Customisation Tool

Before you begin customising a product, we highly recommend you sign in to your account. This ensures the Save Design feature is available and applies to your account. This helps prevent any loss of work if you add the item to your basket before signing in.

1. Choose your design

When choosing your design, look for the word Customisable in the product title to ensure you select a product that can be customised.
Some products, such as banners and posters, will have options for the size of the product. Use the drop-down menu on the product page before you begin to customise your design.

Next, use the + and - buttons to select the quantity needed. Before entering a quantity, check the product description to see if the item is sold individually or as a pack - enter the number of single items or packs you wish to order.

Click the Customise button to enter the customisation tool.

2. Understanding the Customisation tool

The tool is very easy to use, but it is worth taking a moment to familiarise yourself with where the different buttons are and try them out before working on your final design.
The customisation tool allows you to add text boxes, images and/or logos.

The grey areas shown around the edges of the design help to keep your content safely away from trim and folding areas. Keep important elements out of this area, as the darker grey areas are off the page will not be printed and the light grey areas are classed as safe but could end up too close to edge.

The buttons on the left allow you to zoom in and out and undo and reset. The tools for customising are shown on the right-hand side of the screen.

Size Options
Some products have size or variant options, which are selected from a drop-down menu before entering the customisation tool. If you wish to change the chosen product size or material (if applicable to the product), you can use the Product variations button. Please note that this will alter the price of the product.

It is important that you select the correct product variation before adding the item to your basket as this option will not be available once added to basket. You would need to restart the process from the beginning.

To see an introduction to our customisation tool, see the video here.

3. Start to Customise

Adding text
To add text, click the Text button. This will bring up the text editing area. Begin typing into the white text box. You will see your text appear in the design area. You can change the colour, size and style of the font in the text editing panel. Scroll through the editing panel for further text editing options such as text alignment and spacing.
You can add multiple text boxes, which allows you to have a larger opening title and smaller details with different styling for each box (just click the Add more text button at the bottom of the editing panel).

Moving and Adjusting Text Boxes
Click on the text box in the design area; this will show four adjustment buttons. Use these to move, rotate, resize or delete the text box.

Text Art
As well as plain text, you can insert Text Art by clicking the button at the top of the text menu area. You add text in the same way but you are also able to change the shape of the text art form using the options available.

For more information and examples of customising text, see the video here.

4. Upload images

Adding a logo or image
Click on the "Up" arrow to select images to upload. Our tool accepts all major image formats, although we recommend JPG, PNG or TIFF for best results. During upload, your file will be checked for image quality. If there appears to be a problem, you will see a warning advice notice.

Image copyright
Please ensure you have the proper permissions and/or license to use your proposed image(s). CPO reserve the right not to produce such items that contain suspected copyright-restricted images. We will contact you to discuss further if this is the case.

Once you have added your image, you can alter the image with the buttons on the corners of the image in a similar way to text. You can also use the edit and filters button on the right.
The Duplicate button allows you to create copies of elements within your design. The Layering button helps you to arrange elements of your design. These buttons will only be visible when you have an aspect of your design selected.

For more information and examples of adding images, see the video here.

5. Upload your own design - PDF file

If you would prefer to create your customisation using other software more familiar to you (Word, Publisher, Canva, etc.), ensure you save or export as a PDF file.
To import your file, click the "Up" arrow and select PDF. Your PDF file will load similarly to an image. Click on your item in the design area to move, rotate and scale, as necessary.

To watch how to do this, see our video here.

6. Finish

Once you are happy with your customisation, simply click Add to Cart and complete your order.

If you need to make any changes to your design, click the pencil icon in the basket area to go back and edit your design before completing your purchase.

Once the changes have been made, ensure you click the Save Changes button within the customisations tool panel.

PDF Proof
If you would prefer to review your creation before completing the order, simply click Save Design followed by PDF. You will be presented with a low-resolution PDF proof of your customisation, which can be shared with others.

Opening a saved design
To access a previously saved design you will need to go back to original product page from the menu, enter the required product variation (if applicable), quantity and then press Customise. Once the customisation tool has opened, click on the My Saved Designs button on the right-hand side (the folder icon), click on your design and the customisation will repopulate the item. You will then be able to edit the design if needed and add to basket when ready.

For more information on PDF Proofs and saving your design, see our video here.

Need our help?
If you experience any difficulties using our customisation tool, we are happy to help. Ensure you have a CPO account and are logged in. Add your customisation to Basket (but do not check out or pay) before contacting us. We can view and assist with your creation.

Do I need an account to Customise a product?
We highly recommend signing in before customising a product. This ensures the save design feature applies to your account and helps prevent any loss of work if you add the item to your basket before signing in.

How much text can I add?
You can add as much or as little text as you like. There are no limitations, but consider the item you are wishing to customise - posters and banners work best with clear and concise information seen at a glance, whereas invitations and flyers held in the hand can convay more details.  

Can I add images?
Yes. Use the upload button. Make sure the image you wish to upload is of good enough quality for printing. For best results, images should be print quality at 300dpi resolution where possible. The tool will advise of images not meeting this criteria. You can proceed with low resolution images, but be warned, they may not print all that well.
Please do also consider image copyright and ownership. Images or photos downloaded from other sources, not owned by yourself, should not be used. CPO reserves the right to produce such items suspected of using images with copyright issues. If in any doubt, please do contact our Customer Service team

Can I add my Church logo?
Yes. All major image file types are accepted, however for best results we suggest using a transparent .png file to prevent a white surrounding box.

What if I have my own design?
You can now upload PDF files into the Customisaiton Tool, so if you already have a ready-made design or wish to create your design using other design/layout software, a direct import can be achieved.

What are the grey borders shown on the designs?
These are visual guides to help you position your content correctly and prevent parts being too close to trimmed edges when printed. For best results avoid positioning any items in grey bordered areas.
- Dark Grey (bleed) area: Background images or colours can extend into this area, if intended to go to the edge of the page, to prevent white edges when trimmed.
- Light Grey (safe) area: Prevent all important content (text and key images) entering into these areas.

How much does Customisation cost?
Online customisation is Free. Offline customisation using our design studio is £25.00 per item (see next question below).

I cannot use the online Customisation tool. Can you help me?
Yes. For £25.00 per item, our professional design team are on-hand to create your customisation. Please contact our Sales team to arrange this offline function - ideally emailing your content to sales@cpo.org.uk

I don't require customisation. Can I order blank printed items?
We understand you may not wish to customise item(s). To order them blank, you will need to proceed through the customisation tool and simply 'Add to Basket' without adding any content. There is no additional cost for using the Customisation tool, so your order value will remain the same.

Can I use my own printer to overprint details onto your printed products?
Our print-to-order products, such as Invitation Cards, Flyers and Paper Folders, are not suitable for self-overprinting (printing using your own device). The inks we use may deteriorate and potentially cause damage to your own device if overprinted in this way, particularly using heat-based printers (photocopiers and other toner devices).
Considering our Customisation service can be used at no extra cost, let us take the hassle and stress out of producing your fully printed items.

View this video guide to help you learn how to use our customisation tool.

We run through all the key features and steps to help you get the most out of this great tool.