The ultimate step-by-step guide to using our Canva templates

Don't fear, our step-by-step guide is here!

Our handy Canva templates are all set up with the correct specifications for our different newspaper sizes, so you can jump right into the creative side of things.

With our Canva templates becoming more popular, we've put together a comprehensive step-by-step guide to help you through the process of using our templates for your newspaper.

Below, we'll cover the exact steps you need to follow when designing your newspaper on Canva.

You can also skip to a particular part of the guide:

Step 1: Choose your size
Step 2: Choose your Canva template
Step 3: Set up your template
Step 3a: Set up your template (for minis)
Step 4: Design your newspaper
Step 5: Download your design as a PDF
Step 6: Upload to our automatic PDF checker

Step 1: Choose your newspaper size

First, you need to choose your newspaper size - mini, tabloid (our most popular!) or broadsheet - as this will determine the Canva template you use. All of our sizes are available to print from 1 copy.

Our free sample packs can help you decide which size and paper to go for, and they’re packed with tips to get the best results in print. Order yours:

Get a free sample pack

Step 2: Choose your Canva template

We offer both blank or themed (pre-designed) templates for Canva.

Blank templates

You can get started with blank Canva templates for any of our newspaper sizes. See the blank Canva templates available below:

Canva template for all minis
Canva template for all tabloids
Canva template for digital broadsheet

Themed templates

Get a headstart with easy-to-edit layouts that are set up with the correct dimensions - just swap in your own text and images. See the themed Canva templates available below:

• Tabloid: Vintage newspaper template
• Tabloid: Wedding newspaper template
• Tabloid: Daily tabloid newspaper template
• Tabloid: Photobook newspaper template
• Tabloid: Business newspaper template
• Tabloid: Celebration newspaper template
• Mini: Magazine template
• Broadsheet: Vintage newspaper template (digital printing)

You'll need to sign in to use these templates, so if you don't already have a Canva account then you can sign up for free.

Step 3: Set up your template for tabloids and broadsheets

To use the templates for our tabloids and broadsheets, just delete the elements on the first page and start creating your design. But first, make sure you turn on rules and guides to show our custom margins.

From the File menu, turn off Canva’s default margins (if they’re turned on) and tick Show rulers and Show guides:

Your document should now show purple guide lines — these are the margins we need to print your newspaper. Do not put any artwork, including a background colour, in the area between the purple line and the edge of the page. 

Make sure the page background colour is set to pure white (#FFFFFF). To set the background colour, select the background, navigate to the background colour icon at the top left and choose the pure white (#FFFFFF) swatch. Canva Help Centre: Changing element color.

Step 3a: Set up your template for minis

There are a few more guidelines to consider with minis, so we've created a more detailed template for them.

When you open the template, it will look like this:

The guide graphic on the first four pages helps you see where the pages will be trimmed and where the safe area for text and important details is.

You can delete this guide, but we recommend keeping it on while you're designing. You can adjust the transparency to zero so that the guide overlays your design, and then turn it up to check everything is in the right place once you're finished.

The guide is different for odd and even-numbered pages because the pages are only trimmed on the outside edge. If you’re adding the guide to more pages, make sure to check that you’re using the right one (odd or even).

Remember that you need at least 16 pages in a mini newspaper (and no more than 64 pages) and pages must be in multiples of 8.

Remember to set our template graphic to 0% transparency before downloading your PDF, so that it isn't visible in your printed newspaper.

Step 4: Design your newspaper

Now, this is the fun part! This is your chance to unleash your creativity and design the newspaper of your dreams.

Whether you're enlisting the help of a graphic designer or you're creating the newspaper yourself, we've noted some important design factors to consider below.

Images including photos, graphics, maps and diagrams

The quality or "resolution" of the pictures in your newspaper is important - if it's too low, your pictures may look blurry or pixelated in print.

For best results, we recommend that you use high quality images, between 150dpi and 300dpi resolution.

If you’re not sure about the quality of your images, you will be able to check them after you have downloaded a your PDF of your newspaper. When you upload your newspaper PDF for printing, our PDF checker will automatically check the resolution of all images - it will tell you if any are under the recommended minimum of 150dpi.

Colours

We print in full colour. For a black and white newspaper, your design must be black and white. See Canva Help for how to apply filters to your photos in Canva.

Adding pages

Our Canva templates are set up with the minimum number of pages required for each newspaper size: 4 pages for digital broadsheets and digital/traditional tabloids, 2 pages for traditional broadsheets and 16 pages for minis.

To add more pages, click "Add page" below the document to add as many pages as you'll have in your newspaper.

Just remember that your pages need to be in multiples of 4 (for tabloids and broadsheets) or 8 (for minis). Make sure to note the maximum number of pages for each size, too – shown on our product pages.

Step 5: Download your design as a PDF

To print with Newspaper Club, you need to download your design as a PDF containing all the pages in reading order. You can read more in our export guide.

To download your design from Canva, navigate to Share at the top right corner and then choose Download.

Select PDF Print from the drop-down menu and make sure the 3 boxes below that (Crop marks and bleed, Flatten PDF and Include notes) are left unticked.

If you have a Canva Pro account, choose CMYK under colour profile. If you have a free Canva account leave this as RGB.

Then select Download to download your PDF.

Check your PDF closely after downloading to make sure the final PDF matches up with your design in Canva. In some cases, the Canva export process can produce unexpected changes to the PDF. We print the PDF that you upload, so always double-check your PDF before ordering.

Step 6: Upload to our automatic PDF checker

When you upload your PDF to your Newspaper Club account,our system will check that your PDF is set up correctly and let you know about anything that would stop us from printing like artwork in the margins, or incorrect page size. It will also warn you about things you might want to change, like low-resolution images, and RGB colours. If you have any questions before ordering, our team is happy to help at support@newspaperclub.com.

You can order your newspaper online at any time. Just create a Newspaper Club account and upload your PDF.

Need some help?

If it's a Canva-related question, the Canva Help Centre will probably have the answer. If you have any print-related questions, just write to us at support@newspaperclub.com and we're happy to help.