Studio

Design in Studio

How to design posters, certificates and invitations from templates in Studio, build a CV, prepare print-ready business cards, use layers and export.

Studio is vivePDF’s design editor for posters, certificates, invitations, social posts, business cards and similar work on a free canvas, saved as a PDF or as pictures. You can start from more than 170 templates and drag text, shapes, pictures and QR codes into place.

Start a design

Click Studio in the top bar. The start page offers several ways in:

  • Start from a template: templates are grouped into categories such as Certificates, Invitations, Posters, Menus, Social media and Flyers and brochures; Search templates finds one by name.
  • Start with a blank page, or use Custom size to type the width and height yourself and click Create.
  • Business cards opens a card with a front and a back (see below).
  • Build a CV opens the form-based CV builder (see below).
  • Open design… opens a design you saved, and Recent designs lists the ones you worked on last. Unfinished work waits on the Continue where you left off card.

Add and edit items

The panel on the left has four tabs: Elements, Templates, Layers and Data.

  1. On the Elements tab, add text with Add a heading, Add a subheading or Add body text. Shapes, Icons, Tables and charts, Ornaments, Picture and QR code are there too.
  2. Click an item to select it. Change its colour, font, size, shadow or alignment in the properties panel.
  3. Drag the item to move it, and use the handles to resize or rotate it. A right-click offers commands such as Duplicate, Bring to front, Group, Lock and Copy style.

You can also add items from the keyboard: T adds text, R a rectangle, O an ellipse, L a line and A an arrow. In the design editor, F1 or ? shows every shortcut; the list is also on the Keyboard shortcuts page.

Layers and pages

The Layers tab lists the items on this page. Drag a layer to change the order, or press Alt+↑ or Alt+↓ on it; you can hide and lock items from here as well. Double-click a group to pick one item inside it.

In the page strip, Add page adds a page and All pages shows every page so you can drag them into a new order. The View menu turns Rulers, Guides, Margins, Bleed area (3 mm) and Snapping on and off.

Many copies from a table

On the Data tab, choose Connect a table and pick a CSV or Excel file. Clicking a column adds it as a placeholder to the selected text or QR code. When you export, every row of the table becomes its own copy of the design with its values filled in, which suits certificates or name badges.

CV builder

Open CV builder shows a form on the Content tab: personal details, experience, education, skills, languages and more. The CV preview updates as you type.

  • Fill with sample loads an example CV; Import from PDF… reads an existing CV or a LinkedIn PDF and brings its sections into the form.
  • On the Design tab, pick a design such as Classic, Modern or ATS-friendly, and set the Accent colour, Photo shape, Spacing, Paper and CV language.
  • Export saves the CV as PDF, PNG or JPG. For freer changes, choose Edit freely in Studio.

Business cards

Business cards on the start page opens a card with Front and Back pages. Sizes include 85 × 55, 90 × 50, US 3.5 × 2 in, square and mini; Rounded corners in the page panel shows the corner the printer will cut.

Select an item and, under Print finish, apply Embossed, Debossed, Letterpress, Foil (gold, silver, copper, rose gold or holographic) or Spot UV gloss. The effect is simulated on screen. If you set a QR code’s content to Contact card, scanning it lets a phone save your contact details.

Before you send it to the printer

In the export window, turn on Print-ready PDF. It adds Bleed (usually 3 mm) and Trim marks; Finish plates turns foil and gloss into separate spot colours or separate pages for the print shop. Choose A4 or SRA3 as the Sheet and the cards are laid out on one sheet, with the backs mirrored so they line up when printed double-sided.

Save and export

Ctrl+S saves your work as a vivePDF design that you can open again later. For the finished file, click Export or press Ctrl+E:

  • Choose PDF, PNG or JPG as the File type. Under Pages, take every page, the current page or a range such as 1-3, 5.
  • For pictures, set the Resolution and JPG quality; pages whose background is set to None are saved see-through with See-through background.
  • With Keep it editable in Studio on, the design is stored inside the PDF, so opening that PDF in vivePDF lets you edit it in Studio again. Sign the PDF adds an invisible digital signature with your .p12 or .pfx certificate; there is more about signatures on the Sign and verify page.

Ctrl+P sends the design straight to the printer. For long text such as a report or thesis, Write a document in Studio is the better fit.