How To Make An Etsy Shop Banner Without Photoshop

Shop Banner Made With Print Master Gold

Do you want to design a shop banner for your Etsy, but don't have photoshop, or think it is too complicated to use? Then this post is for you! I am going to give you a quick walkthrough of how I used Print Master Gold, available at Staples and Walmart for around 30 dollars, to make the Valentine's Etsy banner above.

First of all, if you know how to use Photoshop, but don't want to pay for it, just go download GIMP 2. This is a free version fo photoshop. Use the template 760 x 100 pixels for your banner.

This is the software I used to make my banner and there are many other programs like it, used to create everything from greeting cards to calendars. The advantage is that it is easy to use and has lots of free clip art. You can buy the latest version online here: 

http://www.encore.com/p-234-printmaster-2012-platinum.aspx?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ppc

1) To get started, you will need to choose a canvas size, the same as the Etsy shop banner is. This software does not give pixel sizes, so I had to take out a ruler and physically measure my screen on Etsy for the banner size. I set the dimensions in Print Master to a custom project with dimensions of 1.25 inches by 10.2 inches. The banner show above is a tad smaller than that size.

2) Now, you should have a canvas with the dimensions of your Etsy banner to play with. The next part, designing, is fun and simple. Anything off the perimiter of your canvas will not fit and not be visible. You can shirnk and expand objects by dragging the corners of the boxes. Clip art, text, and imported images all have boxes that you can easily shrink, expand, and rotate by dragging with the mouse.

3) Choose a background for your banner. This can be found under backgrounds or papers. You can even import your own picture to use.

4) Add a headline or text box with the name of your shop. Play with the fonts, colors, and sizes and drag your shop name aroudn the screen to find the positioning that suits you.

5) Choose some clip art to accentuate your theme. On Print Master, there are 20 thousand free clip art images. Click on the daisy/flower icon to start searchign for clip art. When you find something you like, drag the corner of the image box to shrink or expand it.

6) Save your project as a JPEG. If you are using Print Master, this means you must choose the option "Share Project" and export your image as a JPEG. Make sure you save your file in the format, so it is easy to use on Etsy.

7) Now, add your new banner to your Etsy shop by going into your account in the Information and Appearances section. For the shop banner, you can browse your computer for the JPEG file you made and then choose to save changes. Your new banner should be visible in your shop.