Creating a Custom Design in Photoshop


Follow the steps to create, design, and upload a custom raised business card to T-RexCards.com.

Step 1 - Create a New File

If you don't want to download our pre-made Photoshop template (click here to download it) and instead prefer start a new design from scratch, OR you have an existing design that you need to reformat, follow our file creation guide for Photoshop below.

How-to   Graphic Representation
1. In Photoshop create a new file (File > New) with:
  • A canvas width of 2100 pixels
  • A canvas height of 1200 pixels
  • A resolution of 300 pixels / inch
  • Color mode set to RGB and 8 bit
  • Background contents set to "White" or "Transparent"
Note: if you are concerned about file size, you can create your design at 72 pixels / inch which is the minimum resolution that we accept for raised ink designs. If you are editing an existing design, in Photoshop press "CNTRL + ALT + I" to resize your image or "CNTRL + ALT + C" to adjust your canvas size to the correct dimensions.

  
Creating a new design in Photoshop

2. Set guides for yourself at .25" & 6.75" vertical and .25" and 3.75" horizontal. When designing your card, do not go out-side of these guides.

You can set a guide in Photoshop by clicking "View" on the menu and selecting "New Guide..."

Your canvas should look like the canvas in the second image to the right. Note that you may need to decrease the "zoom" to 33% to view your entire canvas. You can do so in the bottom left hand corner of your Photoshop window.

  


Setting your design guides


How your new canvas should look

Step 2 - Create Your Design

Now that you've got your canvas setup and ready to go, you can start working on your design. While designing, you need to keep the following things in mind:

How-to   Graphic Representation
1. Do not go outside of the guides that you created. Any design that is submitted that goes past these lines is subject to decline. The only exception to this rule is a horizontal full bleed (explained in step #3).

  
WRONG!
2. When working with text or graphics, use full solid colors. Gradients will not work with the raised-ink printing process.

    

3. We do accept full bleeds, but only if the bleed is 100% of the width (or height) of the card and of a consistent height.

We cannot except a full bleed if it does not stay consistent across the x-axis or y-axis of the card in terms of width and height OR if it only touches one edge of the canvas but not the other.

  
CORRECT BLEED!
4. Please make sure that you own the license to any non-free or non open-license fonts that are used in your design.

    


Step 3 - Notes for Two Color Designs

When designing a two-color card, keep the following items in mind:

How-to   Graphic Representation
1. Colors may not touch. When designing, please leave a 2 to 3 pixel border minimum between colors. This is due to the slight shift that occurs when printing via the thermography process.

  


WRONG!


CORRECT!
2. The use of gradients in a design causes ink to be laid on to the card stock incorrectly when printed. So please remember not to use gradients... full colors only!

    
3. Keep in mind that your design will be saved as two PNG files when you are done, one for each color. Design your Photoshop file in a way that will make it easy to hide each colored layer when it comes time to save and export.

  
Example of how to organize your Photoshop layers

   
Step 4 - Saving & Uploading Your Design

Our printing process requires you send us a PNG file. To save your PSD file as a PNG, follow these steps.

How-to   Graphic Representation
1. Ensure that your color mode is set to RGB. You can check this by going to Image > Mode and ensuring "RBG" is checked. If it is not, select "RGB" and when prompted click "Do Not Merge".

  
Set the color mode to RGB, otherwise you will not be able to save your design in PNG format
2. Go to File > Save As, type in your file name and select "PNG (*.PNG)" under the "Format" drop-down menu.

  
Saving your design as a PNG
3. Create two PNG files if your design is a two color design, one PNG for each color.

    
4. Navigate to our Custom Upload page and select the type of file (1 color or 2 color) that you'd like to submit.

    
5. Click "Choose File" to select your PNG design on your hard-drive, then select your paper type and ink color in the appropriate drop-down menus. For 2 color designs you will follow this process twice.