Getting to the Plate Editor
There are two ways to open the Plate Editor:
From the AI Design Wizard: After the wizard creates your design, click the Plate Editor button.
From the Design Detail page: Click the purple Plate Editor → button in the top right corner.
Understanding the Screen
The Plate Editor has three main areas:
Left Toolbar: Tools for adding and editing elements
Center Canvas: A preview of your plate design
Right Panel: Options and settings for whatever you have selected
Generative Tools
These tools are located on the top left toolbar and are used to create, fit, and align elements within your plate.
AI Generate Design
Want the AI to generate a completely new layout? Click the AI Wand (✨) tool in the top-left of the toolbar.
⚠️ Warning: This will replace your entire design. Make sure you want to start fresh before proceeding!
Fit to Plate
Resize text elements to fit within plate bounds
Auto Arrange
Fit, center, and space text and graphics evenly
Working with Variables
Variables are placeholders that get replaced with actual data from your spreadsheet. For example, {First Name} becomes "Michael", "Sarah", "James", etc. for each plate.
Your Available Variables
Look at the right panel to see your Available Variables. These come from the columns in your data table. Common examples include:
First Name, Last Name
Team or Organization
Award Category
Year
A checkmark (✓) next to a variable means it's already on your plate. A dot (•) means it's available but not yet used.
Adding a Variable to Your Design
Find the variable you want in the right panel
Click the variable name or the + button next to it
The variable will appear on your plate - drag it to position it
Previewing with Real Data
Want to see how your plates will actually look? Use the Preview Mode toggle in the right panel.
Preview OFF: Shows placeholders like {First Name}, {Last Name}
Preview ON: Shows actual names from your data
Pro Tip: Preview Mode shows the longest entry in your data. This helps you make sure even your longest names will fit on the plate!
Editing Text Appearance
Click on any text element to select it. The right panel will show all the options you can change:
Font & Size
Font Size: Use the +/- buttons or type a number
Font Family: Choose from your store's fonts or Google Fonts
Weight: Regular or Bold
Style: Italic or Underline toggles
Element Sizing
Enter exact dimensions directly through the size dropdown in the right panel, or drag to resize manually. A real-time size indicator tracks dimensions as you drag, so you always know the exact size of your element while adjusting.
Text Case
Quickly change how text appears:
AA = ALL CAPS
aa = all lowercase
Aa = Title Case
-- = As entered (no change)
Alignment
Horizontal: Left, Center, or Right
Vertical: Top, Middle, or Bottom
Color
Click the color box to open the color picker, or type a hex code directly (like #FF0000 for red).
Adding Static Text
Need to add text that's the same on every plate (like a year or organization name)?
Click the Text tool (T) in the left toolbar
Click on the canvas where you want the text
A "Sample Text" element will appear - select it and change the text in the right panel
Style it just like any other text element
Adding Images
Click the image icon (🖼) to upload custom graphics. Supported formats include
SVG - Vector graphics (recommended)
EPS - Encapsulated PostScript (converted to SVG)
Adding Shapes
You can add rectangles and circles to your design for backgrounds or decorative elements:
Click the Rectangle (□) or Circle (○) tool
Click and drag on the canvas to draw the shape
Use the right panel to change the fill color and border
Layer Order: Use the "To Front", "Forward", "Backward", and "To Back" buttons to control which elements appear on top of others.
Tip: Any object with a border can be preset to a hairline size or left as a custom width.
Selecting Multiple Elements
Need to change the font on all your text at once?
Hold Command and click each element you want to select
Or click and drag to draw a selection box around multiple elements
Any changes you make in the right panel will apply to all selected elements
Tip: An object will only be selected if the selection area fully encompasses it.
Adjusting Plate Settings
Need to change the plate dimensions or background? Click ← Back to Plate Settings at the bottom of the right panel.
Here you can adjust:
Plate Dimensions: Width and height in inches or millimeters
Background Color: The fill color of the plate
Border: Width and color of the plate outline
Saving Your Work
Click the Save button in the top right corner. You'll see a green dot and timestamp showing when your design was last saved.
Ready for Production? Move to Bed
When your design looks perfect, click Move to Bed → to see how all your plates will be arranged for engraving.
Quick Reference: Toolbar Icons
Icon | What It Does |
✨ | AI Wand - Regenerate design with AI |
↖ | Select - Click to select elements |
T | Text - Add static text |
{x} | Variable - Add a data variable |
□ | Rectangle - Draw a rectangle |
○ | Circle - Draw a circle |
🖼 | Image - Insert an image |
⧉ | Duplicate - Copy selected element |
🗑 | Delete - Remove selected element |