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Make a simple classroom welcome board with a background, a title, and a piece of clipart. This guide takes you from a blank canvas to a saved design you can print or share.
About 10–15 minutesBeginner friendlyDesktop editor
Before you begin, sign in to your BoardCraft account and open Boards. If you are making a physical display, measure its width and height in inches. A laptop or desktop gives you room to work with the canvas and editing panels together.
1. Create a board and choose its size
On My Boards, select Create a Board.
The Templates tab opens first. To follow this tutorial from scratch, select Start blank.
Under Standard sizes, select 48 × 36 in for this example.
For another size, enter Width (in) and Height (in) under Custom size, then select Create custom board. Each side can be between 1 and 100 inches.
BoardCraft creates the board and opens the editor. These dimensions describe your whole display; you choose the printer's paper size separately when exporting.
2. Name the board and find your tools
Open the Board menu at the top left, where the new board is named Untitled Board. Select Rename board, enter a useful name such as “Welcome to Our Class,” and select Save name. Close the menu to return to the canvas.
The editor has three main work areas:
Tools on the left: Clipart, Tags, Inserts, Text, Letters, Shapes, Borders, and Uploads. Select a tool to open its library or controls.
The canvas in the middle: your board, where you select and arrange items.
The inspector on the right: Properties for the selection, Layers for overlapping items, and Board for board-wide settings and appearance.
If a side panel is closed, use the Tools or Properties, layers and board settings control in the top toolbar to show it. Use Fit to screen to bring the whole board into view.
3. Choose a simple background
Select the Board tab in the right-hand inspector. Scroll to Appearance. Under Solid Color, choose a swatch or enter a custom color. The example uses the pale Buttermilk swatch so the dark title stands out.
You can also choose a background pattern and adjust the simple board border's color and width here. For a first project, start with a solid background and add decoration after the message is readable.
4. Add your classroom title
Open Text in the left tools panel.
Choose Decorative for a title, then select a font preview to add text to the board.
With the text selected, choose Edit Text in the selection toolbar above the canvas.
In Properties, replace Text content with your message. For example, type “WELCOME TO,” add a line break, and type “OUR CLASS.”
Adjust Size until the title is easy to read. Drag the title toward the upper part of the board, leaving room for artwork below.
The example uses Heavy Hug. Choose any font available to your account; you do not need to match the screenshot. Decorative text also has alignment, spacing, and curve controls, which you can explore once the basic layout is ready.
5. Add and arrange a piece of clipart
Open Clipart in the left tool rail.
Enter a topic such as “book” in Search clipart and press Enter. Use Filters if you want to narrow the results.
Select an artwork preview to add it to the board. Choose an item available to your plan; some artwork is premium.
Drag the image into place. Use its resize handles to change its size, or enter dimensions in Properties. Keep Keep ratio enabled when resizing an illustration so it retains its proportions.
Click an item to select it, then drag to move it or use the rotation handle to turn it. Selection actions include Duplicate, Lock selected, Hide selected, and Delete. Use Layers when overlapping items are difficult to select, and Undo in the top toolbar if you want to reverse a change.
Click an empty area of the board to clear the selection and judge the whole design. Keep the title readable and leave some space between it and the artwork. You can add your own images through Uploads or simple supporting elements through Shapes later.
6. Save your board
Check the save control in the top toolbar. Select Save when you have changes to save, and wait for Saved before leaving the editor.
Open Board → Settings → Saving in the right-hand inspector to choose your automatic-save preferences:
Auto save every 60 seconds saves periodically while you work.
Auto save when leaving the tab attempts to save pending changes when you leave the tab.
You can still save manually at an important stopping point. Wait for Saved before closing the editor; automatic saving still needs a working connection.
To continue another day, return to Boards and open the saved board. If you see a save error or editing-conflict message, resolve it before closing the tab; the saving and editing conflicts guide explains those situations.
7. Export for printing or sharing
Select Export in the top toolbar. Choose the option that matches what you want to do with the design:
Choose this option | When you want to… |
|---|---|
Export for Printing | Print individual board pieces at their designed size, cut them out, and assemble a physical classroom display. |
Save as Image (PNG) | Save the complete board as one image that keeps the layout you see in the editor. |
Save as Document (PDF) | Save the complete board layout as a PDF. |
Export Asset Bundle | Download separate images of board items in a ZIP. This option requires the Seller plan. |
Keep learning
Open Board menu → Help → Walkthrough library for hands-on guides inside the editor. For more detail, continue with: