Creating Banner in MS Publisher vs Canva.com online Page 1 of 4
Please come to your vinyl printer appointment with a print-ready file.
MS Publisher: If you have access to a computer at home or elsewhere, it’s very easy to design a
banner if you are familiar with Microsoft Office. If you need to create your file at the library, please
reserve a Design PC to use prior to your appointment. Call or email TechZone to see when a Design
PC is available.
How to Design a Banner in Microsoft Publisher:
Start by opening a blank document in Microsoft Publisher (Open Microsoft
Publisher and click on Blank Document.)
Follow the instructions below to learn how to customize your banner by
adding the text, graphics, and size that you want.
Resize your document. Make your Publisher file the same
dimensions as the banner that you would like to print. For example,
if you want a banner that is 5 feet long then make the width of your
document 60 inches.
1. Click on Page Design.
2. Click Size
3. Click Create New Page Size from the list at the bottom
4. Type in the width and height of the banner that you would
like to print. For example, if you want a banner that is 5 feet
long and 30 inches tall, then type 60 inches for the width and 28 inches for the height. (one
side of your banner must be 28” or smaller to print on our vinyl printer)
5. Click Ok.
6. Your file is now the size that you want it. If you need to resize it repeat steps 1 – 4.
Add text to your document. Whatever you want your banner to say – Happy Birthday! or Jones
Family Reunion – follow these instructions to type text in your document.
1. Click on Insert
2. Click on Draw Text Box
3. Click anywhere you want on the banner and a Text Box will be inserted
4. Type your text. (Happy Birthday to our precious grandson, Kevin!! We love
you very much! Papa and Nana)
5. Remember your banner file might be
very large
which means that the text you
just typed might look
very small
. If you cannot read it on the screen you probably won’t be
able to read it on the printed banner. You will want to make the text larger. To change the
size of your text, highlight it then look for the Font group (there should be an area that says
Calibri and 11). Click on the 11 and type in a new number (a larger number = larger text; a
smaller number = smaller text.) If you want to change the look of your
text – the font type – highlight the text, then click on the drop down
arrow next to where it says Calibri. Dozens of different fonts will be
available to choose from. Click on any that you like and your text will
change to that font.
6. You can align the text in your box by using the Format under the
Textbox Tool bar.
Creating Banner in MS Publisher vs Canva.com online Page 2 of 4
7. To fill the background color of the box, click on Drawing
Tools>Format and select the color from the Shape Fill drop down
box.
8. To change the shape of your text box, click on Drawing Tools>Change
Shape and select a desired shape.
9. To move your text box to a different location on the page, click on the
outer edge of the text box and drag it to wherever you want.
10. Repeat steps 2 – 6 if you want to add more text boxes.
Insert graphics/pictures/logos/etc. In addition to text, you might want to add a graphic like a
picture of the birthday boy or your company logo. Follow these steps for any graphic(s) that you
would like to add to your banner.
These files should be saved to your computer or flash drive and
you should know where they are saved before starting.
1. Click on Insert
2. Click on Pictures
3. Locate the file that you would like to insert
4. Double click the file. It should be inserted into
your document now.
5. To insert online pictures, click on Insert> Online
Pictures, type in search box of your online
pictures; pick one and click Insert. Right-click on
picture and select Apply to Background>Tile;
delete the inserted picture in the middle by hitting
delete on keyboard.
6. To resize your graphic, click on it then click and
drag from any of the four corners. Release the
mouse when the image is the size that you want it.
7. To move it to a different spot on your banner, click
on the image and then drag it to where you want
it. Release the mouse when the image is in the
position you want it.
8. Repeat steps 1 – 6 to add additional graphics to your banner.
Creating Banner in MS Publisher vs Canva.com online Page 3 of 4
Canva.com: Go to the website canva.com. Sign up for a free account. If you have a Google account
already, you can sign in by using your Google account. On the site, do the followings to create a
banner with provided templates.
1. go to templates and select poster under marketing.
2. Click on Create a Design on the top right.
3. Type in desired size; to print on our vinyl printer,
one of the side has to be 28” and the other side is as
long as you desire to have your banner.
4. For specific theme, click on the Templates and
type in search bar such as “birthday”.
5. Click on your choice of design.
6. Click on "uploads" on left
7. Click on "upload an image or video"
button.
8. select the location of your photos to upload.
9. Dragging the picture onto a place holder will replace the original picture and apply the color
as well.
10. To keep the original color of your photo: Click on the original picture and hit delete on
keyboard; Drag the picture onto the place holder to replace.
11. To position the picture into the place-holder, double-click on picture; hold down the left
mouse; drag up/down or sides to position the picture into the frame; click mouse to finish.
Creating Banner in MS Publisher vs Canva.com online Page 4 of 4
12. To change texts inside text boxes, click on a text box until you see borders around it; click
inside text box; do control+A to select all text; overtype with your own text.
13. Canva automatically saves a design every few seconds after changes are made. Wait until
“All changes saved” appears in the status bar at the top of the editor before closing a design.
14. To change color design - Click on a particular design
until boundary shows up; click on color palette; choose
any other color.
15. To change text color and style - Click on a particular text
box until boundary shows up, click on font color or style
to change.
16. To change the name of your design - click on file; click
on pencil next to default name; type in new name; your changes
will be saved automatically.
17. To bring your design on a flash/thumb drive - click on download;
Select pdf print from file type; Click on "download the free
watermarked draft" at bottom. Your design will be in your
download folder.
18. Drag the file onto a flash drive; bring it to Techzone to print on
vinyl printer.
19. Find your designs - click on home on top left; click on all your
designs.
