006000
22x55 Rolled Canvas165006600
24x24 Rolled Canvas72007200
30x30 Rolled Canvas90009000
30x40 Rolled Canvas120009000
30x45 Rolled Canvas135009000
36x36 Rolled Canvas1080010800

Gallery Wrapped Canvas

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
8x10 Gallery Wrapped Canvas40503450Set guides 1.75" in from edges
8x12 Gallery Wrapped Canvas46503450Set guides 1.75" in from edges
10x10 Gallery Wrapped Canvas40504050Set guides 1.75" in from edges
10x15 Gallery Wrapped Canvas55504050Set guides 1.75" in from edges
11x14 Gallery Wrapped Canvas52504350Set guides 1.75" in from edges
12x12 Gallery Wrapped Canvas46504650Set guides 1.75" in from edges
12x18 Gallery Wrapped Canvas64504650Set guides 1.75" in from edges
16x20 Gallery Wrapped Canvas70505850Set guides 1.75" in from edges
16x24 Gallery Wrapped Canvas82505850Set guides 1.75" in from edges
20x20 Gallery Wrapped Canvas70507050Set guides 1.75" in from edges
20x30 Gallery Wrapped Canvas100507050Set guides 1.75" in from edges
24x24 Gallery Wrapped Canvas82508250Set guides 1.75" in from edges
24x36 Gallery Wrapped Canvas118508250Set guides 1.75" in from edges
30x40 Gallery Wrapped Canvas1305010050Set guides 1.75" in from edges
36x36 Gallery Wrapped Canvas1185011850Set guides 1.75" in from edges

Framed Canvas

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
10x25 Framed Canvas75003000Set guides 1/2" in from edges
11x14 Framed Canvas42003300Set guides 1/2" in from edges
12x18 Framed Canvas54003600Set guides 1/2" in from edges
16x16 Framed Canvas48004800Set guides 1/2" in from edges
16x20 Framed Canvas60004800Set guides 1/2" in from edges
16x40 Framed Canvas120004800Set guides 1/2" in from edges
20x30 Framed Canvas90006000Set guides 1/2" in from edges
22x55 Framed Canvas165006600Set guides 1/2" in from edges
24x24 Framed Canvas72007200Set guides 1/2" in from edges
24x36 Framed Canvas108007200Set guides 1/2" in from edges
24x60 Framed Canvas180007200Set guides 1/2" in from edges
30x30 Framed Canvas90009000Set guides 1/2" in from edges
30x40 Framed Canvas120009000Set guides 1/2" in from edges
30x45 Framed Canvas135009000Set guides 1/2" in from edges
36x36 Framed Canvas1080010800Set guides 1/2" in from edges

Rolled Poster

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
10x25 Rolled Poster75003000
11x14 Rolled Poster42003300
12x18 Rolled Poster54003600
16x16 Rolled Poster48004800
16x20 Rolled Poster60004800
16x40 Rolled Poster120004800
20x30 Rolled Poster90006000
22x55 Rolled Poster165006600
24x24 Rolled Poster72007200
24x36 Rolled Poster108007200
24x60 Rolled Poster180007200
30x30 Rolled Poster90009000
30x40 Rolled Poster120009000
30x45 Rolled Poster135009000
36x36 Rolled Poster1080010800

Framed Poster

ProductWidthHeightGuidesTemplate
10x25 Framed Poster76883075Set guides 1/2" in from edges
11x14 Framed Poster42953375Set guides 1/2" in from edges
12x18 Framed Poster55133675Set guides 1/2" in from edges
16x16 Framed Poster48754875Set guides 1/2" in from edges
16x20 Framed Poster60944875Set guides 1/2" in from edges
16x40 Framed Poster121884875Set guides 1/2" in from edges
20x30 Framed Poster91136075Set guides 1/2" in from edges
22x55 Framed Poster166886675Set guides 1/2" in from edges
24x24 Framed Poster72757275Set guides 1/2" in from edges
24x36 Framed Poster109137275Set guides 1/2" in from edges
24x60 Framed Poster181887275Set guides 1/2" in from edges
30x30 Framed Poster90759075Set guides 1/2" in from edges
30x40 Framed Poster121009075Set guides 1/2" in from edges
30x45 Framed Poster136139075Set guides 1/2" in from edges
36x36 Framed Poster1087510875Set guides 1/2" in from edges

Builder Supported Fonts

Download all ezp Builder Fonts

  • Liberation Sans Regular, Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic
  • Liberation Serif Regular, Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic
  • Questrial
  • Short Stack
  • Saturday Morning (aka Mountains of Christmas)
  • Chantelli Antiqua
  • Roman SD
  • All Star
  • Budmo Jiggler
  • Bebas Neue
  • Bangers
  • Gothic Bold
  • Bowlby One
  • Playoff
  • ChunkFive Roman
  • Paytone One
  • Brock Script
  • England Hand
  • Calamity Jane Bold
  • Dancing Script
  • Redressed
  • Pacifico