How to create a postcard using Photoshop

1. The very first thing we need to do is create a New Document. The Postcard should measure 151.5 x 108mm - this includes a bleed. When sending artwork off to printers you need to add a bleed. A bleed is the space on the edges of your design where the image keeps going past where the printer is going to cut the paper. That way if the cut lands a mm to either side you don't wind up with blank paper at the edges. Postcards we print end up being 148.5 x 105mm.

2. As we are making something for print you should set the resolution to 300dpi and colour mode should be set to CMYK. With the resolution you should note that 300dpi means there is more image information available so you get a sharp print out.

3. Once the document is created, we need to add are some guides to show us where the edges of the postcard are and where the bleed starts. Press Ctrl-R to switch on your rulers. Now to add the guides, you can either click on the ruler and drag guides out on to the document, or for a more precise method, go to View > New Guide and then give it a Horizontal position of 1.5mm. Repeat again with a Vertical position of 1.5mm. Then repeat twice more with Vertical guides.

4. Next you will need to either create an image within the new document you have just set up or else open up an existingimage. If you are opening up an existing image you will need to make sure it is the correct size. Go to Image > Image size and make the image 151.5 x 108mm. You could also use the crop tool to change its size and go to Image >Image size to make sure it is 151.5 x 108mm. Then copy and paste this resized image into the document you originally created.

5. Once you have finished designing your artwork you will need to save it in the correct format. Go to File > Save as and select either Tiff or Jpg. Your artwork is now ready for print and you can upload it to our site here