Getting started
- Pick the size. Size panel (right): choose a product preset or a custom size; landscape / portrait for flats. In job mode the size comes from the job and folds from the product.
- Build the piece. Add a background, text, shapes, photos, a QR code and the permit & address panel from the toolbox (left). Front and Back tabs above the canvas switch sides; 4/4 keeps a back page even if blank.
- Check it. Red / green / blue guides, live warnings, the dpi read-out and the RGB note tell you what will not print well before you save. With a registered account, Print preview, Proof and 3D preview show the actual file; as a guest you approve a proof before anything prints.
- Save. Attach to the job, save to your Art Library, or hand it back to the order you were building. Plavidian receives a press-ready PDF (vector, CMYK, embedded fonts, TrimBox and BleedBox).
The canvas & the guides
- Blue dashed line - bleed edge: backgrounds and photos that touch the edge must run out to it.
- Red dashed line - cut (trim) line: the finished edge of the piece. Rulers measure from here.
- Green dashed line - safe zone (⅛ in inside the cut): keep type and logos inside it.
- Zoom: − / + / Fit above the canvas; the rulers follow. Drop images or PDFs anywhere on the canvas to place them.
- Anything short of the bleed or past the safe zone gets an outline and a note in the Selected panel while it stays selected.
- Select / Move - the pointer. Click to select, drag to move, corner handles resize, the ring above rotates (Shift snaps 15°). Arrow keys nudge 1 pt, Shift+arrows 10 pt. Clicking it also clears the selection and leaves any special mode.
- Background - solid CMYK color for the side, or none.
- Text - a text line (double-click on the canvas to type; per-line bullets and numbering, line spacing) and Text box (wraps, mixes fonts, sizes and styles in one block).
- Shapes & Lines - rectangle, ellipse, triangle, polygon, star, line, and Draw (freehand). Fill / border / opacity in CMYK; shapes size down to 1 pt.
- Erase / Cover - two separate tools. The Eraser removes art: click it on (it says On), drag a box over a placed PDF and what is inside the box is gone from the print file (vector stays vector), then click it again or press Esc to turn it off. Undo last erase and Clear erases sit under it. The White cover box hides art: it adds a white box on top of what is under it; nothing is removed and it prints white.
- QR Code - type a link; the code is vector and stays square.
- Permit & Address - the mailing panel; see below.
- Images & Photos - Upload Images or PDF, and Search stock photos.
- Section titles collapse and expand; open the one you need.
Selected panel (right)
Whatever is selected shows its own controls here: text font / size / style / color, shape fill and border, image crop, PDF options, and the photo editor. Layer up / down, duplicate and delete are here too. Colors are entered as CMYK everywhere - swatches carry real builds (Rich Black is 60/40/40/100), and the eyedropper reads a color straight from the artwork on the canvas: a placed PDF gives its exact CMYK build.
Text & text boxes
- 51 font families shown in themselves; bold, italic, underline; shadow, outline and background effects; letter and line spacing.
- Double-click a text element to type on the canvas. Highlight lines and pick a bullet or numbering style to apply it to just those lines.
- Text boxes wrap and can hold several fonts, sizes and styles - select a run and change it.
- Type is measured in points; anything smaller than about 6 pt or thinner than a hairline is flagged.
Images, photos & PDFs
- Drop PNG, JPG, TIFF or PDF files anywhere on the canvas, or use Upload Images or PDF. Progress shows on the canvas.
- Photos are checked at 300 dpi at the size they are placed. Below that the element outlines red and the panel says how large it can go, or offers Upscale to 300 dpi (adds pixels, not detail - noted on the job).
- Prepress PDFs place trim-on-trim by their TrimBox with crop marks and slug removed; choose bleed box / trim box / whole page, make the page background transparent, and use the Eraser (Erase / Cover in the toolbox, or the PDF's Selected panel) to remove elements from the PDF for real (vector stays vector).
- Crop a photo or a placed PDF: select it, click Crop (in the toolbox or the Selected panel), drag the blue dots, then Done. Reset crop in the Selected panel undoes it; a cropped PDF stays vector.
- RGB images and PDFs get a warning and a one-click Convert to CMYK (vector art stays vector; raster becomes CMYK raster; black and grays print in black ink only). Anything still RGB is converted at output.
Photo editor & brushes
- Resolution (dpi read-out, Upscale), Edit (flip, rotate 90°, reset), White balance, Light (brightness, contrast, highlights, shadows, midtones), Color (saturation, hue, black & white, invert), Ink (CMYK) - individual cyan / magenta / yellow / black - and Detail (sharpen). The canvas previews the real pixels; the print file gets the same maths.
- Retouch brushes: lighten, darken, soften, sharpen, saturate, desaturate, erase to transparent, restore original. Set size and strength, click Paint on photo, drag over the photo; the stroke applies when you release.
- Every up-convert and brush stroke is an edit you can take back with Undo last edit or Revert to original in the Selected panel.
Stock photos (Plavidian Photo Library)
Images & Photos → Search stock photos. Search by words, filter by orientation, color and category; each card says how large the photo can print at 300 dpi. Use this photo brings it onto the canvas like an upload. Photos come from Pixabay under the Pixabay Content License - free for commercial print, no credit needed on the piece.
Permit & address
- One click adds the mailing panel: your return address top-left (double-click to type it), the permit indicia top-right, and the mailing address is added by Plavidian in production. Accounts with several permits pick the one for this mailing; the choice applies to every panel on the design.
- Need permit art? The link in the section opens the Permit Imprint Generator; what you create there lands back in the designer.
- Permit and address are available on mailable sizes only (3½ x 5 in to 12 x 15 in).
Mail rules the designer enforces
- Letters and cards (up to 6⅛ x 11½ in): the address panel sits bottom-right with white carried through the bleed; the lower-right barcode clear zone stays clear.
- Flats (larger): the address must be in the top half - the upper half on a portrait piece, the right half on a landscape piece (USPS measures "top" from a shorter edge). Allowed rotations follow the same rule; the panel outlines red if it is out of place.
- Postcards at the card price: retail up to 4¼ x 6 in; commercial (presorted / automation) up to 6 x 9 in.
- Everything must have ⅛ in bleed; type inside the ⅛ in safe zone; photos at 300 dpi; color CMYK. The designer says so before you save.
Folds & die-cuts
- Folded pieces (half, tri, Z, gate) show light dashed fold lines and a label per panel; the fold comes from the job's product or you set it in the Size panel. 3D preview folds the piece; the Front cover is the panel that stays visible.
- Door hangers (the Door Hanger preset, or a door-hanger job) show the die (hang-hole and slit): keep type and important art ⅛ in clear of it; solid backgrounds should print through it. A custom size never shows it.
Templates
Templates assigned to your account appear when you start; a locked template lets you change only what Plavidian left open. Ask us to load your master designs - editable or locked.
Preview, proof & 3D
These come with a registered Plavidian account.
- Print preview - the actual built file, per side, at trim size.
- Proof - full-screen high-resolution view; from there a watermarked proof can be emailed for approval (never the print file).
- 3D preview - turn the piece over; folded pieces fold up.
Saving & what we receive
- Job mode: the PDF attaches to the job as a Print Ready PDF and the job notes it. Workbench mode: it saves to your Art Library. From the order builder it hands back to the order.
- What we get: a vector PDF with a true TrimBox and BleedBox, embedded fonts, CMYK color, photos at their placed resolution, no crop marks - the same file prepress would build. A design file is saved beside it so you can reopen and edit later.
- Leaving with unsaved work asks you to save, leave, or stay.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y | Undo / redo |
| Arrow keys (Shift = 10x) | Nudge the selected element |
| Delete / Backspace | Remove the selected element (not while typing) |
| Esc | Leave draw / crop / erase / paint mode, close a panel |
| Double-click text | Type on the canvas |
| Shift while rotating | Snap to 15° |
| F1 | This guide |
Common questions
Why is my photo outlined red? It is below 300 dpi at that size. Make it smaller, use a bigger source, or Upscale to 300 dpi (smoother, not sharper).
Why did the RGB note appear? The file uses RGB color; press color is CMYK. Convert now to see the CMYK look, or let output convert it.
Where is the mailing address? Plavidian adds each recipient's address in production, in the panel the designer places. You supply the return address and permit.
Can I get a PDF for another printer? No - the design saves to your job or Art Library. Proofs can be emailed, watermarked.
Something looks wrong on press? Prepress can open your file in the designer's correction mode, fix and flatten it, and the job proceeds - you will hear from us if a change affects the look.
