Steps
- Create the page. Open the editor and click New file (or File › New Document…). Pick a preset such as Letter, Letter - Half, A4 or A5, set Bleed to 0p9 (9 points, an eighth of an inch) if the flyer will be printed with color to the edge, and create the document.
- Add the picture. Choose the Rectangle Frame tool (F) and drag a frame for the photo. Let it run past the page edge to the red bleed line if the picture should print to the edge. With the frame still selected, use File › Place… and pick your image; it fills the frame in proportion. PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PSD, SVG and PDF all work.
- Write the text. Choose the Type tool (T), drag a text frame and type the headline. Make separate frames for the details (what, when, where) and the call to action, so each one is easy to move.
- Style it. With text selected, set font, size and alignment in the Properties panel or the Control panel at the top. Save repeated looks as paragraph styles in the Paragraph Styles panel. Pick colors from the Swatches panel, and use a rectangle behind the text if it needs to stand out from the photo.
- Save your work. File › Save downloads a .designcraft file. Open it again later with File › Open…; the browser version doesn’t autosave.
- Export. For a print shop, use File › Export PDF…, choose the PDF/X-4 preset and tick Include document bleed and Crop Marks. For social media or a website, use File › Export Page as PNG….
Layout tips that make flyers work
- One message. The headline should be readable from across a room: large, short, and in the top third.
- Leave margins. Keep text inside the page margins (the magenta guides) so it is never trimmed off.
- Few fonts. One serif and one sans serif is plenty. The browser build includes Source Serif 4, Source Sans 3 and Inter.
- Contrast. Light text on a busy photo needs a darker area or a solid shape behind it.
- Check the details. Date, time, address and price are what people act on. Read them twice before you export.
Need a picture or the words?
The AI panel in the editor can generate a photo or illustration in a portrait shape and write flyer text (headline, subhead, details, call to action) from a short brief, using your own OpenAI, Gemini or OpenRouter key. Select your picture frame first and Place in DesignCraft puts the image straight into it.
Starting from someone else’s InDesign file instead? See how to open an IDML file without InDesign.
FAQ
What size should a flyer be?
In the US, Letter (8.5 × 11 in) or half Letter (5.5 × 8.5 in); elsewhere A4 or A5. All four are presets in DesignCraft’s New Document dialog, along with Tabloid, A3, Postcard and Business Card.
What is bleed and do I need it?
Bleed is the extra margin of background or picture beyond the trimmed edge, so no white sliver shows if the cut is slightly off. You need it whenever color or a photo touches the edge of a printed flyer. An eighth of an inch (0p9) or 3 mm is the usual amount; ask your printer.
Which PDF setting should I send to a print shop?
Choose the PDF/X-4 preset in Export PDF and tick Include document bleed and Crop Marks, unless the printer asks for something else. For email or a website, the Screen and Email preset gives a smaller file.
Can I print straight from the browser?
Not from inside DesignCraft. The web build has no print command, so export a PDF and print that from your PDF viewer.