Design Your Own Gift: A Step-by-Step Guide to Custom Orders

Custom orders let you put your own photo, name or artwork onto a product — but the final result depends heavily on what you upload. A few minutes of preparation makes the difference between a print you love and one that disappoints.

Start with the right image

Upload the original photo rather than a version forwarded through WhatsApp, which compresses images heavily. As a rule, the picture should look sharp when you zoom in on your phone. Screenshots and images saved from social media are usually too low in resolution to print cleanly.

Composition matters

Leave a little space around the subject. Photos cropped tightly to the edges can lose detail when fitted to the product’s print area. For faces, a well-lit photo taken in daylight prints far better than one shot under yellow indoor lighting.

Choosing text

Short text works best — a name, a date, a two or three word phrase. Long sentences shrink to fit the space and become hard to read. Check spelling carefully before confirming, since production begins as soon as the order is approved.

What happens after you order

Custom pieces are made to order, which means they take a little longer than stock items. Production typically begins once the design and payment are confirmed, and you will be updated on WhatsApp as the piece moves through production and dispatch.

Common mistakes to avoid

Uploading a screenshot, misspelling a name, choosing a very dark photo, and ordering too close to the event date are the four issues that come up most often. Avoid those and custom gifting becomes remarkably smooth.

Start your own design on the ZARAYAT shop.