Discover design elements for stationery print deliverables like business cards, letterhead, postcards, and labels.
Using the powerful tools in Adobe InDesign, you can create custom stationery designs like business cards, envelopes, letterheads, labels, and postcards. Let’s take a look at some of the essential features and workflows for getting it done.
Setting up your document
Start your project right by choosing the optimal settings for your flyer or brochure.
- Explore Adobe Stock templates when creating a new document in InDesign, or start from scratch using one of the many preset sizes available.
- When setting up a new document from scratch, in the New Document dialog choose the Print category to set the color mode to CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) for printing. For Units, choose Inches or other.
- Set columns and margins to frame where your content will go. You can change them later if needed.
Add eye-catching text
To make your pieces stand out, consider a few things when adding text to your designs:
- Start by applying your own fonts or one of the many expressive Adobe Fonts in the Properties panel.
- Experiment with different formatting, such as font size, leading (vertical space between lines of text), and tracking (horizontal space between characters) in the Properties panel.
Applying colors
Color can evoke emotion and help tell your story. InDesign offers many ways to both mix and apply colors to your design.
- Save colors for your brand in the Swatches panel for consistency and reuse.
- For color inspiration, the Adobe Color Themes panel suggests harmonious and appealing color combinations based on a single color.
Adding graphics
Graphics like images and logos can come from a variety of sources and in a wealth of formats like JPEG, SVG, TIFF, PNG, AI, and PSD. Choose File > Place to import them.
If you need professional images but don’t have the time or budget for a photo shoot, Adobe Stock offers a wide selection of high-quality photos and graphics. Search and license imagery right in InDesign with the CC Libraries panel, and sync across devices seamlessly with Creative Cloud.
Work smarter, not harder
- To include different stationery layouts in a single document for speed and consistency, you can create multiple pages of different sizes in the Pages panel.
- Save visual-identity elements like colors, text formatting, and graphics to Creative Cloud Libraries to organize and access them from all your Adobe desktop and mobile apps. And share libraries with others on your team so everyone is up to date with the latest assets.
Share your designs
When it’s time to share your stationery layouts, you have several options:
- Print to a local printer.
- Save as a PDF and send to a print service provider, colleague, or other recipient.
- Your stationery can also live as digital documents from PDF to EPUB. Or choose Publish Online and get a shareable link.
Creating your own stationery can undoubtedly give your brand a boost. With these features and workflows, you’ve got the basics covered.
