How to easily make custom gifts for friends and family

Embrace the joy of DIY gifts this year with Canva – offering a personal touch and affordability. With Canva Print, you have the power to turn your existing designs and templates into a variety of tangible products, and Canva will even provide free delivery.

Canva's extensive library of over 250,000 templates ensures you won't need to build any print product from the ground up.

It’s the thought that counts, and these thoughtful custom gift ideas will show your loved ones just how much you think of them. From custom mugs⁠(opens in a new tab or window), pint glasses⁠(opens in a new tab or window), t-shirts⁠(opens in a new tab or window), tote bags⁠(opens in a new tab or window), notebooks⁠(opens in a new tab or window), and posters⁠(opens in a new tab or window), you can create customized gifts in Canva and ship them directly to your home or loved ones.

Immortalize treasured memories by creating a photo book⁠(opens in a new tab or window). A well-designed photo book not only serves as a delightful conversation piece, but also provides an opportunity for family members and friends to reminisce and bond over shared memories.

A photo book is a beautiful, tangible keepsake featuring a collection of photos, illustrations or drawings thoughtfully arranged to tell a story. These albums often follow a theme or are centered around a specific event or milestone⁠(opens in a new tab or window), making them the perfect way to showcase cherished moments.

Consider crafting a photobook to commemorate significant life events such as weddings, birthdays, vacations, graduations, or even to display baby photos. Personalize your photo book with unique layouts, captions and quotes.

A custom t-shirt⁠(opens in a new tab or window) or hoodie is not only a thoughtful and unique gift, but also a wearable keepsake that allows your loved ones to carry a piece of your creativity and affection with them. Begin by selecting a theme or concept⁠(opens in a new tab or window) that resonates with them, whether it's based on their hobbies, interests or a special memory you've shared together.

The process is simplified with Canva's drag-and-drop interface, allowing you to easily create custom designs by choosing the ideal template or by starting with a graphic and incorporating your own images and text.

Canva's clothing is printed by an environmentally conscious manufacturer using direct-to-garment (DTG) printing and child-safe inks. Adult t-shirts feature 100% combed cotton, providing a softer texture than regular cotton and youth t-shirts use 100% combed ringspun cotton fine jersey for enhanced durability.

Before ordering on the Canva Print store⁠(opens in a new tab or window), ensure the final design has a minimum of 220 PPI to prevent pixelation. Before downloading, adjust your design for CMYK printing to achieve vivid colors on the fabric.

Unleash your artistic side by creating a personalized, framed canvas print. These customized pieces are perfect for gifting to friends and family, or adding a touch of personalization to your home and office. Consider featuring milestone moments, memories from special occasions or landscape and wildlife photography from your travels.

Begin by selecting your favorite images or crafting an original photo collage. Explore the different layouts, backgrounds and color schemes within Canva to produce an eye-catching piece.

Next, choose the right canvas size and frame style to compliment your friend’s home décor. With numerous dimensions and framing choices, you can find the perfect pairing to suit any space.

Tote bags⁠(opens in a new tab or window) have long been one of the most popular bits of customized merch for events, bands, brands, and now your family and friends. Socks are a boring present but, provided they fit, they are practical and will be used.

A tote, on the other hand, isn’t boring and is super practical, likely to be used even more than socks, especially with your awesome customized design on it. Making and printing a unique tote bag⁠(opens in a new tab or window) is now so super easy, you’ll want to start a side hustle slinging bags. From photos, to artwork, your friend’s favorite lyrics, quote, or even an inside joke only two people in the world will understand, the world is your tote bag.

For all these personalized gifts, you have multiple printing options – print them at home, use a local printer in your area or opt for Canva Print to have them delivered right to your doorstep.

Canva Print offers a vast array of possibilities, including custom mugs, wall-hanging calendars, notebooks, stickers, coasters, cards, gift certificates, and even envelopes. With Canva, the sky's the limit.

Once your design is complete, navigate to the menu bar and click the 'Print' button. From there, you can select and tailor your printing preferences. Simply input your shipping and payment details, and you're done. It's that straightforward.

Custom gifts show you’ve put a lot of thought into your gift and speak louder than something generic. The only limit to what you can do is your imagination. If you want to take a deeper look, check out our video guide⁠(opens in a new tab or window).