How to design your own ID cards

This is a step-by-step guide to help you design your own ID cards. Follow these steps, and you'll be on your way to getting perfectly printed ID cards for your business.

Design Software and Apps

Feel free to use the design software or application that you find easiest to use. If you're not sure where to start, we recommend: • Affinity Designer  • Adobe Photoshop  • Adobe Illustrator

We've also printed some fantastic cards that our clients made using Canva.com. Some have even used Microsoft Word and Publisher for basic designs.

Step 1 | Setting up your page or canvas.

Set up a page sized 86x54mm, which is roughly the same size as the ID card we’ll be printing for you, either landscape or portrait. You don't need to round the corners or add crop marks. For full bleed please add 3mm to each side.

• Page Size: 86x54mm

• Full Bleed: 89x57mm

• Safe-Zone: 82x50mm

• Colours: CMYK or RGB

• Resolution: 300dpi

Background colours or graphics should stretch right to the edge of the cards into the bleed area to ensure a fully edge-to-edge print with no white borders visible.

Important data, such as logos, business details and personal information should be kept within the 82x50mm safe-zone. This ensures that your data won't be cut off during print, or be obstructed by badge holders.

The safe-zone size should stay the same whether creating standard or full bleed designs. The resolution should be at least 300dpi and the colour profile can be CMYK or RGB (RGB colours will be converted during print).

• Magnetic Strips Leave a blank 13mm thick strip all the way across the design, 4mm away from the top edge.

• Security HoloImage Leave a blank 14 x 14mm box in the bottom right corner of the design, 4mm away from the bottom and right edges.

• Slot Punch Leave a blank strip measuring 16x3mm in the centre of the design, 5mm away from the top edge.

Step 2 | Add your logo or a background image

Adding your business logo first can help keep the design co-ordinated around the logo and colour scheme.

If you don't have a logo, try adding your business name in different font styles and colours instead. You can add extra design elements to your card, or even a full background image or colour at this point, too.

Step 3 | Add a space for the photo

Draw a box or another shape to contain your staff or member photos and place it in your design, adjusting the shape and size until you're happy with how it looks.

The box can remain blank for us to add photos for you, or you can add photos yourself by using the 'add image' tool or dropping and dragging them in to the design.

Step 4 | Add space for personal info

If creating your own design, you can create a template with blank spaces for names, job titles and photos. We'll then use your blank template to personalise and print each card for you.

Alternatively, you can add the names, job titles and photos to the design yourself. If choosing this method, please send a copy of each person's card for us to print from.

Use the text tool to add staff or member details to your ID card design, such as • Names • Job titles • Work department • ID card number • Issue/Expiry Date • Qualifications • Access rights

We advise not adding very sensitive information such as personal addresses and birthdates.

Step 5 | Business and Security details

Next, you can add more information about your business. Many of our clients like to add their business address and contact details, either along the bottom of their ID cards in small text or in larger text on the reverse. • Registered business address • Telephone number • Email address • Website • Affiliations & qualifications (i.e. gas safe, NHS, etc.)

We recommend adding some security features to your ID cards such as:

• Issue or expiry dates

• ID card numbers

• Printed signature or signature strip

• Barcodes or QR codes

• ‘If found, please return to:...'

Step 6 | Save your design for print

Please double check your design to make sure you’re happy with it, then save or export it as one of the following:

.JPEG / .JPG / .PNG / .BMP / .PDF / .AI / .EPS / .PSD

Your fonts should be converted to curves/outlines or flattened unless you’re sending your design as a jpeg or png file.

Before sending your artwork to us:

• Please remove any bleed, crop and safety-zone marks from your artwork. The corners should be square and not rounded.

• If you want us to use your design to personalise an ID card for each of your staff or club members, please ensure you remove the names, job titles and photos, leaving blank spaces where we can enter everyone’s personal information for you.

• If you want to personalise your own ID cards, please send us a file for each staff or club member which is complete with their names, job titles and photos as you want them to be printed. • Your design should fill the entire page.

• Each design should be on its own page (front/reverse or an ID card for each person).

• Please advise / provide us with the fonts to use to personalise your cards.

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