A POD Product Base for Engraving is used for products where designs are engraved instead of printed. It’s most common for items such as jewelry, tumblers, cutting boards, leather goods, and similar products that:

• Have one or multiple engraving areas.

• May offer color or material options (e.g., silver, gold, wood, leather).

• May also offer size options 

In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a product with one size and one engraving area. If you need to set up products with multiple sizes that affect the engraving file or preview, check the article on creating a POD Product Base with different sizes. If your product can be engraved multiple areas, and you need a separate engraving file for each, see the article on creating a POD Product Base with multiple print areas.

Creating an engraved POD Product Base

1. Go to POD Product Bases
   Open the left menu and go to POD Product Bases.
   

2. Create a new product base
   Click Create Product Base and then click Set Up Manually under your provider info.
   

3. Enter the product name
   Make the name clear and easy to identify, as this is the name that will be visible to merchants.
   

4. Add print file dimensions 
   Add the print file dimensions of the product and click Create Page. Make sure to add the full size needed for the print file, including margins, bleed, crop marks, or any extra space required.
   

   If your product comes in different print sizes, pick one to start. 
   Check how to create a POD Product Base with different sizes below to learn how to add the other sizes afterwards.

5. Adjust the print area 
   The print area is the zone where merchants can put their design. Think of the print area as a bounding box: it defines exactly where the designs can be placed, and nothing can go outside it.
   
   The Print Area will be created automatically to fill the entire page size you defined earlier, but you can adjust it to match your product requirements if needed. Simply select it and resize and reposition it on the canvas, or with the transform toolbox.
   You can resize the print area to: 

   → Leave margins or no print zones (for example, if your print file requires blank space around the edges).

   → Limit design placement to a specific area of the page.
   

6. Add product guidelines
   Click Add Product Guidelines to add a visual aid that helps merchants understand the safe areas of a product. They are particularly useful for products with unusual shapes (like stars, hearts, or circular ornaments), products that have bleed (like posters or canvases), products that have cutout or covered zones (like phone cases), or products that have stitching or folds (like all-over print garments, pouches, etc.). Guidelines are never printed on the final file.
   

7. Add print marks (if needed)
   Click Add Print Marks to add permanent elements that are exported with the final production file, on top of whatever design merchants use. Print marks are useful when the file requires cutting lines, crop marks, or other fixed indicators for manufacturing. Unlike guidelines, print marks always appear in the final print file.
   

8. Configure print file settings
   Use the panel on the right to configure the print file output. Choose the format (PNG, JPG, PDF, EPS, AI, DXF), set the resolution for image formats, pick the color mode for PDF or vector formats, and enable mirroring if required for processes like heat transfers.
   

9. When your print file is configured, click Next to move on to the mockup creation, which is what shoppers will see when they browse your product in your store. You'll see a blank canvas, with the print area, product guidelines and print marks (if you added any) placed in the middle. And a Product Colors layer so you can add your product pictures to build the mockup.

10. Upload mockup images
    Select the Product Colors layer and click + Add Image Option to add blank images of your product to use for the mockups. 
    
    The uploaded image(s) will be displayed on the canvas on the product colors layer.
    

    If your product comes in multiple colors or materials

    Upload one image for each variant. Make sure all images are the same (or very similar), as the print area will be positioned once and reused across all images. Name your image files with the exact variant names you want (e.g. asphalt.jpeg, black.jpeg, burgundy.jpeg, etc.). Customily will automatically use those names when creating the product variants.
    

11. Position the print area on the mockup
    Drag, resize, and rotate the print area over your product image to place it exactly where the print area will be printed. This ensures designs are placed in the correct spot, aligned with how the product will be produced.

    If you added product guidelines to your product, then it's easier to select both layers, the print area and product guidelines and reposition them together. You can select multiple layers using Shift.
    

    Pro Tip

    If you need help aligning the print area on your mockup, you can upload a photo of the finished product as a Dynamic Image to use as a guide. This works best if the product photo is taken from the same angle as your blank mockup image.

    1. Click Add Dynamic Image and upload the reference photo.

    2. Resize and position it so it overlaps your blank product image.

    3. Adjust your print area to match the placement in the photo.

    4. Delete the reference image once you’re done — it should not remain in the final mockup.

12. Set the engraving color
    Select the print area on your mockup, then expand the Color toolbox on the right-hand panel. Choose a color for the print area — this will be the color used to represent the engraving in the preview. 
    

    Whatever design shoppers place in that area will be displayed in the color you select. Pick a tone that looks realistic on your product mockup — for example, dark brown on leather, silver on metal, or black on wood.
    

13. Add a mask (optional)
    Click Add Mask to place a texture or overlay above the design, making your mockup look more realistic. Masks always sit on top of the print area, ensuring they cover the design exactly where needed.
    Masks can be used to simulate textures, wrinkles, lighting, or cutouts. They are especially useful for:

    → Products with shapes (like circular, star, or heart ornaments): the mask will cover the print area to make sure the design is displayed in the unique shape of the product.
    → Products with cutouts (like phone cases): use the mask to add the rounded edges and camera holes so the preview looks accurate.
    → Products with bleed (like canvases, posters, or frames): use the mask to cover the bleed area.
    → All over print products (like blankets, pillows, or garments): use the mask to cover the bleed needed for all over print designs.

    We recommend using masks on almost all mockups, to make them more realistic. The main exceptions are products with simple, flat views (like a basic t-shirt front view), usually for DTG products where the print area covers only part of the garment. You can learn more about masks and how to use them here.

    Keep in mind

    Masks are tied to product images. If your product has multiple images (for example, four color variants), you will need to upload one mask per image—even if the mask is identical.

14. Review your product base
    Click Next to review your setup. Compare the print file (what will be sent to production) and the mockup (what shoppers will see in stores). Confirm both look correct before continuing.
    

15. Configure product variants
    Click Save to open the variant configuration modal to review and configure the product variants. A Color will be created automatically from the product colors layer on your mockup. If you uploaded multiple product images, the values will be already created matching your file names. Click the variant to edit it's values or rename them if needed.
    

    You can also add more variants manually. These variants don’t affect the mockup or print file, but they’ll show up as options for merchants to choose when publishing a product. Common use cases include apparel sizes (S, M, L, XL) where the print file stays the same, changes in materials or finishing that are not visible (like backing material, or matte / gloss finish) or offering a product with or without an add on. 
    
    To add an extra variant click Add another variant option type in it's name and the values.

    Important

    Every product base must have at least one variant with at least one value in order to be linked to the POD. You can delete variants you don’t need, but the product cannot be saved or linked without at least one.

16. Add a product description
    At the bottom of this modal, you’ll find the Product Description field. Add a clear and accurate description of the product here. This text will be used as the default description when merchants publish your product in their stores. Merchants can edit it later, but providing a strong description upfront makes their setup easier.
    

17. Save your product
    Click Save Product to finish the setup. After saving, your new product will appear at the end of the POD Product Bases list.
    The product will not be live for merchants yet. The product only becomes available to merchants once you link it with your catalog.
    

18. Open the linking dialog
    Hover over your new product and click the Link button. This opens the dialog to connect the product in Customily with the corresponding product in your catalog via API.
    

19. Find your product in the catalog
    Browse your catalog to locate the product you just created. Depending on how your API catalog is structured, you may see a list of products or categories. Navigate until you find the correct one and click it.
    

20. If the product in your catalog has defined placeholders (print areas) such as front or back, assign the print file you just created to the correct one, and click Next.
    

21. Map product variants
    Click on Provider Variant to match each variant created in Customily with its corresponding variant from your catalog. 
    
    Browse through your products variants, select the appropriate one and click Select. If your product has multiple variants, use the filters or the search bar to narrow them down. If you're not sure which variant is the correct one, click show details to see more info on that variant (info available depends on info shown on your API catalog).
    
    The linked variant will appear on the list. This mapping ensures orders are routed correctly and the right files are generated for production.
    
    Repeat with all the variants on your product.

22. Adding prices (optional, but recommended)
    In the same Product Assigner dialog, you can add a wholesale price for each variant. This price will be visible to merchants when they use your product. Adding prices is strongly recommended so merchants understand the base cost of the product and can easily compare between different POD providers.

    You can enter a price in the box next to each assigned variant. If all variants share the same cost, add one price and click the copy button at the top to apply it across all variants.
    

23. Save the linked product
    When all variants are mapped and prices are set, click Save at the bottom of the dialog. Your POD Product Base is now fully linked to your catalog and live for merchants to use. 
    Linked products display a purple checkmark next to them in the POD Product Bases list, so you can easily confirm they are active.
    

24. Assign the product to the Engraving category
    Once you’ve finished linking your product, we recommend assigning it to the Engraving category in Customily Designs. This category contains pre-made designs provided by Customily that are optimized for engraving.

    Merchants will still be able to create and use their own designs under My Designs as usual. Assigning your product to the Engraving category simply ensures that, when merchants choose from Customily’s pre-made library, they’ll see engraving-friendly designs by default.

    To assign a category, hover over the Category column in your product list, click the Edit button, and select Engraving from the dropdown.