Design from scratch
Don’t want to use templates? Create designs from scratch.
Set custom dimensions for a new design
Use custom dimensions when you need a size that is not available in our design type options.
- On the homepage banner, click Custom size.
- Under Units, click the dropdown menu and select the unit you want to use (for example, px, in, mm, or cm).
- Enter the Width and Height for your design. They should be at least 40px and not more than 8000px.
- To start designing, select Create new design or choose one of the Suggested options. This opens the editor.
Check custom dimensions limits. You can only resize designs within Canva’s size limits.
- Minimum dimensions: 40 x 40 px (pixels)
- Maximum dimensions: 8000 x 3125 px
If the Custom size fields turn red, it means that what you entered is outside of what’s allowed.
If you need a design outside the allowed dimensions (for example, a large banner), start with a supported size. Then resize up or down to match your target size. Here’s how:
- In the Custom size fields of the resize option, enter your target dimensions. If you enter a size outside the allowed limits, the input field will turn red, and a message will appear with the minimum and maximum sizes after you press Enter or click anywhere in the editor.
- Next to the custom size fields, select the (lock the aspect ratio) to lock the current dimensions’ ratio.
- Edit the field that doesn’t meet the size requirements. For example, reduce the width of your banner. Because you locked the aspect ratio, the other side updates automatically. For example, if you reduce the width, the height also changes.
Using ‘start from blank’
Use a blank design type to start with preset dimensions, depending on the specs that you need.
Search within the Create tab
- On the homepage, click the Create tab in the left-side panel.
- On the Create a design page, use the search bar to find the design type or size you want.
- Review the results, then select the design type or size you want. A blank design will open automatically in the editor.
From Canva recommendations
- On the homepage banner row, click the Custom size to view more options.
- Under For you, browse the recommended design types.
- Select a design type. A blank design will open automatically in the editor.
New to the Canva editor?
Learn how the Canva editor works. Select the image below to get started.
Manage where designs open
To help you work on more designs at once, designs now open in a new browser tab by default.
You can change this anytime:
- On the homepage, click your Profile icon to open the menu.
- Select Settings.
- Under Your profile, scroll to Link opening.
- Toggle the setting to choose whether designs open in a new tab or the same tab.
Prepare your design for print
If you’ll be printing your design, we suggest using CMYK colours to help make sure that the colours are printer-friendly. This is because colours don’t look the same on screens and on paper.
We also recommend doing this for Canva Print orders.
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