Technical Tips: Designing A Mouse Pad
Designing a mouse pad is a fairly simple process, but there are a few details that may be worth examining if you are new to VistaPrint. If you have never worked with our system before, take a few minutes to browse around a bit, read our upload instructions and make sure you know what you need to get started. You can customize mouse pads to fit your needs, but it’s a good idea to know the easiest way to proceed before you begin.
Some questions are common, and easy to answer. For example, if you are wondering if you should upload a photo in RGB (red, green and blue) format or CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black), the answer is simple–CMYK. This helps to insure that the colors will match. Check the settings in your photo editing program, or ask someone in your company with technical experience to make sure that the file you upload is in CMYK format.
Another question has to do with quality. If you want the best representation of an image or graphic, you will need to make sure that it is 300 dpi (dots per inch) when you upload it. Scanners have a dpi setting, so be sure and check what the default setting is before running a document through. Digital cameras should be at a high quality setting when photos are taken to help insure they output an image that offers good resolution.
If you plan on cropping a photograph, it will reduce the final quality. Make sure you are aware of this fact before you adjust an image. If you plan on using the company logo, chances are you’ll need the original file as most images on the Web are set for 72 dpi. This is not enough quality to insure a good looking design.
If you attend to details like this, it will make the final design for your mouse pad look professional. The actual upload process takes only a few minutes, so investing a bit of time on the front end to make sure you have all the information you need makes good sense.
If you aren’t using photographs or illustrations, designing the mouse pad will be very simple. Text can be put in directly and there is little to consider besides the borders–which we point out for you. Take a quick look through our information to be sure you have all the details covered, then upload your images and customize the design for your mouse pad.

